Step into this Nantucket style carriage house on West Mountain Road in Ridgefield, featured outfitting by some of the region’s most renowned architects, designers, and contractors. During the open house, thousands toured the house and saw “first-hand” the talent and expertise of nationally acclaimed firms.

Breathing New Life into Your Child’s Old Bedrooms

When the oldest of Shelley Arenson’s three children stopped living at home during summer college breaks, the East Lyme resident kept the bed in his room for occasional visits, but eventually repurposed the rest of the unused space.

Your favorite kitchen lighting?

“Everything is in the mix when I design a kitchen lighting plan. LED ribbon lights are my favorite for lighting glass cabinets. The ribbon is so thin it can even be used in frameless cabinets. Run vertically, all of the shelves are lit equally without the need for glass shelving. Undercabinet lights, like AFX’s Xenon direct-wire system, are a task lighting must. They should be uniform, such as Xenon, rather than rope or ribbon lighting, if you are using a metal or polished stone top. If the island is a kitchen focal point, either pendants or one large island fixture, like the Double Sloane Street Shop Light, keeps the drama going. One trick I use in traditional kitchens is to build a soffit from moldings to corral the fixtures, as well as break up a massive ceiling. I prefer to use decorative flush or semi-flush mount lighting for the rest of the kitchen if possible rather than recessed lighting. All lights should be on dimmers!”

For Optimal Sports Viewing, You Need a Winning Plan

Creating a home theater or media viewing room should be easy, right? Big screen, comfy chairs, and you’re done? Depending on the scale of your ambitions (and your TV of movie screen), creating a relaxing space that’s designed to accommodate a multitude of viewers may require a bit more than that.

There’s a chill in the air and leaves are turning brilliant colors — but you don’t need to give up outdoor living just yet. With a few easy changes you can transform your patio from a summer hangout into an inviting fall retreat.

“People put a lot of time, effort and expense into outfitting their outdoor spaces and they don’t want to close everything down at the end of the summer,” says Hartford interior designer Sharon McCormick. “New products on the market are encouraging New Englanders to think about extending the time they can be outside.”

Now more than ever, the kitchen continues to be the epicentre of the home. To serve its multiple purposes, the design must be functional, comfortable, and chic. Enter Kitchen Conversations: the friend you want in your corner.

The economy has hit plenty of bumps in the past 25 years, but in this crisis, everyone is feeling the impact - and everyone includes "the top 10 percent of consumers who hire decorators," says Sue Ellen Rothery. "Normally they're not affected. They're affected now."

Sharon McCormick Design was featured for her stunning tablescape featuring China from Lux, Bond & Green, Fabric from Nobilis, and a stunning custom Table Lamp of Sharon’s own design.