This 18th century house in Connecticut gets restored to its former glory

Historic colonial farmhouse exterior with blue front door, yellow window trim, dormer windows, and stone retaining wall

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A late 18th-century colonial farmhouse was beautifully reimagined by McBride Architects, together with designer Kari McCabe, as their personal family home, situated in the countryside of Stonington, Connecticut. This four-bedroom, four-bath home was originally intended as their escape from New York City, but after spending two years here during the pandemic, they decided to make it their primary residence.

The exterior facade features a symmetrical wood facade, expansive windows, and a gabled roof, all typical of the region. The original exterior paint color was a mossy yellow-brown and was refinished to a crisp white hue, Benjamin Moore’s White 01. The duo’s design ethos was to add nothing and subtract or edit instead. This included knocking down a bedroom wall on the main level and transforming the space into a summer living room. They also removed a cloakroom to bring more light into the living area.

DESIGN DETAILS

ARCHITECT McBride Architects
INTERIOR DESIGN Kari McCabe Inc.
STYLIST Mieke ten Have

White clapboard colonial farmhouse with yellow-trimmed windows, blue door, and weathered barn outbuilding

What We Love About This Home

This late 18th-century Connecticut farmhouse is the kind of home that feels like it has always belonged to the people living in it, and that is precisely what makes it so special. The design duo’s philosophy of subtracting rather than adding is refreshing, letting the home’s original bones shine while layering in a lifetime of collected pieces, from reupholstered 1930s rattan chairs to family heirlooms and flea market finds. The result is an effortlessly eclectic home that feels full of character, warmly lived-in, and entirely its own.

Tell Us…

Which room in this charming Connecticut farmhouse speaks to you the most, the Josef Frank wallpapered dining room, the pattern-wrapped owner’s bedroom, or the colorful guest bedroom tucked under original timber beams? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Note: Be sure to check out a couple of other fascinating home tours that we have featured here on One Kindesign in the state of Connecticut: A historic 18th-century home gets a charming makeover in New England and See the breathtaking transformation of this historic Connecticut farmhouse.

Covered back porch of white farmhouse with blue Dutch door, Norwegian flag, and two Scottish terriers

Above: The Norwegian flag is a vintage piece from the designer’s mother. The original pavers were preserved for the path, while old granite pieces form the steps.

Most of the furnishings throughout this home are vintage or have been collected by the design duo over the years. Pieces are gathered from family heirlooms, estate sales, antique stores, or flea market finds. An example is the summer sitting room, where 1930s rattan chairs were reupholstered in fabric from Raoul Textiles, giving them a fresh new life. The designer excels at finding pieces with integrity and visual interest and putting them together so they flow and create an eclectic environment.

Light-Filled Mudroom Entry

Farmhouse entryway with yellow gingham curtains, blue Dutch door, exposed beams, and rush-seat barstools

Above: The Dutch doors (painted in Farrow and Ball Cook’s Blue) open into a sun-filled mudroom featuring curtains that conceal the laundry space, sourced from Serena and Lily. The area rug is conveniently waterproof, perfect for this hardworking space. It is the Heddle Rug from Chilewich. The ceiling light fixture is from West Elm.

Bright and Airy Living Room

Eclectic living room with exposed timber beams, leather sofa, chrome cantilever chair, sheepskin throw, and large-scale wall art

Above: The living room features vintage armchairs, a metal chair, and a table lamp. Grounding this space is a vintage Swedish rug from the designer’s rug company, Mor Rugs.

Dining Room With a Fireplace

Colorful dining room with floor-to-ceiling botanical wallpaper, patchwork tablecloth, original fireplace, and black pendant light

Above: In the dining room, the colorful wallpaper is in ‘Paradiset’ by Josef Frank. The pendant lights are vintage.

Dining room detail with vibrant folk-print wallpaper, original fireplace surround, and yellow-painted hallway beyond

Open Layout Kitchen

Open-plan kitchen and living area with gray island, antique hutch, exposed beams, and wide-plank floors

Above: The designer has infused her Scandinavian heritage into the home, including an armchair passed down from her grandparents. The chair is paired with a vintage magazine rack that was sourced locally. The pendant lamps are also vintage Scandi finds purchased from Wright20 Auction.

Farmhouse kitchen with sage green cabinets, copper backsplash, Viking range, open shelving, and bridge faucet

Above: The upper cabinets in the kitchen were replaced with open shelving to give this space an airy feel. The cabinets were repainted from a mossy hue to a light gray. The stove and copper splashback were preserved.

Sun-Filled Breakfast Nook

Bright breakfast room addition with tall gridded windows, skylight, wood trestle table, and bentwood chairs

Above: The breakfast nook features large picture windows framing views of nature. Vintage bentwood chairs are from the owner’s family home, while the table is from the 1940s. On the table, the table vase is from the designer’s grandmother, paired with an Argenta/Gustavsberg ceramic (Swedish art pottery); several similar pieces can be found on Etsy.

Cozy family room with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, rattan chairs, linen sofa, colorful pillows, and blue striped rug

Bedroom fireplace nook with carved wood mantel, family photos, floral-draped armchair, and patterned footstool

Above: The painting above the fireplace is by the interior designer, who painted it back in college. The vintage chair is covered by an old Josef Frank curtain.

Home Office

Sunlit home office with sawhorse desk, Pierre Jeanneret chair, built-in bookshelves, and wide-plank floors

Above: In the home office, the Eames plywood desk chair is a family heirloom, while the floor lamp is a designer piece by Flos.

Bathroom

Powder room with botanical floral wallpaper, pedestal sink, rattan mirror, and green ceramic sconces

Above: The wallpaper is in ‘Sandberg’ from Schumacher. The green wall sconces are a vintage French flea market find.

Attic landing nook with exposed timber beams, deep dormer window, floral accent chair, and blue painted armoire

Above: This chair was picked up on the streets of New York City and given a second life. It has been reupholstered in old fabric memo.

Owner’s Bedroom

Attic bedroom with small-print wallpaper covering walls and ceiling, paper globe pendant, and pink floral bedding

Above: In the owner’s bedroom, the wallpaper is ‘Cecil’ from Quadrille. The pendant light is from Noguchi.

Attic bedroom with all-over patterned wallpaper, paper lantern pendant, yellow throw, and garden views

Bedroom corner with all-over geometric wallpaper, chartreuse wicker chair, mid-century dresser, and ornate gilt mirror

Guest Bedroom

Guest bedroom with bold floral wallpaper, striped Hudson Bay blanket, and red door

Above: In the guest bedroom, the pretty wallpaper features leaves and flowers at the same scale as they would be in a bouquet. Many familiar spring flowers are depicted in the print, which is called ‘Varklocker’ by Josef Frank. The duvet was sourced from Ikea, while the blanket is vintage from the Hudson Bay Company.

Bedroom with vibrant floral wallpaper, Eames chair, vintage art, and exposed timber ceiling