All the Makings of a Classic
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"We responded to the bends of the river. The house meanders. It has lots of movement and lots of whimsy," architect Bernard Wharton says of the Shingle Style residence he and partner Arthur Hanlon designed for Pete and Judi Dawkins in Rumson, New Jersey.
A Palladian window marks the entrance. "There's a hierarchy to the architectural details," Wharton says.
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Pete Dawkins's collection of vintage cars is parked in front of the garage.
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In the living room, designer Sandra Nunnerley painted the walls cinnabar and created three furniture groupings "to reduce the volume of the space," she says. Lorin Marsh candlesticks top a Dutch table. Agostino Antiques demilune console. Sofa pillow fabric, Travers; Samuel Sons trim. Armchair fabric, Larsen. Patterson, Flynn Martin rug.
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A rotunda at the end of the main gallery "is a terminus, with various rooms branching off from it," says Wharton. An alabaster light fixture, from Urban Archaeology, hangs above the table.
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"We chose cedar shakes and architectural details to make the house seem less fortresslike," says Pete Dawkins (with his wife, Judi).
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The eggplant-hued dining room. The round mirror is from O'Sullivan Antiques. Brass sconce from Vaughan. Damask on console, Stark.
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"The canopy fabric inspired the apricot palette," Nunnerley says of the master bedroom. At right are a circa 1920s Venetian mirror, from Sentimento, and a Julia Gray chinoi-serie desk and side table. Sconce, Vaughan. Headboard fabric, Brunschwig Fils.
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The library is paneled in walnut. Pete Dawkins's 1958 Heisman trophy is on the circa 1800 writing desk. Travers fabric on chair at left.
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The vaulted ceiling in the bedroom's sitting area "leads the eye to the river view," notes Hanlon. Rogers Goffigon wing chair and window seat stripe. Patterson, Flynn Martin carpet.
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"Visually, the wine cellar is divided between a sitting and tasting area and a room for wine storage," Wharton explains. "The house is cozy where it needs to be." The fieldstone walls, limestone floor and beam ceiling add a rustic ambience. A Cowtan Tout plaid is on the Jacobean-style chairs. Stark club chair paisley.
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The rear façade overlooks a lawn, which was landscaped by Cummin Associates. "The stone wall has the feel of a great defensive wall," Hanlon points out. "It establishes a front on the river."
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The folly off the pool terrace "is elegant and a bit unexpected," Wharton says. It allowed the architects "to terminate the building in an imaginative way."