Two rich lives, one new space to share—designer Caroline Brackett was up for the challenge
Kids and grandkids, careers and keepsakes, personal taste and opinions. It isn’t always easy to design a space that blends and balances two distinct lives together, but in this four-bed, four-and-a-half-bath home in Hollingsworth Park, Caroline Brackett and her team made the stunning results feel effortless.
“Our clients were getting married later in life, and wanted to create a home together,” says Brackett. “They each brought existing furniture, antiques and heirlooms to the space, and our challenge was working with them to decide what could and couldn’t be used—all while designing a home that is traditional and timeless, yet still feels very livable, comfortable, and perfect for where they are in life.”
Each room feels like a waltz between the old and the new, pairing gilded details and brass fixtures with fresh colors, modern pieces, and textural layers. Despite the couple’s two lifetimes spent traveling and collecting, the home has an intentional place for every treasure. The design keeps the look clean, crisp, and uncluttered, so that blue-and-white antique porcelain collections and stately leather-upholstered dining chairs can reside side-by-side in harmony.
“Our clients wanted the home to feel curated, collected, comfortable—but it’s also interesting and unexpected,” says Bracket with a smile. “It was fun finding creative, beneficial ways to use what they had and what was special to them.”
Stately antique dining room pieces are given a soft, elegant place to land with soothing textural touches. The wallpaper features a Thibaut floral-printed fine sisal grasscloth, and the Lido chandelier from Visual Comfort brings a more transitional style into the mix with reflective antique mirrors. Underfoot, a Stark rug with Tencel fibers is super soft and luxurious.
To bring pops of color into the kitchen, the island was painted sky blue, and the backsplash layered with handmade, artisan French tile in varying matching hues. A quartzite countertop cozies up to swivel counter stools from Hickory Chair upholstered in an ostrich-textured vinyl from Pindler, and new light pendants (Morris lanterns from Visual Comfort) lean into the old-world aesthetic.
The living room blends the clients’ curated antiques and artwork with a traditional, more formal sofa silhouette with a camelback and custom pillows. Modern notes from a brass-and-glass cocktail table and a Hudson Valley Classic No. 1 chandelier in an aged-brass finish, with silk shades, tie the whole look together.
Clean and crisp, simple linens from Peacock Alley and custom window treatments hanging from ADR Mercer French return hardware in an antique brass finish bring the master bedroom into soft yet sharp focus. New pieces like a traditional two-poster bed with upholstered headboard and low foot rail (the Hickory Chair Tompkins bed) nest seamlessly with existing antiques.
In the upstairs den, the design team curated and styled a collection of items from the clients’ travels to frame a relaxing, stylish scene. Crowning the room is the Kayleigh chandelier from Gabby Home, sculpted of wood and metal with gilded acanthus leaves.
A custom statement zebra rug for the foyer stair runner shows that animal print is a beautiful neutral and ties perfectly into the clients’ existing chest, antique chair, and other blue-and-white chinoiserie throughout the home.
In the unexpected, modern bar area, mirrored tile helps to open up the small space, reflecting as much light as possible. Custom glass shelves with a brass base from Urban Archeology add a unique touch, alongside a metallic cork wallpaper on the ceiling.
Using the client’s existing mirror as inspiration, the design team paired old with new again in a richly textured powder room, featuring a J. Tribble vanity with bamboo details and a subtle, yet elegant animal-print wallpaper that adds visual texture without too much drama.
The keeping room is where the clients spent most of their time, and opens directly to the kitchen. Soft blues were added throughout to blend with the hues in the kitchen, and custom
window treatments and pillows invite deep conversations to unfold upon swivel chairs from Highland House. An upholstered cocktail table with a striped Cowtan & Tout fabric adds another layer of functional comfort, while a brass and marble side table reflects the brass accents and stone details in the kitchen.
