WHEN BUILDER JOHN SANDERS was approached by a local couple to build the classical home of their dreams in a reimagined way, he was eager to step up to the plate. The family had recently purchased a ranch home that they planned to tear down, and they hoped to rebuild a Georgian masterpiece in its place with the help of Sanders.
“After listening to what they wanted, I suggested we bring in Carter Skinner as the home designer, Frank Liggett as the landscape architect, and Katherine Connell as the interior designer,” recalls Sanders. “These clients needed something that functioned for a family of four with two very active boys, as well as for entertaining. It was a small, in-town lot, so we all had to be very thoughtful about the spaces and work together to create the perfect outcome.”
“Some of the Georgian-style elements that the homeowners brought to me for inspiration included a lot of symmetry, transoms, a semi-circular front porch, and classical details inside,” explains Skinner. He adds that his great rapport with Connell made it much simpler, as they’ve worked together numerous times.
“I am to the point now where I can usually anticipate how Katherine might want to design a room, so I already know what size to scale a living room, or what a dining room design must accommodate.” The symbiotic relationship between the home designer, the builder, the interior designer, and the landscape designer was integral to creating a flawless project that everyone enjoyed working on from start to finish.
Panel moldings and case openings, mantle work, and even a fully latticed breakfast room swathed in bold blue paint, along with French doors, grand staircases, and a graceful flow from room to room were all part of the combined vision of the team. “Even though a typical Georgian can be compartmentalized, this open floor plan is airy and bright, and Katherine made the rooms cheerful,” says Skinner.
Though challenges were few, it’s easy to assume there were none. “Carter created a floor plan that flows well,” says Sanders. “It has large, spacious main rooms with cozy nooks for a bar, a wine cellar, and a mudroom, all perfectly situated where you would want them.” Connell adds that “the goal was to resurrect a home that looks like it’s been here forever,” and Sanders agrees that it was achieved. “We used a smallersized brick, had the windows made to a historical standard, and used heavy modulation blocks in the interior and exterior trim to make it look different than what everyone else was doing.”
When it came to the interiors, Connell took cues from the homeowners’ existing collections and personal hobbies. “My clients had beautiful family pieces that we knew needed to be incorporated into the design, and they love to hunt for unique art and antique furniture and accessories,” she says. “They have young children, but they wanted beautiful spaces that could also take the daily wear and tear of family life. With a house full of boys, we chose to skew feminine, especially in the living room.”
The latticed breakfast room was a true group effort, as Sanders explains. “This room was a collaboration amongst trade professionals at the top of their games, from the shared vision between Carter and Katherine to our carpenters’ precision in hand-cutting and laying lattice. We wanted it to look like an old, enclosed porch from the outside with tremendous detail. It’s one of my favorite spaces.”
In the dining room, a tie with the primary bedroom for Connell’s favorite space, beautiful de Gournay silk paper lines the walls while heirloom case goods from the wife’s father’s family fill the space, lending a special sentimentality to the room. “I love the primary suite, too,” says Connell, “because oftentimes this room gets pushed to the back burner, but my clients knew they wanted a retreat, and it is stunning!”
“We go into each project with two simple goals: build a home that will last for generations and listen to what the homeowner really wants and needs,” says Sanders. “These clients were ideal in that they did their homework and were contemplative in the design process, making them a joy to work with over the years.”