For the modern-meets-traditional-farmhouse design of the New England house, Michel Ciambra owes a lot to Page McConnell, the longtime keyboardist for jam band Phish. No, the groovy tunes did not assist Ciambra free his mind and inspire the aesthetic. McConnell was the home’s former owner and working with Geoff Wolcott of GKW Working Design, made a contemporary interior nugget in a shell of conventional architecture, which just happened to be the style Ciambra loves. “The element of surprise,” Ciambra calls it.
When the house was abruptly put on the market, Ciambra — the owner of a financial advisory boutique — snatched this up. He needed to do was walk into the finished product and include artwork and furniture.
at a Glance
Who lives here: Michel Ciambra, pitbull Annie and hound Reg
Location: Westford, Vermont
Size: 4,400 square feet on 4 Baths; 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, barn
Laura Garner
The contemporary-leaning interior, with its soaring ceilings and walls, huge sash windows and a good deal of natural light, is an ideal gallery area for Ciambra’s artwork collection. “I often rotate the artwork on the walls if I get bored of it,” he says. “It reinvents the space.”
The living area is almost entirely furnished with pieces he purchased in Asia during the years he lived there not long ago. For him that the living area is a wonderful manifestation of his personal personality. “I think a house should represent some of your experiences and feelings; it often works to mix ultramodern with selected traditional furnishings, if done without clutter,” Ciambra says.
From the left corner, an assortment of Asian decorative bits frames a portrait by Alexander Kaletski, a Russian-born American performer.
Laura Garner
Even the New England meeting house style exterior takes advantage of its verdant surroundings with doors that are adjoining, the largest two of which are 8 feet wide by 16 feet tall.
Laura Garner
As opposed to redesign, McConnell worked with design principle Wolcott to build this new house in place of what was formerly an obsolete ranch house, incorporating a small portion of the original foundation into the new structure and incorporating new landscaping.
Ciambra’s favorite aspect of the neighborhood is the simple fact that it is understated. “My neighbors are friendly, personal people; there are lots of farmer’s markets, tons of artists in town; [it’s] a fantastic musical community,” he says.
Laura Garner
Describing his personal decor style as contemporary classic, Ciambra tends to mix contemporary textiles and decorative accessories with antique furniture.
Laura Garner
A hobbyist property developer, Ciambra has some experience doing interior design and enjoyed styling his very own home himself.
The staircase is constructed of industrial steel and birch and the flooring is birch also.
Laura Garner
The foyer functions as a art gallery of sorts for Ciambra’s landscape art collection; the intention was to bring the outdoors inside by referencing the lush surroundings. The foyer’s furnishings are all imports from Indonesia.
Laura Garner
This angular attic platform is loosely based on a ship’s bow; it creates the heart pine ceiling of the open-style kitchen and island below, and can be a continuation of the steel staircase.
Laura Garner
Walking into a completely finished area, Ciambra’s biggest design challenge was attempting to fill his house with items that he already had without overdoing it. “The house looks great when it’s minimally decorated. The secret isn’t being afraid to move and remove items until it functions. Extracting items in the space? That’s the fun part,” he says.
Bar Condominiums: Zenith, Regency
Laura Garner
The contemporary bench-style table surrounded by garden views creates the dining area feel like a stylish urban patio.
Dining table, chairs: Big Sur Smoke, Crate & Barrel
Laura Garner
Project designer John Springer of GKW Working Design designed the birch display casework in the living area. Ciambra re-covered the couch in a multi-purpose orange suede fabric that’s easy to wash. The painting over the fireplace is by Barcelona painter Regina Saura.
Sofa: Rowan Grand, Pottery Barn
Laura Garner
Sunshine floods the ground-floor guest bedroom, highlighting the Asian-inspired decoration.
Art print: Fowl with Pearls, AllPosters.com; bed: Polyform
Laura Garner
While the ground-floor toilet does not get much natural light, wood paneling and recessed halogens warm the area.
Laura Garner
The inset bathtub and slate walls, selected by the former homeowner, give the ground-floor bath a luxurious feel. Ciambra and his guests love the soothing, spa-like qualities of the space.
Laura Garner
Responding to the sheer size of the house, Ciambra created romantic thematic zones. This colorful, contemporary media room makes up the platform space.
Sudoku couch, crimson lamp: Modern Furniture; Overarching floor lamp: West Elm
Laura Garner
Punchy colours stick out in the area.
Orange seat: Egg seat, Regency; yellow and blue paintings: Regina Saura
Laura Garner
The main bedroom, with its own painted sloped ceiling, is Ciambra’s favorite area. “It feels just like a ski house,” he says. “It is completely out of character of the rest of the house. It is very cozy and cozy.” The customized bed sits atop a easy pallet and can be encompassed by pullout drawer units.
Laura Garner
Nonslip slate tiles completely encase the attached shower. Skylights top off the space.
Laura Garner
Ciambra dedicated the next floor into a library. He decorated the walls along with his collection of Tintin art posters, which grew from “a lifelong love of his own stories and journeys, as well as Hergé’s cartoon and awareness of classic design,” he says. This playful, open area has become a favourite place of kids who visit.
The ladder results in a cupola.
Laura Garner
There are more Tintin posters and a built-in bookcase in a nearby guest space.
Laura Garner
If the media platform is the ship’s interface, then the cupola is the captain’s area. The lookout provides magnificent views of the countryside and is the best place for curling up with a book.
Laura Garner
In keeping with the modern-meets-traditional style of the house, top floor’s bath has a lightweight conventional barn-style sliding door with a modern metallic finish.
Laura Garner
The house’s barn overlooks 4 acres of property, when the location for Ciambra’s friends’ wedding. “This was my proudest moment during my time here, for certain,” he remembers. “It is the best place in the world.”
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