Michael McKinley and Associates, LLC

Sep 2012

When this interior designer first visited her new home she was sold on the location at overlooking the harbor in Stonington, CT Initially, she didn't think it was important to go inside because she and her husband were searching for coastal property to build a new custom home. Built in the 1980's, she characterized the gambrel shingle style home as 'tired' and the interior dated. She assumed it was a teardown. Her husband then Chairman and CEO of a realty company had a different vision. The successful realtor convinced his wife that if she looked beyond the 80's Formica and track lighting, she'd see that the Stonington Harbor house was a mini version of the couple's dream house sketches. The interior designer acknowledges that the house has 'good bones' which include an open living plan, high ceilings and a first floor master bedroom. The couple hired an architect to help peel away the layers from a design era that's been dubbed, 'best forgotten.' A narrow entry hall, a built-in bookshelf that blocked the views from the stairs and a dated kitchen and fireplace were the first to go. "Our office collaborated with her to bring her design concepts to reality", explains the architect. The firm detailed the kitchen and an efficient 8'x10' bunkroom that sleeps three by incorporating a pull out trundle bed. The architect also developed and specified a minimalist gallery style lighting plan to feature the couple's artwork. A local builder and his team made the interior renovation painless, according to the couple. The wife, whose 36 year career includes owning a design studio and home furnishings store in Greenwich, CT, found her inspiration in a Palm Beach boutique. A Balinese teak and glass coffee table was the first of many pieces she had made in Bali. Others include bar stools, fireplace stools and a teak dining room table and chairs. Even the pillow fabric came from Bali. "I wanted it to be different from our traditional home in Southport, CT.. we wanted the house to feel like we were on vacation," she said. A teak and holly floor used on yacht decks and cabinet hardware custom made from boat handrail stanchions and teak rods add warmth and a nautical feel to the white cabinetry and the blue glass tile in the kitchen. For rugs, the designer wanted something funky so she went back to her roots when she was the head designer of a furniture showroom in a Persian rug store. She selected Gabbeh rugs woven in the mountains of Iran. The tribal pattern on the entry rug reads like a contemporary interpretation of a nautical flag.

Las Vegas, NV