CTC&G (Connecticut Cottages & Gardens) April 2014

An 18-Century Farmhouse Gets a New Life in Picturesque Silvermine

Mindy Pantiel, Photographs by Keith Scott Morton,

Since the late 17th century, historic Silvermine has morphed from a rural farming community into a coveted suburban neighborhood. It was in this quaint corner of Connecticut with its narrow winding roads meandering through thickly wooded homesteads that Lisa and Eric Hilderbrand set their hopes on finding a remodeling project. “It was 2001, and I was casually seeing what was on the market in the antique fixer-upper department,” says Lisa Hilderbrand, an interior designer. “And there it was: 7,200 square feet, seven fireplaces, seven bedrooms, sleeping porches and a ballroom.”

Cutting Edge Objects to Buy and Love

Site Staff,

April's must-haves for the design obsessed shopper

Philip Gorrivan's Treehouse Is a Fantasy Come to Life

Alexa Stevenson, Photographs Courtesy of Randy O'Rourke,

A couple of years ago, designer Philip Gorrivan designed a tree house at his Washington, CT, house for his two kids, but admits that having a tree house was always a fantasy of his. Not wanting anything too cutesy, he dreamed up a structure with a sleek Scandinavian-like feel and had a local carpenter bring his vision to life. Standing 40 feet tall, the structure is clearly the work of a designer.

Lee Ann Thornton Keeps it Fresh and Young for a Family of Five

David Masello, Photographs by Keith Scott Morton,

Interior designer Lee Ann Thornton likes to plan ahead. So much so that when a young couple seeks her expertise for their home, she often begins by envisioning the baby shower, followed by the tenth birthday party, high school graduation, maybe a wedding in the living room. “I think about families being together and being together in every room of the house,” she says. “I think, too, about every joyous celebration that a family could observe over the years. I design with that in mind.”