“The house is a very specific Pacific Northwest style by the architect Jim Cutler,” says interior designer Markham Roberts, describing a project in northern Washington State. “It sits on a spectacular property, nestled in an old-growth evergreen forest at the edge of a 300-hundred-foot sheer cliff overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the San Juan Islands and the Pacific Ocean.”
In a window-lined conversation nook, Roberts deployed a neutral color scheme with a focus on natural materials so as not to distract from the view. He custom designed the cotton-velvet banquette sofas, horn end tables and lamps made from vintage wine bottles.
“The couple who live here are sophisticated world travelers, and so I wanted to use things from their travels, mixed in happily with mid-century Scandinavian, Italian modern, Asian and African pieces,” Roberts says. To that end, he mingled an 18th-century Korean lacquer cabinet with an African drum table, a Franco Albini rattan stool, Hans Wegner woven rope chairs, Cedric Hartman tent lamps and pillows from several continents.
“With all country houses I do,” the designer adds, “whether at the beach, in the mountains or on a ranch in the middle of nowhere, I want to make something subtly luxurious and comfortable that fits in well with the surroundings and reflects or suits the inhabitants.”
“We bought this house as a real fixer-upper right as my husband and I entered a new season of empty nesting,” Aymee Kuhlman, CEO and cofounder of the design firm Light and Dwell, says of her home overlooking a valley and golf course in Corvallis, Oregon. “We took the house back to studs, reconfigured the floor plan and set out for a cottage-in-the-woods feel.”
Kuhlman envisioned the dining room as a place for family and friends to hang out — “to move from a beautiful meal to a competitive game of cards,” as she puts it. “Our guests honestly don’t want to leave!” All the furniture here is vintage or antique, including the farmhouse-style table, cane-and-wood chairs, Oriental rug and bar cart with turned wood legs.
“The plates were passed down from my grandmother, who collected antique dishware, and the candlestick holders on the table are from our wedding,” Kuhlman says. “Happy 30th to us!”
True to the firm’s name, tall windows with translucent curtains let in the fickle Pacific Northwest sunlight, which is contrasted by a deep taupe paint on the ceiling and walls. “We love a good mix of old and new, moody and intimate, with the dark paint really framing the picture of nature outside.”
In rural Connecticut, Giancarlo Valle peered into the soul of an 1863 former parsonage, wanting to honor its past lives when reincarnating it as a pleasantly quirky nest for his own family of four. “The previous owner had a very distinctive style for the living room, with rich reds, salmons and pinks,” Valle says. “We wanted to play into that but also give it our own spin.”
He kept the 1920s pinewood paneling and introduced a sumptuous red velvet sofa made by his furniture studio, mauve throw pillows and an exuberantly eccentric portrait by Anastasia Bay, which he hung to the left of the bay window.
“We also brought in some Mexican butaque chairs, which were beat up and really blend well with the other objects,” the designer says. It’s true: The sling-like seats pair beautifully with the crinkled Ingo Mauer table lamps, gridded Gianfranco Frattini cocktail table and scruffy raffia-and-wood Half Moon club chairs by Green River Project. All are set on a sage-green rug that’s part of Valle’s collection for Nordic Knots.
“With a country house, you have to be casual and approachable,” Valle explains. “You want the feeling of coming in and immediately relaxing.”
For a cabin in the Colorado Rockies, Clive Lonstein upped the European sophistication to create the impression of an Alpine chalet occupied by savvy cosmopolitans. “I wanted the overall space to feel authentic, establishing a solid architectural foundation with rustic elements,” the designer says. “In this study, I aimed to juxtapose those elements with elevated pieces.”
Here, a sleek 1898–99 armchair by Richard Riemerschmid mingles with a Danish modern chair by Frits Henningsen, behind which an antique floral tapestry hangs over a classic sideboard. The hardy lamp is by Paul Dupré-Lafon and the handwoven rug came from FJ Hakimian.
“By selecting pieces that depart from traditional country aesthetics, I aim to give the space a fresh, contemporary edge,” Lonstein explains. “This approach balances the rugged qualities of the country setting with a more nuanced and dynamic interior.”
On Indiana’s Lake Maxinkuckee, Tom Stringer filled a traditional house with calming colors and textures to match the freshwater vibes outside. “The classic Cape Cod–style home includes a first-floor owner’s suite that enjoys a commanding view of the water, especially from the bed — a nice way to wake up in the morning,” he says. “Simple lines, a restful color scheme and quality materials keep the focus on that view.”
Accordingly, he sourced a four-poster bed from Holly Hunt and added a Rose Tarlow headboard in creamy leather. A sage Phillip Jeffries wallcovering and a Lee Industries ottoman in tufted Jim Thompson fabric carry the greenery indoors; they’re offset by a rosy Stephen Gerould lamp and a Minton-Spidell lounge chair in red-and-white Sister Parish upholstery. Hunt Slonem painted the expressionistic bunny peeking through a neoclassical picture frame.
“In country houses, I value a certain directness and simplicity in the finishes and furnishings I choose,” Stringer says. “It just seems to flow with the idea of an uncomplicated life to be enjoyed there.”
“When we’re working on a country house, we often have three words in the back of our minds: cozy, comfort and classic,” says Christine Carney, director of Blackberry Farm Design. Nestled in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, this shingle-clad house certainly fits the bill.
In the great room, Carney’s team brought in plenty of seating to surround the river-stone fireplace, including a pair of neutral linen sofas, as well as vintage armchairs and club chairs. The rustic wide-board cocktail table was made by a local craftsman.
Floor-to-ceiling windows wrap around the home, providing stunning vistas of leafy treetops and rolling foothills. Says Carney, “It is the sort of room where you want to light the fire, snuggle in with your favorite book and enjoy a glass of wine on a rainy day.”
North of the Golden Gate Bridge, in the San Francisco Bay, sits 2.41-square-mile Belvedere Island. A couple hundred homes dot the hilly, forested islet, which has ordinances protecting its natural beauty and historic charm.
One such structure is a 1940 Tudor Revival gem with interiors reimagined by Lauren Geremia, who says she aimed to provide the homeowners with well-crafted, timeless spaces embodying “a California version of living that feels bright, natural and comfortable.”
Another goal was to fill the house with merriment as often as possible. “This property is meant to be used by multiple generations of our clients’ family, gathering from across the globe in California to enjoy summers, holidays and special occasions,” the designer explains. Guests need to eat, so Geremia placed the clients’ massive mid-century-modern dining set in the cathedral-like dining room (featured in this year’s 1stDibs 50) and created a cozy breakfast nook for less-formal meals.
Like the rest of the house, the eat-in kitchen features shades of gold and green, including a Michael Finizio custom-crafted banquet upholstered in a Rogers and Goffigon textile, vintage chairs with cushions covered in lime Pierre Frey Honolulu fabric and a wide yellow vase. The circular Hauvette & Madani dining table echoes the fine woodwork found in many of the rooms.
“We try to respond to the outside environment with the colors and materials we integrate into the interiors,” Geremia says, “ensuring the entire property is respected for a pleasant, cohesive experience.”
Barrie Benson knew what not to do for the soaring great room of a beach house in Wilmington, North Carolina. “We knew it would not be where people went and lay down to watch TV,” she says. “The homeowners are big entertainers with a large family and many friends. It was more about games, puzzles, cocktails and enjoying the view.”
To maximize the hosting potential, she says, she and her team “selected a big open sectional that’s not too cushy, game tables and fabrics that take a back seat to let the view shine.” A large abstraction by Deborah Dancy over the fireplace draws the eye back inside. “The clients host an annual karaoke party, so the room gets lots of use!”
A pair of mid-century tables are surrounded by Hans Wegner Wishbone chairs in turquoise and cream, reflecting the sea and clouds outside. But Benson also had a more tangible source of hues to work from here. “This particular client came to us with a collection of about 50 seashells,” the designer shares, “and it inspired the color palette for the entire home.”
Michael Hilal was tasked with revamping the interiors of a streamlined house built in a mix of architectural styles in the quaint coastal village of Del Mar, California.
“The home is what I would call a mid-century-modern revival — the look is reminiscent of a post-and-beam structure, but the scale is that of a contemporary house. So, we wanted to lean into that vibe but with interiors that still felt fresh,” he says. “Too many times, you see people with mid-century homes that begin feeling a bit like a Mad Men set.”
The dining area perfectly expresses the mix of modern and contemporary elements, with blond wide-plank flooring, a brass Apparatus light fixture, a custom-crafted wood dining table and mod Verner Panton chairs in saffron velvet, “which is probably the boldest color in the home,” Hilal says. “It works as a nice shift from the Farrow & Ball Studio Green–painted kitchen into more beige furnishings in the living room.” The hunter-green cabinets also resonate with the foliage visible through extra-tall windows on both sides.
“One of our big goals for a more location-based project is to accentuate what’s around it,” the designer explains. “You can make bold, interesting choices with the design, but you should consider what you are framing outside the window.”
For a country retreat in Washington, Connecticut, Christopher Boshears designed an “inviting and dynamic interior that was equally as cozy for a family of three as it was for visiting guests,” he says.
The living room features a nonidentical pair of rouge Roman Thomas armchairs and a wonderfully squishy sofa in wool velvet, backgrounded by playful squiggly curtains by Jim Thompson. Vintage elements include a trio of circa 1950 leather nesting tables in the center and glazed-ceramic 1950s lamps from Carlos De La Puente Antiques. The photograph of the Washington Square Arch may look old because of its sepia visage, but it’s actually a 2018 composition by James Bleecker.
“Our clients are an active couple who enjoy congregating, whether it be dinner with the family, friends by the fireplace or a full-house celebration,” Boshears says. “We wanted a seamless blend of comfort and flexibility, an environment that is intimate yet can be ready to accommodate a community gathering.”
