Metamorphosis in New York

By Patrick Wilson

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In the living area, Selldorf contrasted African sculptural pieces with sleek midcentury European furnishings. Sofa and chair, Holly Hunt.

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Architect Annabelle Selldorf renovated both the interiors and exterior of a house in Pound Ridge, New York. She added a porch with a standing-seam roof and a dormer to the main entrance. The porch has views of the nature preserve that abuts the property.

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She gave the great room a rural look with linen draperies, hemlock ceiling beams and plaster walls.

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"My taste is more austere than my client's," remarks Selldorf. "But she wasn't going to budge from her country house ideal."

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Selldorf kept the great room uncluttered, using a few key pieces, such as the set of circa 1840 English Windsor chairs, a pair of Edward Wormley tub chairs and a circa 1950 Jean Royère chandelier. The painting is an untitled 1997 work by Martin Kippenberger.

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"The peaceful and spacious master bath, with its incongruous vaulting, is comfortably integrated into the spatial conditions of the house," the architect explains. She covered the floor with patterned Carrara marble tile and a border of bluestone.

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Luxurious velvets and pashmina created the "comfy and soothing" master bedroom the clients requested, says Selldorf. "But the dark wool rug gives it an edge of severity." Tucker Robbins low table. Osborne & Little drapery, shade, window seat and pillow fabrics.

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Antique cherry countertops and warm amber glass shades soften the steel and stone of the kitchen. Range and refrigerator, Viking.