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Rhode Island–based designer Alison Hammatt has a deep appreciation for classic proportions and styles, but she’s not afraid to shake things up a bit. “I can’t resist the urge to reimagine, question, or surprise through my design choices,” she says. However, her clients’ home, “a mix of Greek Revival and New England farmhouse styles, demanded respect for its deep roots and pastoral setting.” Her solution? “We avoided anything minimalist or streamlined and opted for color, texture, and pattern as well as antiques, found objects, and family heirlooms that are in line with the spirit of the house.”
Plates from Nickey Kehoe and John Derian mingle in conversation with heirloom botanical prints and an antique gilded mirror. Charles Stewart custom sofa upholstered in a Fermoie fabric with pillows in Schumacher’s Ronnie stripe by Rita Konig. Vintage McGuire rattan chairs were re-covered in Sybil Colefax’s classic Seaweed fabric. Lamps by Hwang Bishop.
Jane Beiles
Hammatt removed a lackluster 1970s fireplace in the living room and replaced it with a custom mantel and surround that elevate the architecture. Drenched in Farrow & Ball’s Bancha, it became a focal point. Charles Stewart custom ottoman in Kravet faux leather.
Jane Beiles
A heirloom botanical print owned by the clients hangs above a vintage Swedish chair that Hammatt found at a local shop and re-covered in Lisa Fine's Paradeiza fabric.
Jane BeilesBuilt in 1846, the New Canaan, Connecticut, home was originally situated on 40-plus acres of farmland bound by weathered New England stone walls. It changed hands several times over the centuries with each owner leaving their mark, resulting in a layered, somewhat asymmetrical architectural composition. When Hammatt’s clients purchased the home in 2023, they, too, were ready to put their stamp on it and tailor it to the needs of their young, modern-day family.
While the living room’s existing paneling had potential for charm, its 1970s fireplace lacked character. Hammatt worked with a carpenter to revamp its design, adding a much-needed mantel that creates a striking focal point and a spot to showcase objects and hang stockings at Christmas. She drenched the mantelpiece in Farrow & Ball’s Bancha to give it even more oomph. The rich, mossy green pops against the adjacent paneled walls in Farrow & Ball’s James White, but the contrast isn’t jarring given the white’s subtle green undertones.
In the powder room, Lee Jofa’s marbleized Taplow wallpaper offers a vibrant counterpoint to the late-18th-century mahogany English Georgian bonnet chest, which Hammatt converted into a vanity with a custom marble counter and backsplash and a wall-mounted Waterworks faucet.
Jane Beiles
"We wanted the guest rooms to have separate identities from the fresh, cool blues of the hallway," says Hammatt, who wrapped the hall in leafy Fernholme wallpaper by George Spencer and painted the guest room walls in warm Scallop by Farrow & Ball.
Jane Beiles
A vintage headboard gets a graphic refresh in Sarah Vanrenen’s Ziggy (with a matching dust ruffle) while the roman shade charms in Rosa Bernal’s Sevilla. Kilim-covered Parsons stools from Everard Auctions lend rich texture.
Jane BeilesBoth the designer and homeowners were inspired by the verdant landscape just outside the room’s expansive windows, which are dressed in leafy curtains by Jasper Fabrics that Hammatt describes as “overscale chintz with a modern edge.” A bright, graphic pattern by Alice Sergeant on the ruffled slipper chairs and the green ottoman underscore the bucolic relationship.
“The wife is an avid gardener, and her beautiful gardens can be seen from the living room bay window,” Hammatt says. “We wanted to nurture the indoor/outdoor connection throughout the house—not just in the living room. In the two guest bedrooms, for instance, we drew on nature’s softer side by painting one room pale sage and the other a nearly-neutral shell pink.”
Designed with the clients’ nephews in mind, this guest room features handsome vintage furnishings set against the fresh green ground of Farrow & Ball’s Eddy. A Roman shade in Schumacher's Lismore Linen is framed in crisp Ric Rac trim. A vintage table painted in the same rich green, Bancha, as the downstairs fireplace mantel serves as a desk paired with a vintage rattan chair.
Jane BeilesNatural materials and textures are woven throughout the interiors. Cane and burled wood side tables and rattan chairs are among the many pieces found at local shops like Trovare Home and across New England. Some pieces are vintage or antique while others are artisan-made, like the handcrafted ceramic lamps in a tortoise shell finish by Rhode Island artist Hwang Bishop. On the walls, Hammatt drew from the homeowners’ collection of heirloom art, including a set of framed botanical prints and a vibrant antique landscape.
“Art injects personality and sentiment into interiors and makes a home unique and special,” says Hammatt. “Heirlooms tell a family’s story by honoring past generations and the things they cherished enough to preserve and pass down. For me, this is what it’s all about—creating spaces that are meaningful and serve as the backdrop for family memories and traditions.”
