Historical Character Meets Contemporary Charm In Greenwich

Assuming ownership of a historical house comes with the responsibility of stewardship, especially with one that has been lovingly maintained for over a century. Built in 1903, this shingle-style home in Greenwich, Connecticut, has had only a handful of owners, including the couple who now reside in it with their three children. According to the wife, her family felt protective of it from the start. “We came into a house that had a good vibe,” she shares. “We bought it from a woman who had raised her five children here and wanted to sell to another family. They gave us a happy legacy to live up to.”

Other than an addition done by the previous owner, no major alterations had been made, so original details like Palladian windows, dentil moldings and ornate ceiling medallions had remained intact. But the house was not entirely a period piece. Along with its recently updated kitchen and bathrooms, the home had also been gently refreshed with modern touches like snazzy black-lacquered doors and dark-stained floors. The couple happily decided to change very little structurally, except for the basement, where architect Christian Calemmo and general contractor Jeremi Jablonski built a gym, sauna, wine room, dressing closet and more. Seeking a modern and exuberant interior design scheme for every level of living, they tapped designer Amy Aidinis Hirsch.

“To truly appreciate the architecture meant going in the opposite direction,” Hirsch explains of her gutsy choice to accentuate the home’s historical character by introducing contrasting contemporary elements. Having already shown a daring sensibility with their art collection sourced in collaboration with adviser Liz Parks, the owners were fully on board with the plan. Ultramodern lighting and dynamic furniture are prominent, like in the living room, where sleek and shapely seating juxtaposes period mantels and moldings. Statement pieces also distinguish the entry, where visitors are met by striking vessels displayed on an expansive table supported by a stacked base. “Ordinary is not in my clients’ vocabulary, so everything I chose had to have its own personality,” the designer says.

Having lived with mostly green and blue hues in their previous house, the couple was eager to explore the rest of the spectrum, providing Hirsch with another opportunity to embolden the interiors. The only catch was the husband’s color-blindness, which meant an especially considered approach to the palette selection process. The trio considered 10 different versions of the dining room’s hand-painted wallpaper before settling on one whose tones the husband could best distinguish: a soothing cream canvas emblazoned with birds and flowering trees rendered in melon, aubergine and navy. “That room is such a moment,” the wife notes. “It’s beautiful in the daylight; at night, it’s very moody. It feels like being inside a piece of art.” For the sake of continuity, Hirsch honed in on rich jewel tones popped against a neutral backdrop elsewhere. An eggplant-toned sectional in the living room, an amethyst-hued ottoman in the primary bathroom and a multicolored dot painting in the breakfast area help extend the dining room’s vibrant shades throughout the house.

Down to the last detail, an emphasis on craftsmanship further celebrates the home’s architectural pedigree. A dramatic fixture of brass threads and glass cascades down through the stairwell, casting the ornately carved staircase in a whole new light. In one of the guest bedrooms, Hirsch revived a period wall niche by upholstering it in an unexpected geometric-pattern for an impromptu headboard. She then supplemented the look with a shapely wood-and-rush bench and gradient globe pendants suspended by artisan-woven rope. Taken together, the milieu exemplifies the passion for artistry that the designer shares with the homeowners. “Each piece we selected is a masterpiece,” Hirsch says. “I give the clients a lot of credit. They didn’t want things you’d see anywhere else.”