The house was built in 1913, a glorious pile of brick in the Georgian style, elegant and large, imposing but not overwhelming. It was perfect … except for its condition.

Drake Anderson took on a top to bottom renovation, with an eye to restoration where possible. Air conditioning was installed where there had been none, all the original plumbing and electrical was replaced, and a geothermal system looks to the future of our planet. A 1970s addition was razed, and a new pool house entertaining structure was added. New bricks were painstakingly made to match the old, and the house was shown the respect it was due.

Entering into the foyer, you step onto the original marble checkerboard floor, which was lifted numbered and meticulously reinstalled. The elegant plaster detailing surrounding the room is all new—based on the original—but with improved proportions. This room announces the aesthetic direction throughout the house: a mix of the old and the new. 

On either end of the foyer, a pair of French polished mahogany doors lead to the entertaining rooms. The living room is a glorious long room, centered by the original mantel, and arranged with three seating groups. At each end, custom sofas and lounge chairs are complimented by Art Deco chairs, and English antiques. The arrangements are mirror images, so that the symmetry is broken, and the eye travels.

The dining room at the opposite side of the foyer, has paneled walls lacquered in marine blue. The style recipe here mixes a traditional table and sideboard, transitional chairs, a sparkling chandelier and an antique carpet. 

The library was wrapped in lustrous mahogany paneling, inset with parchment clad bookcases to lighten the effect. Furnishings include a cozy fireside grouping of chairs, a card table that does double duty for dining à deux—or six when its top flips and rotates—and an antique game table. The Art Deco and contemporary chairs sport tactile fabrics in vibrant reds. 

The kitchen is practical but chic, chic, chic. A meandering snake of a center island, 27 ft. long, is composed of chiseled grey washed oak, espresso stained walnut, and topped with poured purple flecked terrazzo that climbs off the floor and up the waterfall sides. The white painted cabinetry is a clean and modern take on the traditional, accented with inset panels of violet back painted glass in one area. Backsplashes in lilac carry the color through.