Tour a Laid-Back Home Full of Vintage Finds

Peace, love and patterns! This Connecticut family opted for a simpler (but totally stylish) life in their coastal cottage.

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By: Erin Zammett Ruddy

From: HGTV Magazine

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Photo By: Alison Gootee

The Story

After three years of living in a large custom-built, modern home, Heather Lipkind and Jason Sunshine realized they wanted something cozier. “We made a list of what we needed to be happy, and it wasn’t that much,” says Heather, director of maternal fetal medicine at New York City’s Weill Cornell Medicine. She and Jason, an executive director at Morgan Stanley, set their sights on the waterside town of Fairfield, Connecticut, where their girls could walk to shops and the beach, and they found this four-bedroom house in 2019. Designer Diane Rath helped them optimize every inch of space and realize Heather’s dream of painting all the floors white: She wanted a blank canvas for her vintage and family treasures. The house now feels like a laid-back retreat that’s a world away from their old place. “I call our new style ‘easy, happy elegance,’ ” Heather says. “Who wouldn’t want that?”

From: HGTV Magazine

The Exterior

White cedar shake siding fits in with the beachy neighborhood. The peace sign hints at the good vibes inside.

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Driftwood Peace Sign

The Living Room

To improve the flow in the main room, the couple decided to open up the staircase and paint all the walls white (Snowbound by Sherwin-Williams).

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Light Green Ceramic Vase

Press Close Together Print by Inaluxe

Beaumont Coffee Table

The Living Room

Shiplap and sky blue square tiles from Original Style around the fireplace help drive home the beach theme. Heather found the vintage armchairs on eBay and had them recovered in a plaid fabric from HBF Textiles. The rug is Missoni Home for Stark.

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Louise Sconce

The Scandinavian Lounge Chair

Birmingham Black Rug

Lipstick Wallflower Pillow

The Kitchen

The cabinets, prefabricated from Hope Kitchen, came in taupe, but Heather begged the manufacturer to paint the island faces a grayish blue (Bachelor Blue by Benjamin Moore). She and Diane agreed on the open shelving, to a point. “I like the look — but I like being able to close doors and keep the chaos out of sight even more,” Heather says.

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Crawford Flush Mount

Jupiter Sage Highball Glasses

The Breakfast Nook

Heather snagged these vintage Knoll Tulip chairs at the Brimfield Antique Show 10 years ago. “They’re from a lab at MIT, which I love because I worked there one summer,” she says. “They were in boxes that hadn’t been opened since the ’60s!” Diane ordered shades made in plaid Schumacher fabric to match.

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Ciara-Leigh Bar Cart

Swivel Tulip Chair

The Main Bedroom

Heather wanted happy wallpaper throughout the house, and she chose a butterfly pattern from Pihlgren & Ritola for the bedroom. To keep the space from feeling too busy, she papered just one wall and painted the rest Van Courtland Blue by Benjamin Moore. The lamps are from Pacific Coast Lighting, and the bedding is from Amazon.

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Apollo Wallpaper

Ripley Gold Lamp

The Family Room

Dog-print wallpaper by Osborne & Little and soft black paint (Iron Mountain by Benjamin Moore) set the mood in the kids’ hangout space. The art comes mostly from Heather’s mom and grandmother, who painted and collected lithographs. The velvet Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams sectional is from the family’s previous house, and the wood table is an Etsy find. "This room is where our girls spend most of their time," says Heather, "so we made it super-casual, cozy and fun."