New Canaan, CT
A returning client's Connecticut home, redesigned through lighting, custom art and textiles.
Designs by Human designed the interiors of this private residence in New Canaan, Connecticut, for a client we had already worked with on two projects in New York City. The work centered on a realigned lighting plan, custom framed artwork by Canadian artist Erin Rothstein that also conceals the dining area's HVAC vents, and custom rugs, upholstery, valances and window treatments throughout.
After two projects together in New York City, the client invited us to take on their home in New Canaan. A third project with the same client changes how the work starts. We already knew how they live and what they respond to, so the first conversations were about solutions rather than discovery.
The existing lighting left the rooms dimmer than they needed to be, and the layout had no clear logic. Fixtures sat where they had been installed rather than where the rooms and furniture asked for them. We realigned the lighting throughout so each fixture relates to the architecture and the furniture plan, cleaned up the layout so it reads as intentional, and raised the light levels where the house needed them most. The rooms are brighter and more useful, and the ceiling no longer competes with everything below it.
The dining area had HVAC vents in irregular locations along the walls, and relocating the ductwork was outside the budget. Instead of leaving them exposed, we designed a series of custom framed pieces featuring artwork by Erin Rothstein and set each one in a perforated rattan mat. The rattan lets air pass freely through the frame while the artwork sits directly over the vent. The HVAC stays fully functional, and the pieces read as a deliberate art installation rather than a workaround.
Custom rugs and custom upholstery run throughout the house. They were the simplest way to add detail at the scale of the room: pattern, texture and color underfoot and on the furniture, rather than layered on as accessories. Every valance and window treatment was custom designed for its window, and those treatments are what give each room its finish.
Brighter rooms, a lighting layout that makes sense, and custom detail in the art, rugs, upholstery and window treatments. The mechanical problems that could not be moved were designed around rather than left showing.
Designs by Human works with clients in Connecticut, New York and Florida, and internationally.
