It’s not uncommon for interior designers and architects, especially ones of the more astute variety, to collaborate with artists on their various projects. So, it’s not all too surprising that when architect Suchi Reddy of New York firm Reddymade was called on to reimagine her client’s 100-year-old country home in Bedford, New York—after working on their Upper East Side apartment—she did just that. What is remarkable, however, is the sheer amount of artist collaborations, installations, and artistic detail that brims within the family home—transforming the century-old charmer into the stuff of aesthetic dreams.
Reddy’s clients owned the upstate property for years before they were ready to make it their own, says the lady of the house, a creative, and someone Reddy frequently referred to as her muse during the project. “The buildings were no longer aging gracefully and required a comprehensive overhaul to be made safe and to meet the needs of our growing family,” she says—a romantic way of explaining the house had a mold issue. The structural and safety fixes were prioritized, along with an open, more modern plan, higher ceilings and a renewed focus on the 30 grassy acres on which the home is situated. “The house itself needed to open onto the beautiful bucolic site as much as possible,” said Reddy, who worked on the five-year renovation with architect Gary Savitzky, landscape architect Miranda Brooks, and general contractor Ron Par Construction.
The dining nook hosts a table designed by Reddymade and built by R K Custom Furniture; the art piece was a gift from Reddy to her client, “for being such a wonderful muse,” she says.
As for the art? “We like to invite artists and artisans with expertise in various fields to work with us to stretch boundaries, cross pollinate ideas and push the limits of craftsmanship,” says Reddy. An illustration of Marie Antoinette by artist Natasha Zupan hangs in blue and white in the family’s kitchen; a sculptural chandelier first spotted in MoMA’s design collection was commissioned and upsized, and now dangles above the dining table; a pair of anthropomorphic iron accent chairs greet visitors inside the study; the list goes on.
The challenge for the design team was to create such a space that could still function as an intimate family home. “I have no interest in creating a show house for others to admire,” says the homeowner candidly. Reddy toned down some of the gutsier design moves with organic shapes and a mostly neutral palette. And despite the bit of fantasy, Reddy created a home that answers the needs of its users without compromising aesthetics, the homeowner concludes: “She created opportunities for my fanciful follies to become lively, points of interest which added to—not detracted from—the integrity of the interior design.”
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