A BLEND OF PAST AND PRESENT
18th century former Westport farmhouse and barn combines classic wood beams with modern lighting and bold colors
After living in South Korea for a few years, Polly and Larry Klane moved to New York City more than a decade ago with their then 5and 2-year-olds. But while Larry was all into city life, Polly was ambivalent. Buying a second house in the suburbs was an excellent compromise. Yet as the children got older, coupled with Polly traveling for work during the week, the back and forth on weekends became hectic, so they decided to move to their second home in Westport permanently.
“As a child, I had spent a lot of time in Stamford, so I was familiar with the area,” says Polly. “We rented a few houses before buying, and it turned out that other people from New York City were also coming out here.”
Polly and Larry fell in love with the 1785 antique house that is now their home the instant they saw the historic exterior. The structure’s centuries-old front remains barely touched, while the side view reveals a relatively newer, farmhousestyle addition. Hidden away is an expansive back lawn, outdoor terrace and pool area. After calling the agent and seeing the interior, they fell in love again and purchased the property in 2015.
“It spoke to us,” remembers Polly. “It’s a farmhouse with a barn, but it’s a unique version of what it is, with huge curb appeal.”
With its whitewashed walls and wood beams, the house is the opposite of the family’s former Madison Avenue duplex. But with updated plumbing, electricity and floors that don’t slant like in some older homes, it was “all perfectly done, cozy and welcoming.”
They originally planned to only use the house on weekends and holidays, so they furnished it with pieces they had put into storage before moving to South Korea. “Furniture started coming off the truck I had completely forgotten about,” laughs Polly.
But four years later, in late 2019, they decided to move to Westport permanently, yet wait until the school year ended to relocate. In the meantime, they called on New York City-based Kathleen Walsh Interiors, which designed their city apartment, for a whole-house, top-tobottom makeover. Fortunately, design plans were already in motion when the family decamped earlier than expected due to the pandemic.
“We had challenges with the onset of COVID, not being able to paint, wallpaper and bring in contractors when we originally planned, and then needing to address areas in a way that was convenient for the family while they lived through it all, but we got it done,” says Walsh, who originally planned to complete the project by the end of June while the house was unoccupied. “Ironically, they were ahead of the COVID curve, knowing that they’d want common spaces to gather and interact as a family, but also individual offices for Polly and Larry to work and places for the kids to study.”
The other challenge was incorporating the favorite modern pieces the team had recently bought for their city apartment. Walsh wasn’t deterred, considering each piece and space to find a beautiful balance between the home’s antique details and proportions and the coveted modern furnishings. The low-slung furniture worked with the low-ceilinged spaces, but the trick was to counter both with elements that rebalanced the overall composition and make everything look and feel right at home. Long drapery panels, additions of taller sconces, and chandeliers raised higher were some of the styling techniques used to accentuate vertical elements and re-proportion the rooms visually.
“We already knew what she could do,” says Polly. “I loved what she had done with our New York apartment, and it was hard to leave it. She has a fantastic eye and can put together different fabrics in ways I would never think of doing.”
While Polly tends to lean toward white and gray, Larry prefers color. And so does Walsh. So when designing their apartment, she took them on a color journey, which Polly can now say she was happy about, and trusted Walsh to do it all over again. For inspiration, Walsh looked up to the wood beams. “I hadn’t worked with pine in a million years, and working with its honeyed, warm tone was so refreshing,” she says. “The floors and beams were just beautiful as they were and lovingly maintained by generations of families who had lived in the house.”
Walsh kept the walls light to allow the wood and whichever colors she chose to complement each other. But in certain areas, like Polly’s office, which used to be a bedroom, Walsh added built-in shelving and talked Polly into painting them red, which she loves.
A favorite new item was the set of dining room chairs to accompany the overscaled, Jacobean-style dining table that had been in Larry’s family. The mix of fabric and color speaks to the wood, says Walsh. A custom chandelier balances out the table’s size and low-beamed ceiling and provides ample illumination.
“When adding new furnishings, we made sure to nuance the colors and textures of the room’s materials and finishes, so past and present spoke to each other,” says Walsh. “Lacquer,
Rikki Snyder/ Contributed photo
Rikki Snyder/ Contributed photo
Rikki Snyder/ Contributed photo metal, resin and wood, plus pattern and texture, were all selected to add to a layered story.” Walsh also incorporated pieces the couple bought in South Korea, and art they had collected from different places where they’ve lived or traveled, to tell the story of the home’s newest caretakers.
While the project was mostly decorating, Walsh added a breakfast nook to the ample kitchen with modern lighting over the table and island to give the space a new feel. Kathleen and Polly collaboratively reimagined the charming breezeway connecting the main house and barn for the family to relax and enjoy the existing pool. A pergola, hot tub and fire pit were added for everyone to experience all four New England seasons.
Now ages 16 and 13, the kids love living here. Originally a guest suite, the barn was transformed into a kids’ lounge for hangouts with their friends. It has a bathroom, a new kitchenette painted blue, and room for gym equipment.
“Kathleen starts by asking us how we live, and by the time she helped us with this house, she knew us better,” says Polly, who says that as executives, she and her husband still travel for work, but less frequently. “The result is a house that’s not just pretty but rooted in how we want to live in the space. Each room is not an untouchable work of art but designed for living.”