A Color-Drenched Greenwich Home Opens Its Expansive Glass Doors | Moffly Media

Bold Contemporary Color and Resort-Style Living Make for the Ultimate Greenwich Home

INTERVIEW WITH AMY AIDINIS HIRSCH, AMY AIDINIS HIRSCH INTERIOR DESIGN AND DORON SABAG, SBP HOMES // PHOTOGRAPHY BY AMY VISCHIO

Tell us about the house and your collaboration.

Doron Sabag: We love working with Amy.

Amy Aidinis Hirsch: It’s a great collaboration. The architecture is modern, but for as big as it is, it feels intimate in so many spaces. I think that has to do with the personality of the interiors as well.

DS: You know how some people think that the exterior of the house—which I’d call a modern barn—should dictate the interior of the house? I don’t believe that the interior of the house is a modern barn interior. I would almost call it Hollywood glam.

AAH: There are bits of organic components in there, but there’s such a pizazz, as well, with all the color. I love the unexpected complement from the outside. It’s completely different in many ways, and a lot of that has to do with the scale and vastness. I think the clients are spunky, youthful, vibrant. They wanted their house to be a place where people come together. The expanse of the house allowed us to create these destinations and zones.

DS: And for a modern barn, you’d think the interiors would be more neutral. This one is very elegant and chic. I think it’s more color than you’ve ever done, Amy.

AAH: I would say it’s certainly adventurous. It’s a confidence that most clients don’t have; they don’t usually see that vision. I also think the neutrality of the kitchen, and how it springs into all these other spaces, especially the bar, allows the vibrance to happen. The beauty about having a contemporary interior architecture is being able to do anything you want with it.

How do you know the client?

DS: A broker recommended us. And whenever I can, I recommend Amy. They were very easy and kind and wanted a team that was also easy and ego-free.

AAH: I think we have this synergy. There are elements that happen because things are orchestrated between us. We know what the tasks are and what the development is, and we can each respect one another’s opinion as it develops.

DS: We don’t argue over, “That was my idea,” or “That was your idea.” Ideas come up, and we fly with them.

AAH: These clients really let us have the vision.

DS: They wanted it to be clean and modern, but they wanted bold colors. They trusted us. I’ve been doing this for 22 years and built more than 100 houses now. I’ve done enough projects with Amy to say,

“Just be creative, do your thing.” Sometimes, it’s a great client to have, and sometimes you don’t know if they ended up liking what you did until the end, which can be scary, because you don’t have the constant feedback.

AAH: They really allowed us to run with it. They had so much trust in us. That was the key to the whole thing. I think it was because of our platforms and what we presented to them, but their main focus was their children and family. It was all about entertaining and bringing people to enjoy the land; almost creating this resort-like atmosphere. They wanted a space where they can have lots of friends, and different play zones. We did unconventional things, like putting in this jungle gym zone for the young kids. It was great to have that carte blanche, to really fiddle with the layouts and be able to decorate the way we wanted to decorate. And I think that’s because they’re fun.

There is so much glass, opening up the house to the outside.

DS: The nature of a modern barn includes the expansive glass to bring the outdoors in and vice versa. We wanted the rooms to be filled with light, and this house has east, south and west exposures. We have an amazing covered porch that Amy furnished in a way that created another huge room. In all of our projects, we have one outdoor space with the fireplace, heaters in the ceiling, music, TV. You can live outside, in the houses we design (in the summer). It’s almost like it’s not a Greenwich house.

AAH: It feels Southampton-y, in a way.

Tell us about these stairs.

DS: They wanted modern stairs, similar to ones we’ve done in the Hamptons, but yet they didn’t want them to be open. Most have the open risers, but we created those thick treads that sit on one another. If they wanted to do a runner, they could. They wanted it to be a focal point, and with the platform and glass railing, it’s a statement.

AAH: Where we landed was amazing, creating that platform. It’s not your typical stair. It’s one of the most important factors that you see in the house, but you don’t see it at first glance, as it’s off to the side. The husband wanted to be able to see straight back to the yard. Having that connection to the land was so important to him. The stairs themselves are sculptural, and they’re their own element, but they’re not the first thing you see.

We love all the statement stone throughout. How did you choose those?

AAH: This is where Doron and I are so sequential together. The stone for the majority of the house came from Everest in Norwalk. He’ll walk through and tag stuff, and then I’ll go tag stuff, and one day I was in there and saw stone that ended up in the bar room. They only had five slabs and mentioned to me that Doron had already claimed them (laughs). In homes like this, where it’s contemporary and a blank canvas, it becomes that extra spark within the space. You have to be strategic as you’re laying it out, getting the best piece and using it properly. We’re so thoughtful, and that’s where the team comes into play. We’re all very cognizant of what we’re trying to arrive at.

Was color always part of your larger plan?

AAH: In these contemporary homes, you want to be respectful to the environment, but I couldn’t do one more gray room. I couldn’t do one more monochromatic house. Because the architecture is so simple, I also wanted so many more layers. I’ve never done a turquoise rug. I was even pushed out of my own box, which was wonderful.

There are so many fun lighting choices in this house. How did you manage to tie them all together?

AAH: We do so much big lighting. I think it’s part of our statement, part of our format. These houses are so large, so you have to humanize them. The challenge is balancing all these different types of textural elements up on the ceiling, and finding ways to distinguish them. Going through the bar room, it was having this spark of fuchsia color in a space that’s much more masculine. It’s balancing things that are solid with things that aren’t, large scale versus small.

How did you land on this palette?

AAH: I was dying to use the Fromental wallpaper (in the living/dining room). That became the central force to the whole thing. It’s so impactful, and it allowed us to springboard off from there. I was nervous that the family room would become the most monochromatic space and feel disconnected, but I’m so pleased with the way it turned out.

Tell us about this fabulous dressing room.

AAH: It’s actually much larger than what you see. This is one of those spaces where it has to match the personality of the client. It’s the one space that could be more feminine. She’s surrounded by boys, and she said, “I just need a space for me.” It’s cheerful, it’s playful, it’s spunky. It’s her. Wallpaper on a ceiling is so impactful. Without that, the room just wouldn’t feel the same.

Tell us about the kitchen.

AAH: The kitchen is one of those multifunctional spaces. I think it has the utility of three different spaces: working, cleaning and bar zones. It’s the center of the home. I love the connectivity to the kids’ playroom and the family room. There’s a beautiful amount of light that travels through the windows, but I would say when I use the word “organic,” this is the most organic part of the house. It’s one of the darker components because of the wood we used. I love oak, because it’s durable and works well when you entertain and have an active household. I also love the simplicity of the hood. As a designer, one of the most important things is making sure you can be reserved. If you take it too far, it becomes overdone.

Do you have a favorite part?

DS: Working with Amy (laughs). I’d also say the bar room and the outside porch, two rooms I appreciate as I get older. When I entertain, most of my guests gather around the kitchen. They don’t want to sit in the formal living room, so we didn’t do one here. After COVID, I think bars are more popular in houses. They’re not ostentatious, but they create a destination that people would not have used in a traditional living room.

AAH: It was very strategic in terms of the placement. It’s also not just a bar. They entertain so much for their children, it could become a candy station, or a place for more service and preparing food. The proximity to the pool isn’t so far. Because of where the kitchen is, this is where they can liaison back and forth, and it acts like a butler’s pantry would.

DS: It allows you to explore the house and use the bar room alongside the dining room.

AAH: What I also really loved was the process of being able to use a lot of artisans that I adore. I got to work with a lot of people who are gifted and talented. And that one space outside is incredible. There are two dining tables and the seating area. In the summer, it’s just a haven.

Vacation living at its best; this lucky family gets to enjoy a secluded retreat that’s designed to maximize easy living.

Sabag loves creating these exterior rooms for clients, perfect for warm-weather lounging.

Family and friends can gather around the outdoor dining table or settle into the RH sofas.

Hirsch found the black and white Terrazzo pieces at Greenwich Tile.

This boy’s room gets Lindsay Cowles Alta wallpaper on the ceiling and drapery made with Élitis’ Horizon in Flânerie—one of Hirsch’s favorite fabrics.

A view from the dining table peeks into mudroom storage.

Fromental’s Rockface wallpaper in the El Capitan colorway became a jumping-off point for the palette. Cuff Studio C back chairs in deep sea green anchor the table.

Guests get a view of the L’Aviva Home Atzompa pendants from the stairs.

A calming drop zone encourages organization.

Artwork by Amy Vischio hangs on the vivid green walls of this boy’s room.

The kitchen stands as the home’s neutral heart, allowing for the rest of the spaces to push color boundaries. Visual Comfort pendants hang over the island, partially wrapped in Camouflage marble from Everest Marble in Norwalk.

A custom Bone Simple pendant adds a playful touch to this kids’ space. Mat flooring from House of Noa provides extra cushion for soft landings.

Arteriors Glaze sculptural sconces frame the mirror in this bathroom.

A custom mural from Bradley USA wraps the walls of this powder bath.

The wife’s dressing room is unabashedly feminine, with Clarke & Clarke Exotica wallpaper and a custom ottoman.

In addition to the expansive closet space, Hirsch created a vanity setup for the client.

Continuity of color was important, especially for the main floor flow.

Entertaining is easier, when guests can move from the dining table to the lounge/bar space.

The primary bedroom is still colorful, but calm, with soft blues picked up from the Trove Noctis printed wallcovering.

Hirsch found the Lilac slabs at Norwalk’s Everest Marble.

A freestanding soaking tub anchors the serene bathroom space.

Professionals:Interior Design: Amy Aidinis Hirsch, Amy Aidinis Hirsch Interior Design, Greenwich, 203-661-1266; amyhirsch.com

Builder: SBP Homes, Stamford, 203-323-2200; sbphomes.com

Architect: Tanner White Architects, Westport, 203-283-4749;tannerwhitearchitects.com

Florist: Green of Greenwich, 203-625-6205; greenofgreenwich.com