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On a hill near Ridgefield, Connecticut, a New York writer, producer, and best-selling author has established his elegant family home. Not far away, he’s built a 90m2 guest cottage for friends and family.
Simplicity, functionality, and minimalism are the key features here, with the cottage a pairing of the New England style, with high ceilings and sloping roofs, and Scandinavian style furniture. The interior design was the work of SISSY+MARLEY Interior Design, a studio founded and run by Chelsea Reale and Diana Rice. The studio worked with just two colors: black and white.
Reale and Rice, who have experience in both the fashion and design industries, make the details count in their projects by using neutral, sophisticated, and well-balanced palettes. They combine different colors with different materials and textures to create inviting atmospheres.
For the designers, the cottage was love at first sight: “The bones were there, but the space lacked character,” say the designers. “We knew that with some white paint, handpicked pieces, small upgrades, and a lot of love, we could bring it to life again.”
The building consists of a large open space, where the living and dining rooms overlap. Here, design pieces such as the sofa, the coffee table, and two easy chairs set the scene. A dark rug that contrasts with the floors adds texture and warmth to the space. A small but functional kitchen occupies a corner beneath the mezzanine floor. From the tapware to the worktop, all the accessories are black, with the sole exception of the steel cooktop. A single-flight white staircase leads to the mezzanine, where the bedroom overlooks the living area.
Large windows on all sides ensure that the cottage is full of natural light throughout the day. And the windows are purely English in style, with dark muntins that divide them into regular squares.
Location: Ridgefield, Connecticut (United States).
Interior design: SISSY+MARLEY Interiors
Photography by Marco Ricca, courtesy of SISSY+MARLEY Interiors
