Connecticut Magazine - March 2015

Between historic properties that have been meticulously cared for and new constructions with all the best amenities, Connecticut is full of beautiful homes. This month, we’re casting a light on two impressive properties—one from each of the aforementioned categories. The first is a surprising remodel in Darien that tackled nearly ever design challenge in the book and resulted in a perfect family abode, while the second is a new build that harkens back to the property’s former function as a train depot in Washington. Coastal Remodel—Darien, Steven Mueller Architects, LLC Every home has design challenges and a remodel typically casts those in a harsh light. For one Darien family, their turn-of-thecentury home on Five Mile River Road had more than just one obstacle. A number of haphazard additions over the years confused the architectural design and stunted the natural flow of the residence, forcing the family to pass through each room to navigate the home. Devon and Mike Pastor had been living in their coastal-themed home for eight years before finally remodeling it to suit their family. The intention to redesign had been there from the very beginning, but life got in the way as it usually does; at one point they considered selling because they knew how much work would be involved to make the house functional. “We didn’t think we were up for the project, but we decided we were and now we’re so thrilled that we did it,” says Devon. The couple wanted a bright, airy home with large open spaces to accommodate their three children. To accomplish this they reached out to Steven Mueller of Steven Mueller Architects, LLC in Greenwich for his expertise, and he could see immediately that most things weren’t working. “There were three different sections [of the house],” says Mueller. “The circulation wasn’t good. You had to walk through all of the rooms. None of that worked.” “Before, either you came in one entrance toward the kids’ side of the house or the other main door which walked you into the front hall,” explains Devon. “We couldn’t stand that about the house. There was no front door, and that was very important to us. Mueller’s solution was to give the home a central core, a foyer, to rotate around. The new entrance, flanked with pillars and grounded with wide slate steps, gives the home a grandeur it previously lacked. The front door opens onto a large, bright foyer that boasts white walls with wood and sea blue accents. It’s everything the family wanted, and ties into the home’s nautical feel, which was important to maintain. “It unifies the whole house,” Pastor says of the new foyer. “It makes it a very friendly, social house.” The layout was a challenge, but the bigger issue was the home’s significant zoning nonconformities—something the Pastors weren’t aware of when they purchased. The original section of the home, which is over 90 years old, is located a mere 1.2 feet from the property line. Today, a yard setback of 15 feet is required on properties. The home also exceeded the allowable building coverage on the land. That meant Mueller’s team couldn’t touch the footprint of the house. There would be no blowing out walls to configure more useful additions. In fact, significant portions of the existing structure were removed to comply with coverage limits. “We could not really touch anything in the nonconforming section of the site…We had to design around that as we could not build in that area,” says Mueller. Difficult variances brought the project before the Darien Zoning Board of Appeals many times to ensure the home was up to every applicable code. The entire renovation took over a year, which was due in large part to dealings with the ZBA. The design had to be thoughtful, making use of what already existed. To open the previously closed floor plan, Mueller opened the kitchen onto the living room, updating everything with modern appliances and light colors. The upstairs floor was also reconfigured to accommodate two additional bedrooms alongside the master bedroom. “It’s a taller more beautiful room,” Pastor says of the master. “It’s very light and airy.” Look at before and after photos of the home’s exterior and the extent of the remodel is evident. While it does look like the same house from the outside, that’s where the similarities end. Step inside and you’ll be hard pressed to tell if you’re in the same home, which is exactly how the owners feel about it. “We all love it,” says Pastor. “We can’t believe it’s the same house.” Depot House—Washington, Gray Organschi Architecture When two architects come together to design a home for themselves, the results are guaranteed to be impressive. That was the case when Elizabeth Gray and Alan Organschi, partners at Gray Organschi Architecture in New Haven, decided to build a dream home for themselves and their children in Washington. The couple had owned the property, which is situated along the Bantam River, for 15 years before deciding to build on it in 2012. At the time of purchase the land housed two small shacks. The pair believes the structures were put there to house residents displaced by a 1956 flood. The stone foundation of a much older building was also on the property—perhaps an ice house used to assist the milk train that used to run from Northwest Connecticut to New York City and stopped at a nearby depot. There was a lot of history attached to the property and the architects wanted to honor all of it in the design of their new weekend home. “When we went to renovate, we knew we wanted to have a building relationship to an older agricultural past,” says Gray. “It’s still a contemporary house, but we came up with the idea of gable structures situated perpendicular to each other . . . [like] two barns at right angles with a connected space that is very glassy.” From the quiet country road, which is located just feet from the foundation as was typical with old New England agricultural service buildings, the home reads like a barn—something that was very important to both the family and the town’s planning and zoning department. Between the two barn-like structures, where the bedrooms are housed, an open space walled with windows allows sunlight to stream inside. Gray and Organschi wanted to place the emphasis on shared spaces, choosing to make the bedrooms smaller and the living spaces larger. “There is a feeling of going in and out of these barns. It’s pleasing,” says Gray. “People really like to live, not in a more traditional roombased plan with a kitchen, a living room and a dining room. There’s a flow of space.” The customary kitchen appliances, like the refrigerator, are tucked away in the pantry to allow for clear sightlines and agreeable views throughout the living space, and all of the appliances and décor are modern—a welcome juxtaposition to the home’s largely traditional exterior. In the backyard, a sleek pool takes center stage surrounded by a modern wooden deck and shaded by a strategic roof overhang to “shield the summer light.” An original stone wall, covered with beautiful patina and moss, was preserved and reinforced to evoke more of the property’s history.