Hugh Leslie brings order and beauty to a ramshackle former barn in Connecticut
Buyers' remorse is not exactly what the owners of this rambling country house in Connecticut felt after moving in, but it was certainly something close to it ‘The minute that we took possession, I said to my husband, “This house is a teardown,”’ remembers the owner with a rueful laugh. 'It was originally a barn, built in the 1920s, which had been slowly made into a house. It was rickety, and it smelled musty. Later, I called it "the wildlife sanctuary", because every small rodent you could think of lived with us - chipmunks, squirrels, mice.'
The American couple and their three school-age children had moved from London to New York as part of a job relocation and, feeling a little frazzled by the city's pace, had impulsively bought the old barn situated on an idyllic 50-acre property of hills, fields and streams in rural Litchfield County. It proved a happy family retreat for several years, vermin aside. Still, the nagging dissatisfaction with the house led to meetings with architects about building a new modern house on the land. When the cost and time implications became apparent, the couple instead planned an internal refurbishment of the existing house.
The owners called upon the London-based interior designer Hugh Leslie, who had previously reconfigured and decorated both their Notting Hill house in London and their townhouse on Manhattan's Upper East Side. 'A lot of my friends think that my sitting room in Manhattan is the prettiest room they've ever been in,' says the owner. 'Hugh's taste and the things that he supplies just don't go out of style.' Everything pointed to a third successful collaboration. For starters, the owner and designer knew how to communicate effectively. 'She's very straight-up,' remarks Hugh. 'There really aren't any hurt feelings when one of us pushes back,' the owner agrees.
But when they started stripping out the house for the internal renovation, it soon became clear that it would be necessary to do much more extensive work, including rebuilding the foundations. So Hugh and the New York-based architect Oliver Cope set about reforming the exterior shell within the original barn footprint and creating a new internal layout.
As the house sits on a hill, the front door is at ground level whereas the entrance at the back of the house is on the first floor. A large open staircase that extends from the ground floor to the second floor dominates the centre of the house and provides an excellent backdrop for framed artwork, sculpture and lighting. Lanterns from Jamb are suspended from a cupola at the top of the house and hang down two flights of stairs, making a dramatic statement. The kitchen was on the wrong side of the house - the shady side - so Hugh suggested switching it with the formal dining room, which improved the flow of the space significantly. On the other side of the house, the double-length sitting room leads to a screened porch with a fireplace and B&B Italia seating, and a comfortable TV room. On the first floor, there are five bedrooms, each with an en-suite bathroom and sweeping views. The top floor is occupied by the main bedroom, bathroom and dressing areas, as well as studies for each of the owners, which are to be found on opposite sides of the open stairwell.
Walking through the house, one is struck by the subtle, elegant details and craftsmanship for which Hugh is known. Staying true to the barn's origins, he suggested the doors be made of heavy oak planks with bespoke metal strap hinges, and he also imported reclaimed stone from France for the entryway and solid oak floors run throughout. The majority of the furniture was either designed by Hugh or sourced in London and shipped over. The dining room with its exquisite Cox London chandelier, oak dining table and dark red lacquer sideboards, created by Hugh, is a case in point. 'It's much simpler to control and oversee production when working with people I know in the UK rather than having things made in New York,' he explains.
The couple are serious collectors, and here, as in their London and New York houses, the art has informed many aspects of the interior decoration. At the Winter Art Fair in New York, Hugh found a tremendous Alexander Calder textile, which now hangs in the sitting room. A Calder sculpture sits on a table nearby, in tribute to his having lived and worked in the area.
Yet there is no sense of the coldness of an art gallery; in fact, one is struck by how practical and relaxed the house feels. Every room offers a wide panorama onto the surrounding meadows and trees, with inviting window seats to take in the views. 'The setting was already ideal,' says the owner. On reflection, this element of the house at least always worked perfectly.
Ngoc Minh Ngo1/12In the dining room, oak beams and panelling designed by Hugh, create a refined setting for a Cox London chandelier, a bleached walnut table on a painted base and Kaare Klint-style chairs in Le Manach fabrics. The carpet is from Afridi Gallery. A Max Ernst painting flanked by Sane lights - and ceramics by Kate Malone and Nicola Tassie (also seen in the hall) add unique accents.
Ngoc Minh Ngo2/12A Hector Finch Alabaster Bowl light and a lamp from Timothy Langston contrast with the rustic reclaimed French flagstones and an antique Spanish table in the hall. The doorway frames a view of the stairs, with a runner from Afridi Gallery and Jamb's 'Fletcher' wall light.
Ngoc Minh Ngo3/12The distinctive textile and mobile, both by Alexander Calder, are the focal point of the main seating area, which has an ottoman topped with an African textile from Afridi Gallery, bespoke sofas in Pierre Frey fabrics, a wingback chair from Max Rollitt and a rug by Sandy Jones. On the side table are Swedish ceramics, and on the ottoman tray is a pot by Primavera. Cushions in fabrics from George Spencer Designs Penny Morrison and Dominique Kieffer brighten the sofa, the chair and the window seat, which is in Claremont's aqua 'Straub Twill'. Curtains in Christopher Farr Cloth's 'Japura' coral wool mix and wooden armchairs in Pierre Frey's 'Coeurs de Marie' complete the appealing mix of prints.
Ngoc Minh Ngo4/12On the covered porch, Spanish Lebrillo bowls feature on the wall, cushions in C&C Milano fabrics, and a Peter Page rug add pattern and texture, enhancing Vincent Van Duysen's ‘Pablo’ outdoor sofa and armchairs for B&B Italia. The wooden sculpture is by Julian Schwarz.
Ngoc Minh Ngo5/12The panelling in the cloakroom has a mural painted by specialist decorator Mark Uriu of Uriu Nuance.
Ngoc Minh Ngo6/12Jamb lanterns are suspended from a cupola that crowns the framework of painted beams on the landing.
Ngoc Minh Ngo7/12A large Noguchi pendant light makes the most of the high ceiling in this second-floor study, above a sofa upholstered in 'Angkor' and an ottoman in 'Malindi', both by Pierre Frey, a Japanese cane chair with a sheepskin throw and a Sandy Jones rug. The trio of artworks is by Donald Sultan.
Ngoc Minh Ngo8/12A polished, bleached walnut four-poster bed takes centre stage in the main bedroom, with a bedcover from Harrods. At the foot of the bed is a trunk containing a pop-up TV. A lamp from Nicholas Wells stands on the chest of drawers below a painting by Ray Barsante.
Ngoc Minh Ngo9/12At the other end of the room, Marthe Armitage's 'Marrow' print in a custom colourway has been used for the curtains, window seat, ottoman and headboard, set off by chairs from the owners' London house re-covered in a Guy Goodfellow weave, and a rug by Sandy Jones.
Ngoc Minh Ngo10/12In the main bathroom, a restful palette is established by the Drummonds bathtub in Farrow & Ball's 'De Nimes' and walls in a diluted form of the same colour in the main bathroom. A daybed from Sane, and a stool and table by Pinch are softened by cushions in Guy Goodfellow fabrics and Turkish rugs from Robert Stephenson.
Ngoc Minh Ngo11/12Ottoline's 'Improvisation Number 1' wallpaper, headboards covered in Josef Frank's ‘Vegetable Tree’ from Svenskt Tenn, Wallace Sewell blankets and a Swedish rug from Afridi Gallery lend a bright, playful feel. The painting is by Richard Ballinger.
Ngoc Minh Ngo12/12The children's bathroom features 'Herbarium' wallpaper by Stig Lindberg from Borástapeter, combined with yellow tiles.
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