Our clients, one of whom is Danish, envisioned a house rooted in 19th century Europe. But how to balance the formal and generally dark interiors of that period with the homeowners’ informal, active lifestyle and a hilltop site rich with vistas of Long Island Sound that call for light? An L-shaped plan provided the ideal solution. A series of steel French doors opening onto the terrace and pool afford views from all the public rooms and bedrooms above, while the front door is approached through a formal courtyard setting.

The highly crafted 10,200 square-foot stucco house abounds with details and materials that reference history in a contemporary style. Hand-wrought ironwork, hand-cut copper sheeting on the turret dome, slate roofs, limestone flooring in the foyer, Belgian bluestone in the kitchen, reclaimed plank floors that are hand-waxed and pillowed, dentil moldings and recessed paneling create a house that is at once refined and relaxed.