Livable Yet Chic Interiors Fill A Connecticut Retreat

When homeowner Debra Goldstein met designer Greg Shano, it was a match made in design heaven. “From the beginning, Greg was my aesthetic soulmate,” Goldstein says. Now, Goldstein and her partner, Paul Brody, look to Shano for the interiors of all their homes, including this 1905 Colonial in New Canaan, Connecticut, which serves as the family’s weekend retreat.

The homeowners requested a palette of black, white, and gray and spaces that would be chic yet livable. Shano answered in spades. To make the limited color scheme work, the designer looked to textured fabrics and unique finishes. “When you work with a limited color palette, it’s important to infuse as much texture and novelty into your fabrics and finishes as possible so a room doesn’t appear too flat,” he explains.

Shano’s textures of choice included grass cloth and hemp, which dress floors and sheathe walls and the backs of bookcases, imparting visual interest, infusing a cozy feel and lessening the formality of spaces. The designer also included high-gloss, lacquered surfaces on walls, cabinetry, floors and furnishings. The library embodies the chic, eye-catching aesthetic.

This house is proof that a moody palette doesn’t have to result in a brooding home.