CHEF'S FAMILY COTTAGE COMPOUND
After years spent opening and running restaurants in Los Angeles, our clients relocated to Connecticut in search of a quieter, more grounded pace of life. They found it in a 1910 house full of original character — and decades of piecemeal additions that had muddled its logic. The property's large yard, garage, and guest cottage offered something they'd been missing in California: room to grow food, gather people, and put down roots.
Our exterior approach was intentionally restrained. Rather than reshape the buildings, we refined them — adding a large stone chimney to the guest cottage, reworking the front facades of the main house and garage, and unifying all three structures with a cohesive exterior palette. The result reads as an integrated, considered estate rather than a collection of unrelated buildings. Connecticut winters are a departure from Southern California, but indoor-outdoor living remained a priority for the family, and the outdoor spaces were designed with the same care as the rooms inside.
Inside the main house, our task was to untangle a layout shaped by generations of ad hoc additions — simplifying circulation for a modern family while preserving the home's historic character. Working entirely within the existing footprint, we substantially reconfigured both floors, improving flow, proportion, and connection to the landscape. Reframing a portion of the second-floor joists let us eliminate awkward level changes and raise the first-floor ceiling height. At the heart of the renovation, the kitchen was relocated to the best room in the house: a cathedral-ceilinged space with windows on three sides, a wide accordion door opening onto the gardens, and an unobstructed view west toward the mountains — and their sunsets.
Sustainability shaped every decision. Coming from water-constrained Southern California, the clients were committed to building within the existing footprint rather than expanding it. They readily replaced the home's oil burner with an electric heat pump and installed induction cooktops in the cottage kitchen, main kitchen, and test kitchen. Landscape designer Kareth Whitchurch introduced drought-resistant, native plantings throughout the gardens.
Location: Ridgefield, Connecticut
Architect: Ridge Architecture
Interiors + Styling: Owners + Ridge Architecture
Structural Engineer: Residential Engineering Design
Builder: Santini Remodeling
Photography: Nicholas Venezia Studio
Recomposed front facade with wraparound front porch and centered walnut front door with sidelite.
Refreshed facade with wraparound front porch, standing seam copper roof.
A view of the new masonry chimney that was added to the existing guest cottage; indoor-outdoor living spaces connect the three structures that have now been unified with a cohesive palette.
Reworked rear facade with reimagined palette and outdoor spaces designed to be lived in during warm months.
Reimagined Garage front facade, with refreshed palette, new window, door, portico with standing seam copper roof, sconces, and traditional garage door.
New walnut front door with sidelite, view through Foyer to Living Room beyond.
View of the mudroom stoop and dining patio, thoughtfully designed with durable outdoor furniture, low maintenance, native, and drought tolerant landscaping.
Whereas the Foyer was narrow and cramped, it's now an ample and spacious area in which to welcome guests.
The Foyer is flanked by three interior doors: two coat closets and an inconspicuous powder room.
The Foyer is flanked by three interior doors: two coat closets and an inconspicuous powder room - the open door reveals a bold, moody color palette.
A slightly ajar powder room door reveals a salvaged antique vanity with vessel sink, and bold wallpaper.
A moody dark blue color drenched nook of the family room with cozy green sofa, brass floor lamp, and bright orange pillows, painting, and floral blossoms.
The family dog lounges in the mudroom with the double pocket door ajar behind him. The exposed pocket door has leaded glass, and was salvaged and repurposed for this project. Mudroom cubbies contain rain and sports gear.
With Mudroom double pocket doors open, a symmetrical, axial view is created from the Butlers Pantry-Mudroom to the Dining Room, which is configured to be centered on a grouping of three windows flanked by custom cabinetry.
A symmetrical, axial view is created from the Butlers Pantry-Mudroom to the Dining Room, which is configured to be centered on a grouping of three windows flanked by custom cabinetry.
Full wall of windows above the countertop, allowing for a continuous view of the mountaintop to the west, with sensational sunsets.
A professional chef's workstation sink with a full wall of windows that highlight the mountainous horizon beyond. Honed Carrara marble countertops, custom black cabinets, brass faucet and cabinet hardware with patina.
The client, a professional chef, drove the layout of this kitchen with two sinks, an oversized central island, a custom retrofit Aga range, black custom cabinetry, and burnished brass accents.
A professional chef's workstation sink with a full wall of windows that highlight the mountainous horizon beyond. Honed Carrara marble countertops, custom black cabinets, brass faucet and cabinet hardware with patina.
The client, a professional chef, drove the layout of this kitchen with a custom retrofit Aga range, black custom cabinetry, and burnished brass potfiller and cabinet hardware.