CTC&G (Connecticut Cottages & Gardens) - September 2015

Site Staff

Known for Movie Set Design, Marks & Frantz Mixes High-Voltage Glamour with Functionality in This Greenwich Home

Alexa Stevenson, Photographs by Marco Ricca,

The shoes were fabulous, naturally, but after five years, it’s still the sets of the Sex and the City movie and its sequel—especially that envy-inducing closet Carrie shares with Big in Sex and the City 2—that design lovers covet. The vision behind the set that launched a thousand swoons belongs to Lydia Marks and Lisa Frantz of Marks & Frantz, a New York City–based design firm whose movie sets have residential clients knocking down their door. A Greenwich homeowner approached the pair not just for the closet but also for the designers’ signature high-voltage glamour coupled with functionality.

Meet the Designer: Linda Allard

Sharon King Hoge, Photographs by Phil Dutton,

Fashion designer Linda Allard, the creative force behind the clothing collections of Ellen Tracy (which evolved into her own namesake line of wearable classics) has retired to her Italianate home she helped design and build in Litchfield County. We talked to her about the symbiotic traits of fashion and structural design.

Donna Gorman's Hariri & Hariri-Designed Home Gains a Studio That Delivers Much-needed Work-Home Balance

Eva Hagberg Fisher, Photographs by George Ross,

Much has changed since the early ’90s in terms of flextime, the freelance workforce and working from home (Marissa Mayer’s interventions at Yahoo notwithstanding). And Gorman’s work, much of which she did for Finnish textiles company Marimekko and now does under the name See Design, is an incredible mix of playful, thoughtful and deeply resonant.

A Look at France, Where What’s Old is New Again

Baroness Sheri de Borchgrave,

In recent years, I’ve followed the rising fortunes of rich reds from Priorat, citrusy whites from Santorini, intense Malbecs from Mendoza. The pursuit of the next big thing has increasingly left the original wine powerhouse, France, in the dust. But winemakers from across France’s diverse terroir are spreading the word about some favorite old regions that are hot once again. This fall, look to the French to keep things interesting.

Examining the Past and the Present in the Art of Fung Ming Chip

Jan Lee,

Since ancient times, students and monks throughout Asia would travel to China to rub charcoal on paper, transferring carved Chinese characters for replication, stroke for stroke, with brush and ink. Such is the traditional method of learning calligraphy, as dictated by scholars, persisting to the present day. Chinese calligraphic styles are literally carved in stone, unyielding and immovable.

The Unveiling of the Designer Showhouse on the Green

Catriona Branca, Photographs by Keith Scott Morton, Photographs by Eric Richards,

Where to go this month for a houseful of design inspiration? Head to Fairfield and explore the first-ever Designer Showhouse on the Green benefitting Operation Hope. Led by design chairman Ellie Cullman and landscape design co-chairs Diane Devore and Tara Vincenta, more than 15 designers turned St. Paul’s Episcopal Church rectory into a showcase of premier talent. Here, you’ll get a glimpse of the spaces inside and out. But there’s nothing like seeing it in person, and it’s open for visits through October 25.

A Collaboration Between Two Architecture Firms Results in a Harmonious Blend of Old and New

Jane Dagmi, Styled by Stockton Hall, Photographs by Jonathan Wallen,

After 15 years of corporate assignments abroad, Tricia and John Hartner felt a strong desire to return to their Connecticut roots. Set along a winding road, nestled among eight promising acres overlooking Pope’s Pond Reservoir, Branch Brook Farm, a 1968 Colonial Revival designed by renowned American architect Royal Barry Wills, was an unquestionable score in need of an update.

Martha Stewart Dishes on the Art of Appetizers

Christopher Lombardo, Photographs reprinted from the book Appetizers by Martha Stewart. Copyright © 2015 by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia., Photographs copyright ©2015 David Malosh.,

Lifestyle guru and former Westport resident Martha Stewart has a new book out this month all about scrumptious starters. Though the name seems to say it all—Martha Stewart’s Appetizers: 200 Recipes for Dips, Spreads, Snacks, Small Plates, and Other Delicious Hors d’Oeuvres, Plus 30 Cocktails (Clarkson Potter, 2015)—we’ve got the inside scoop on how to throw the ultimate soiree from the hostess-with-the-mostest herself.

Donna Gorman's Hariri & Hariri Designed Home Gains a Studio That Delivers Much-needed Work-Home Balance

Eva Hagberg Fisher, Photographs by George Ross,

Much has changed since the early ’90s in terms of flextime, the freelance workforce and working from home (Marissa Mayer’s interventions at Yahoo notwithstanding). And Gorman’s work, much of which she did for Finnish textiles company Marimekko and now does under the name See Design, is an incredible mix of playful, thoughtful and deeply resonant.

Known for Movie Set Design, Marks & Frantz Mixes High-Voltage Glamour with Functionality in the Greenwich Home

Alexa Stevenson, Photographs by Marco Ricca,

The shoes were fabulous, naturally, but after five years, it’s still the sets of the Sex and the City movie and its sequel—especially that envy-inducing closet Carrie shares with Big in Sex and the City 2—that design lovers covet. The vision behind the set that launched a thousand swoons belongs to Lydia Marks and Lisa Frantz of Marks & Frantz, a New York City–based design firm whose movie sets have residential clients knocking down their door. A Greenwich homeowner approached the pair not just for the closet but also for the designers’ signature high-voltage glamour coupled with functionality.

A Collaboration Between Two Architecture Firms Result in a Harmonious Blend of Old and New

Jane Dagmi, Styled by Stockton Hall, Photographs by Jonathan Wallen,

After 15 years of corporate assignments abroad, Tricia and John Hartner felt a strong desire to return to their Connecticut roots. Set along a winding road, nestled among eight promising acres overlooking Pope’s Pond Reservoir, Branch Brook Farm, a 1968 Colonial Revival designed by renowned American architect Royal Barry Wills, was an unquestionable score in need of an update.