When Jenny and Brendan Malone found out they were expecting their first child five years ago, they made room for baby with a larger Manhattan apartment, keeping in mind, a two-bedroom — think city terms — would not cut it for long, because they knew they would want more children.
By Caitlin Brown
When Jenny and Brendan Malone found out they were expecting their first child five years ago, they made room for baby with a larger Manhattan apartment, keeping in mind, a two-bedroom — think city terms — would not cut it for long, because they knew they would want more children.
Both began “casually” looking for a suburban option. Jenny grew up in New Canaan and Brendan went to Resurrection and Manursing Island Club as a youngster, and both had fond memories of the area and knew this was where they would put down roots. They also knew Rye was the place — they loved the town, it was an easy commute to the city, and they had friends here.
Realtors Carol Rosato and Maureen Koechler stumbled upon the house the Malones would call home. “They took us to see it and we knew instantly, this was the place for our family,” said Jenny.
“We fell in love with the house and the neighborhood. It was perfect.”
The couple’s three-bedroom, center-hall Colonial in Indian Village turned out to be a better fit than they could have imagined. “Our neighbors are like family here,” said Jenny with a smile.
“Since we’ve moved in there has been a great influx of new, young families with young kids, which has been great.” The couple love living in Indian Village — being able to have Molly, 4, and Caroline, 3, run around in the front yard and walk to the ducks at the brook, or to town. “And, I never feel like I’m stuck in Suburbia,” noted Jenny.
While the house has turned out to be a great fit for the Malone family as a whole, the layout and how to best optimize it for living, proved a challenge. The house was split between rooms the family used, and ones they didn’t.
Jenny explained, “The house isn’t huge, so we wanted to use all the rooms. We don’t have a designated playroom or finished basement, so for us, the family room serves as both and it’s where we spend most of our family time The formal living room, and adjacent sun room (on the other side of the house), were spaces we mostly just walked by.”
Her plan was to create a retreat for grown-ups — she and her husband and their friends — but wasn’t sure how. “And I had all these pieces but didn’t know where to put them and how best to use them,” she acknowledged.
But Jenny found someone who did.
She met interior designer Becky McDermott by happenstance. McDermott’s daughter, Ginny (22) babysat for Jenny’s daughters and wanted her mom to come and meet them. Homeowner and designer made an immediate connection.
“I asked Becky if she had any ideas on how to solve the space problem —make it work, particularly with what we had,” recalled Jenny. McDermott, a person truly passionate about putting things together, and quite gifted at it, was thrilled to jump in.
“Becky told me I was sectioning off the spaces — ‘cutting them up’ — by framing spaces with different area rugs.” Instead of telling me to buy new pieces, she advised me to “build the room from the ground up.”
McDermott, a Greenwich-based designer who once lived in Indian Village, recommended a chic sisal to unify the spaces. “This was where to invest first and the rest could evolve from there,” she assured Jenny.
She found a neutral Stark sisal (Stetson/Walnut) to anchor the two sitting areas in the living room, the sunroom and the dining room on the other side of the entryway. It immediately transformed the living room/sun room/dining spaces, providing a flow to build on.
McDermott, who possesses a true talent for editing and executing, took pieces Jenny had, moved them around, and reupholstered a few pieces with punchy fabrics.
The color palette was dictated by existing floral Thibaut curtains and the yellow walls. Jenny wanted to pull it all together without being too trendy or formal. “We focused on the coral/pink tone in the curtains as accent,” said McDermott. “I found a classic Brunschwig et Fils, fabric (Les Touches/Pink) to cover the small side chairs in the living room — ones Jenny had found years ago at a consignment store in New Canaan — giving them a new life, and complementing the newly covered ottoman dressed in a vintage coral velvet by Pierre Frey. The club chair was redone in the same cream tone as the couch.”
Home Goods lamps took on a whole new look with new shades from The Accessory Store in Stamford. After the basics were hammered out, “we then found fabulous pillows at Trovare Home in Cos Cob, a giclée map at The Drawing Room in Stamford, and a brass adjustable standing lamp from The Accessory Store.”
“It’s amazing how a rug, a bit of re-arranging, and new fabrics have completely transformed these rooms, made them ones we gravitate to,” said Jenny. “And these changes weren’t over the top in terms of expense.
“A lot of people are afraid of decorators because of cost, but Becky helped me work within a moderate budget to have what I had envisioned, but couldn’t execute on my own. She helped me choose things to grow into and created a space I’m excited to build on over time.”
Just the other day, Jenny found Brendan lying on the sunroom couch, reading a book. Jenny says when she wants to unwind she heads for the living room.
For the Malones, the side of the house with the living room and sunroom is now truly an adult retreat.
“I love looking through the archway into the living room. It puts me in a good mood! The colors and the lighting are so warm and inviting and the rooms don’t feel too formal to just lounge in with a book or the paper,” said a very content young client.
