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Houzz Tour: Old Stone House Gets a Youthful Makeover
A designer mixes periods and styles to turn a 1929 house into a colorful, contemporary family home for her daughter
Most designers would balk at welcoming a client into their home to live with them during a renovation. But when Shelley Morris’ daughter and son-and-law purchased a nearly century-old stone house a couple of miles from her house in Westport, Connecticut, and enlisted her to refurbish the interior for themselves and their infant son, the arrangement was a win-win. “I couldn’t have had a more perfect client,” Morris says of her daughter, who worked side by side with her throughout the nine-month process.
Now the young family is happily settled in its new home, surrounded by an eclectic mix of antiques, heirlooms and colorful contemporary art and furniture that creates a refreshing juxtaposition with the home’s stately stone exterior. And Morris, who formed a special bond with her grandson during the time they lived together, couldn’t be happier to have them nearby. “I’m so lucky.” she says. “We’re the grandparents who are over the moon!”
Now the young family is happily settled in its new home, surrounded by an eclectic mix of antiques, heirlooms and colorful contemporary art and furniture that creates a refreshing juxtaposition with the home’s stately stone exterior. And Morris, who formed a special bond with her grandson during the time they lived together, couldn’t be happier to have them nearby. “I’m so lucky.” she says. “We’re the grandparents who are over the moon!”
Morris covered the entryway’s walls with Portola Paints & Glazes’ Roman Clay in a russet color that speaks to her daughter’s bold taste. “I think that she always had an inclination more for color than I could live with, because I saw color all the time,” Morris says. “For me, coming home, I wanted to feel like I was in a sanctuary. So we sort of met in the middle.”
The mosaic on the floor is original to the house. The artichoke chandelier, console table and other furnishings were found by the daughter, who made most of the furniture selections, though Morris weighed in on sizes and colors.
The mosaic on the floor is original to the house. The artichoke chandelier, console table and other furnishings were found by the daughter, who made most of the furniture selections, though Morris weighed in on sizes and colors.
In the front room, modern velvet chairs from Blu Dot echo the entryway’s rusty red tone. Because most shops and showrooms were closed at the time, the duo did almost all of their shopping online.
Meanwhile, Morris’ contractors took down the entire first floor’s ceiling, which allowed them to install discreet recessed lighting around this room’s periphery to highlight the art and texture of the walls. (The photographer digitally removed the lights from these images to create a cleaner look.) To open up the room, they removed awkward walls and replaced vertical beams near the fireplace with steel structural beams in the ceiling.
Contractors also applied a lime wash over the fireplace bricks, which were originally a redder tone. Red shows up again in the painting on the mantel, which is by renowned contemporary artist Scott Kahn, a friend of Morris’.
Meanwhile, Morris’ contractors took down the entire first floor’s ceiling, which allowed them to install discreet recessed lighting around this room’s periphery to highlight the art and texture of the walls. (The photographer digitally removed the lights from these images to create a cleaner look.) To open up the room, they removed awkward walls and replaced vertical beams near the fireplace with steel structural beams in the ceiling.
Contractors also applied a lime wash over the fireplace bricks, which were originally a redder tone. Red shows up again in the painting on the mantel, which is by renowned contemporary artist Scott Kahn, a friend of Morris’.
A big advantage to the home being empty during the remodel was that they were able to refinish all of its oak floors without dust getting into everything. Originally the boards were a mix of tones, so Morris had them stripped and bleached to achieve a uniform light tone.
Wall paint: White Dove, Benjamin Moore
Wall paint: White Dove, Benjamin Moore
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The front room opens to the dining room, with a white lacquered table and mink gray microfiber chairs from CB2. An antique lantern — a gift from Morris — hangs above the table.
The dining room walls are also finished in Roman Clay by Portola Paints & Glazes, here in a creamy white color called Brooks. Morris experimented with the product as an alternative to the Venetian plaster used in the kitchen.
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The dining room walls are also finished in Roman Clay by Portola Paints & Glazes, here in a creamy white color called Brooks. Morris experimented with the product as an alternative to the Venetian plaster used in the kitchen.
Shop for dining chairs on Houzz
The original mantle on the fireplace is made from a large piece of granite that Morris guesses was found on the property. Sitting on top of it is a 19th century Staffordshire plate, another Morris hand-me-down.
“I love it when people come with their own art collection, or they have pieces that have been handed down to them by their family — as long as their family has good taste,” Morris says. “Because, of course, I also [hear from clients], ‘Oh, my mother-in-law wants me to keep this in my dining room.’ And it’s like, ‘No, you’ve got to tell her in a very nice way: Never!’ ”
“I love it when people come with their own art collection, or they have pieces that have been handed down to them by their family — as long as their family has good taste,” Morris says. “Because, of course, I also [hear from clients], ‘Oh, my mother-in-law wants me to keep this in my dining room.’ And it’s like, ‘No, you’ve got to tell her in a very nice way: Never!’ ”
Fortunately, Morris’ mother-in-law filled her own stone home with beautiful antiques she collected alongside an interior designer. In addition to the pewter vessel in the previous picture, the 16th century English sideboard below the window was also once hers.
Not seen in these pictures of the mostly black-and-white room is a brightly colored painting (which had hung in Morris’ previous home) that added the punch of color the daughter craved.
5 Modern-Day Rooms Decorated With Antiques
Not seen in these pictures of the mostly black-and-white room is a brightly colored painting (which had hung in Morris’ previous home) that added the punch of color the daughter craved.
5 Modern-Day Rooms Decorated With Antiques
The home’s previous owners, who were in the restaurant business, were very tall, and the kitchen island had a thick butcher block to accommodate their height. Morris replaced it with a thinner piece of black honed granite to return it to standard height. The cabinets needed only a fresh coat of paint and new hardware.
Before: Here’s a view of the island’s thick butcher block top and the original orange-toned finish on the wood floors.
After: The rest of the countertops remain wood, which Morris says her daughter may eventually replace. “She doesn’t feel they’re very practical, but they look fantastic,” says Shelley, who advised her, “‘Don’t change them before you have to change them.’ They add so much charm.”
Also charming are the copper and brass cake molds, passed down from Morris’ mother-in-law, that hang on the back wall.
Also charming are the copper and brass cake molds, passed down from Morris’ mother-in-law, that hang on the back wall.
The kitchen opens to a living area with an arresting photograph by Petros Koublis, which the daughter purchased for her home in Brooklyn. It hangs above a sectional couch covered in performance fabric.
The daughter’s office, which is filled with personal touches, is also on the first floor. In the window sits a hand-painted, wind-up Victorian clock she purchased at an auction when she was 12. She found the Chinese rug, which is covered with pink and chocolate dragons, as a little girl as well.
Her fondness for elephants is on display on the bookshelves, along with more cups from her grandmother’s pewter collection and a Jonathan Adler menorah. A lounge chair adds a modern touch.
Her fondness for elephants is on display on the bookshelves, along with more cups from her grandmother’s pewter collection and a Jonathan Adler menorah. A lounge chair adds a modern touch.
Morris, who gravitates to Asian and Swedish pieces, shares her daughter’s fondness for dragons. They selected an Odegard rug with Asian-style birds and dragons and had it cut to runner size for the stairs.
The husband’s office and the nursery, not pictured, are on the second level.
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The husband’s office and the nursery, not pictured, are on the second level.
Shop for a hall or stair runner on Houzz
The expansive primary bedroom above the garage was most likely added in the 1970s, Morris says. “Whoever did it took an artistic license and created these kind of Gothic windows,” she says.
Morris used the Roman Clay finish in Black Star by Portola Paints & Glazes on the wall behind the bed.
The French doors open to the primary bathroom.
Morris used the Roman Clay finish in Black Star by Portola Paints & Glazes on the wall behind the bed.
The French doors open to the primary bathroom.
The bed, which lifts up to reveal storage, is covered in organic bedding from California-based Coyuchi. Window treatments here and throughout the house are from The Shade Store.
Before: The bathtub used to be separated from the sink area by a pony wall.
Now the bathroom has an oval soaking tub, a heated porcelain floor and a custom vanity cabinet with a quartz countertop and matte black hardware. (A heated towel rack and a shower with subway tiles are visible in the mirror.) Midcentury-modern-style sconces are mounted on the mirror, and shiplap adds interest to the back wall.
Previously, the toilet was on the opposite side of the room, separate from the rest of the bathroom. Morris moved it to the main space and turned the other area into a closet.
“We made better use of the space for how they live,” Morris says, which holds true for the bathroom as well as the entire remodel. “That’s the most important thing.”
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Previously, the toilet was on the opposite side of the room, separate from the rest of the bathroom. Morris moved it to the main space and turned the other area into a closet.
“We made better use of the space for how they live,” Morris says, which holds true for the bathroom as well as the entire remodel. “That’s the most important thing.”
More on Houzz
Tour more homes
Hire a local design pro
Shop for your home
House at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their toddler son
Location: Westport, Connecticut
Size: Five bedrooms, 3½ bathrooms
Designer: Shelley Morris of Shelley Morris Interiors
Morris’ daughter loves cottage style and inherited an appreciation for stone houses from both her father, who grew up in one, and her maternal grandmother. So when she and her husband decided to upsize from their small Brooklyn townhouse at the beginning of the pandemic and this 1929, Cotswolds-esque stone house came on the market, they jumped without even touring another home.
But they soon discovered that while the house had exterior beauty and intrinsic charm, “it needed everything. It was not in good condition,” Morris says. Aspects of the layout were awkward too. So the couple and their baby took shelter with Morris and her husband, just two miles away, and Morris and her daughter rolled up their sleeves.
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