Connecticut Cottages & Gardens - June 2014

Site Staff

The Post Road Welcomes RH Greenwich

Alexa Stevenson,

Originally built in 1917, Greenwich’s downtown post office has been resurrected as RH’s (née Restoration Hardware) newest location. Opening this month, RH Greenwich: The Gallery at the Historic Post Office follows the success of the transformation of Boston’s Museum of Natural History into the retailer’s 40,000-square-foot design gallery.

Dive In!

Isabelle Kellogg, Photographs by Claire Ingram,

We rounded up six hardworking watches for active lifestyles. Hit the beach with Breitling's Superocean Steelfish chronograph with stainless steel mesh bracelet strap or the Patravi ScubaTec watch from Carl F. Bucherer with 38-hour power reserve. Ralph Lauren's Sporting World Time watch in stainless steel has a 40-hour power reserve, while the BR03–94 by Bell & Ross makes a splash in Carbon Orange.

Mary Stone Reimagines a Historic Home Overlooking Long Island Sound

David Masello, Photographs by Rich Pomerantz,

Whenever Mary Stone is at her century-old home on the peninsula of Old Black Point, she feels blue. But for her, feeling blue has a different meaning. “I love old blue paint, I love indigo, I love any shade of blue that reminds me of the water,” she says. From virtually every room of her house, the wide expanse of Long Island Sound, often complemented in the summer with a blue sky, is in full view. So, when Stone and her family—which includes her husband and three 20-something children-—are there, they are happy.

A Converted Barn Becomes a Home Away from Home for Guests of Bantam Lake

Eva Hagberg, Photographs by Durston Saylor,

Enter, stage left, a barn; now a two-bedroom, one-sleeping-loft guesthouse with sweeping views overlooking the lake and a striking amount of open space. “They wanted a place where guests would feel comfortable, and not like they had to perform,” Bartle says. “And they wanted to do it economically and in such a way that they could take advantage of the view of the lake.” Because the couple didn’t have a specific look in mind, Bartle and his design partner Ken Lake started from the social and moved toward the aesthetic, keeping in mind both the spoken and unspoken requirements.

Designer Jane Capellini Creates a Dockside Retreat on the Connecticut River

Jamie Marshall, Photographs by Willie Cole,

Jane Capellini’s bucket list doesn’t include jumping out of a plane, climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro or trekking to the South Pole. Her list is all about houses—the ones she dreams about living in some day. She has crossed off a stone farmhouse in New Jersey, a Tudor in Greenwich, a townhouse in Manhattan, a villa in Tuscany, a loft in Dumbo and, now, a river cottage in Connecticut.

Architect Julie Schaffer Builds a Beachfront Getaway in Guilford

Mindy Pantiel, Photographa by Michael Moran/Otto,

Everyone dreams about having a weekend house on the beach. What they don’t dream about is sandblasting bedrock to make way for a foundation or selecting materials that stand up to a constant assault of wind and moisture, or worrying about how to make it attractive enough that your teenage daughters will deign to join you on the weekends. Architect Julie Schaffer thought about all that and then some when she decided to break ground on a 1.4-acre beachfront property in Guilford. But mostly she thought about those girls.