Lots of people are homeowners, but a select few are home stewards. Lisa Schwert, founder and principal of Innate Studio, loves working with clients who see themselves that way. She serves clients who have homes of all types, sizes and ages in the Connecticut and New York area, but has a special affinity for older homes
“A big part of my love of architecture is the ‘solving the puzzle’ part and problem solving,” says Schwert. “I think old homes sort of always give you a good bit of that. It’s fun because you have the constraint of trying to work within the existing space but reimagining it.”
When a client and former colleague purchased an antique in Westport, CT, that is listed on the state’s Register of Historic Places, she immediately called Schwert to tap into that passion and ingenuity. The home was a former art studio of James Earl Fraser and Laura Gardin Fraser, both sculptors and artists most noted for their involvement in designing five U.S. coins. The story is, the Frasers brought the building over from Europe and had it rebuilt on the lot in Westport.
Her clients, a luxury real estate market executive and owner of a commercial real estate brokerage, at the time, had a young daughter, a baby boy and a Portuguese water dog.
“It was interesting because it wasn’t originally planned as a residence,” says Schwert. “It was an artist studio so, you know, I think one of the main issues in terms of the architecture was just the layout was really tricky because it wasn’t designed for daily living—and it definitely wasn’t designed for a young family.”
Reimagining a Classic
As an architect and an interior designer, Schwert has the versatility to address both needs in tandem. In this case, the first thing she did was move the program. “We reconsidered how the family could use the rooms to make each space more functional,” she adds. For example, in the living room, there was an odd corner with a beautiful stained-glass window and a large timber column breaking up the space from the rest of the room. She brought in a striking marble counter to turn that corner into a bar area, which also brought attention to the unique stained-glass window.
There was also no powder room on the first floor, so they created one under the stairs. “We carved out this very cozy but very functional powder room,” says Schwert of the design. “It was kind of a game of inches.” The complete look includes a custom stone sink, Waterworks fixtures, Kelly Wearstler sconces, an antique mirror and Cole & Sons Pavo Parade wallpaper.
Gathering Space
The home is the family’s second home, so entertaining is a very important part of their time there. The room already had grass cloth wallcovering, which the couple kept. They wanted to have a large enough table for guests, but small enough to fit the existing footprint of the room. Schwert chose an antique table from a Spanish monastery made in the late 19th century, then had custom chairs made from Bernhardt in a vivid blue velvet. She painted the ceiling in an ochre-colored lacquered paint and chose a sparkling chandelier for a touch of glamour. The dining room is open to a gallery space, so Schwert furnished it with a Turkish rug and a burled wood drum table. French doors lead to the back patio, opening the home to the outdoors.
Preserving History
Much of the architect and designer’s efforts centered on preserving the unique beauty of the home. For instance, the massive arched doorway in the living room is original to the building. “This is one of those examples where you see a feature like that, and you feel like you are looking back in time to the original purpose of the home. The original owners were sculptors,” says Schwert. “I imagine that the selection of those doors allowed them to bring in really large pieces.” The doors are still operable and have their original hardware. The room has ceilings that are two stories high and are open to a mezzanine on the second floor, which the family has made a library. To keep focus on the beautiful almost-two-story doors and the new bar, she kept the design of the rest of the room simple. She painted the original trusses white and chose a two-tier bronze chandelier from Visual Comfort that relates to the hardware on the door and the wrought-iron details in the stained-glass windows. Cowhide chairs were the clients’ own. Schwert had a neutral, extra-large custom sectional made in a family-friendly perennial fabric and chose some vintage heritage Heriz rugs to complete the look. “The homeowner previously worked at Ralph Lauren, so they lean into that look,” she adds.
A large stone-surround fireplace greets guests as they enter the home, so Schwert highlighted the space, which is a statement element, by creating an intimate seating area in front of it with four leather French deco club chairs, an upholstered coffee table and an heirloom rug. As a nod to the original owners, who were founding members of the Fairfield Hunt Club, vintage equestrian art hangs on one wall (and a few other parts of the house). “When they have guests over, they will light a fire and hang out there to have drinks and play games for hours,” she says.
Pretty and Practical
The kitchen was largely untouched during the renovation because it had already been updated, but she added more custom-designed cabinetry and a new built-in banquette in the breakfast nook to give more storage to the young family and make an off-center window feel intentional. She replaced existing faucets with classic polished nickel ones from Perrin & Rowe and replaced the backsplash with a handmade tile from Cle Tile to tie together existing cabinetry and the Carrera marble countertops.
Outside, the exterior remained largely untouched, but Schwert orchestrated a major clean-up in the yard to remove some structured evergreen shrubs and plant more native, softer species, like ornamental grasses and hydrangea. “We wanted them to be low-maintenance and a beautiful complement to the house,” she says.
The primary bedroom took some ingenuity. Her client wanted to keep the blue grass cloth wallcovering, but they wanted new sconces, and they wanted to move them to a different location. Schwert designed a custom headboard and bed that covered the entire wall. She chose Cranley Garden, a Schumacher fabric, to tie into the existing wallcovering and bring it all together. “It was definitely a fabric choice that very much resonates with the entire home,” she adds.
“We spent a lot of time sourcing the right pieces for each space in the house,” says Schwert. Much of the furniture is antique or vintage and sourced from 1st Dibs or Charish. “I have a love for vintage and antique things,” she adds, referencing the home and its contents. “I think there’s a level of quality in the construction that just doesn’t exist today, and I think working with that and being able to kind of work off of that is really gratifying and inspiring.”
