Vivid blue and white patterns bring timeless elegance.
Lee Ann Thornton gave this new Greenwich, Connecticut, ranch a touch of old soul by focusing on architectural details, vivid patterns and a soft palette. The end product exudes timeless elegance — and a family-friendly atmosphere.
The entry introduces several of the home’s motifs: muted prints (the Rose Tarlow Melrose House wallpaper), hits of black (the metal sconces and mirror frame), and the mixing of rustic and refined (rush seat backs with seats in a Schumacher linen-cotton). “Blue and white is my go-to,” says Thornton.
Thornton painted the window mullions black and the frames white in the sunroom; the effect lends definition to the soft palette of pale French and peacock blues. The sofa is covered in the same Peter Fasano fabric as the walls. Laguna bobbin chairs, Motif Designs. Chandelier, Paul Ferrante.
The fastest way to make sure classic blue and white doesn’t skew too sweet: Throw in an unexpected hue, like aubergine or apple green, for a palette that’s a sure home run. Indigo grass-cloth wallpaper by Phillip Jeffries sets a sophisticated tone. The ticking-stripe ottoman and card table wrapped in a Fortuny print are from Lee Ann Thornton Interiors Home Collection. Dutch doors open to reveal a bar.
In the living room, tufted Lee Industries chairs flank a chinoiserie coffee table with a caned top covered in glass. Thornton painted the sofa legs white—“one of those custom decisions with quiet impact.” The coffered ceiling and built-in cabinetry bring dimension and intimacy to the small, low-ceilinged space.
To add been-here-forever character to a newly built room, go for a wallpaper with a repeating pattern. These abstract blooms in faded indigo are reminiscent of a classic chintz yet feel youthful. From indigo to cobalt, blue suffuses the dining room with romantic charm. Because the “free-floating” space is visible from other rooms, Thornton paid special attention to its vibe, opting for an abstract floral wallpaper by Tyler Graphic. A black metal chandelier by Paul Ferrante plays off the ebonized wood of the custom caned chairs, which have cushions in a Quadrille fabric with raffia trim. The tablecloth is by Zsuzsanna Nyul. Rug, Merida.
The family room is “the relaxed room of the house." Thornton added woodwork to the walls and ceiling for character.
Raising the ceiling of the master bedroom “changed everything,” Thornton says — the walls are papered in a strié Phillip Jeffries grass cloth; the bed is dressed in John Robshaw linens and “looks like it could be at a lake house”; chandelier, Paul Marra.
Horizontal shiplap walls and rustic metal hard-ware lend the master bath a tidy, efficient feeling; the faux-driftwood floor, laid in a chevron pattern, is easy-to-care-for porcelain tile by Greenwich Tile & Marble; pendant, Thomas O’Brien for Visual Comfort; walls in Benjamin Moore’s White Dove.
The daughter “did not want a pink room,” says Thornton, who instead mixed up a palette of seafoam, turquoise, and lavender;“If I can get a sofa” — like this one by Lee Industrie sin a Quadrille fabric—“into a child’s room, I do it,” she says, adding that it encourages family time; curtains in a Romo fabric with pom-pom trim.
Thornton designed the daughter’s bedroom “to take her through her teenage years.” The Quadrille upholstery on the Lee Ann Thornton Interiors Home Collection bed feels at once magical and elegant. Bedding, Serena & Lily. The wobbly-zigzag wallpaper— also by Quadrille — plays nicely with the bulbous Barbara Cosgrove lamp. Bone-inlay bedside table, Roberta Roller Rabbit.
The family’s Cavapoo dog cozies up between lovebird-patterned pillows by Roberta Roller Rabbit.
In the boys’ room, the flatweave carpet by Turabian & Sariyan provides a perfect surface for playing — quietly — with toy race cars or building blocks; the pouf is by Serena & Lily, the wall lights are by Circa Lighting, and the wallpaper is by Quadrille.
Checks and stripes give decorative momentum to the twin boys’ bedroom, where Serena & Lily bedding squares off against upholstery from John Robshaw Textiles.
Producer, Doretta Sperduto.
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This story originally appeared in the November 2017 issue of House Beautiful.
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