Country Living
Step Inside the Most Colorful Cottage on the Connecticut Coast
Interior designer Kari McCabe grew up spending her summers in the quiet seaside village of Stonington, Connecticut. Settled in 1649 and situated in the southeast corner of the Constitution State, Stonington sits on a peninsula (Kari remembers being able to walk two blocks to either side and jump in the water) and teems with charming old houses from the 17th and 18th centuries. “It’s really a magical little town,” she says. “It was kind of heaven, especially for a kid from New York City.”
When Kari met her now husband, architect Nate McBride, he too fell hard for the historic fishing town, and the then New York–based couple continued to visit Kari’s family’s vacation home whenever they could. In 2018, however, the design- minded duo found their own summer getaway a few miles outside town.
Built in 1799, the Colonial-style cottage had undergone “just the right amount of renovation,” Kari says, noting that “the really boring, expensive stuff” like the foundation and the electrical system, had already been updated. Left intact was the home’s original character, including generous fireplaces and exposed posts and beams as well as rustic chestnut and oak floors whose flaws only add to their charm (“The floor nails constantly shift and pop up, so we smash them down with a hammer,” Kari says).
The home’s setting was equally enticing. While the water is just 10 minutes away, Kari and Nate’s house sits in the middle of bucolic farmland. “We can’t see houses around us. We’re surrounded by farms,” Nate says. “It really is country living.”
To make the house their own, Kari and Nate filled nearly every room with vintage pieces inherited from their parents. Kari also looked to her Scandinavian roots, employing Swedish rugs and textiles throughout in addition to other vibrant colors and cheerful patterns. In an unanticipated turn of events, the couple’s reimagined rural haven—where the cattle graze, the beach beckons, and every day is a holiday—has brought them so much joy that a summertime escape has become their full-time home.
Freshened-Up Exterior
Kari and Nate took their previously moss-green Connecticut home from dreary to cheery with a healthy helping of white paint. The front door is now Kari’s favorite color, blue, and the window frames are natural wood with a clear finish.
Colorful Entry
A vintage Norwegian flag from Kari’s mother adds an extra pop of color to the side porch, which now serves as the home’s main entrance. The dog statue, another gift from a family member, is a nod to the couple’s four-year-old Scottish terrier, Angus.
Cheery Multi-Purpose Work Space
The sunlit mudroom does triple duty by also being the home’s entry and laundry room. The colorful—and completely waterproof—rug pairs perfectly with the equally bright curtains of indoor- outdoor fabric that conceals the utility space.
High-Low Living Spaces
Kari and Nate transformed the home’s original primary bedroom into a generously sized living area by removing a wall that separated the bedroom from a dressing area. They filled the space with a masterful mix of high-low decor, including an Isamu Noguchi paper floor lamp that shares space with IKEA bookshelves and a set of 1930s rattan furnishings they scored for $1 each at a local estate sale. The room’s color comes courtesy of a vintage Swedish rug, a variety of patterned textiles, and naïve art by a Maine-based carpenter-turned-painter. In another living area, a mix of sleek, clean-lined midcentury modern furniture provides a fun juxtoposition tothe rustic wood beams and floors.
Dhurrie-Covered Dining Table
A graphic Indian dhurrie from Kari’s mother is draped over the vintage table as an unexpected covering. Its colors pair well with the whimsical, nature-inspired Josef Frank–designed wallpaper and the bright vintage pitchers lining the original mantel. “I wanted something animated,” says Kari of the wallcovering. She finished the space with modern pieces including a midcentury credenza from Chairish and a vintage Danish pendant light by Fog & Mørup.
Swedish Accents Aplenty
Thanks to ample windows, breakfast comes with a view in the kitchen’s dining nook, which is outfitted with a vintage 1940s trestle table and bentwood chairs. The room also features Swedish accents aplenty, including Gustavsberg Argenta pottery, a vintage Scandinavian pendant the homeowners won at an auction, and a chair pillow covered in a Josef Frank textile.
Keep-It-Simple Kitchen
In its previous life, the kitchen felt dark and heavy, so Kari and Nate set about paring things down while brightening the area up, beginning with painting the drab green cabinetry a pale gray. They also traded upper cabinets for open shelving, removed a plate rack above the sink that blocked the view into the living area, and swapped out the Colonial-style lighting for simple light sockets with mirrored bulbs.
Boldly Patterned Bedroom
In the primary bedroom, the allover wallpaper serves two purposes. First, by covering both the walls and the ceiling, it helps camouflage the room’s atypical geometry. Also, it creates a cocoon-like feeling ideal for a room dedicated to sleep. The wallcovering’s crisp white background flows into the white-painted floor to extend the enveloping experience. Touches of color come from a patterned duvet, a Swedish rug handwoven by Carl Dagel, and landscapes by New York–based artist Cornelia Foss, a dear friend of Kari’s mother. The pendant is by Noguchi.
The corner is filled with pieces the homeowners have acquired over the years, including a wicker chair picked up at a Rhode Island antiques store.
Nature-Inspired Bathroom
The bathroom’s botanical wallcovering references the surrounding landscape. Completing the scene are vintage sconces Kari found at a French flea market, a handcrafted Swedish mirror, and a classic pedestal sink.
Garden-Like Guest Space
A mélange of patterns and hues creates a joyful scene in this guest bedroom, where vibrant garden-inspired wallpaper is paired with a vintage Hudson’s Bay striped blanket and a black-and-white checked duvet cover. A still life by Icelandic artist Louisa Matthíasdóttir provides an extra jolt of color. “Sometimes you throw stuff out and you’re not quite sure how it’s going to look,” says Kari, “but in this case, it just came togethe rin a very cheerful way.” The vintage Eames chair is from Nate’s parents.
Offices with Family Heritage
In Nate’s office, a vintage sawhorse-style table serves as a no-nonsense desk and is paired with a vintage Eames plywood chair passed down from his parents and an industrial-style floor lamp.
An old Josef Frank curtain drapes a vintage chair in Kari’s office. “It never quite made it into a slipcover,” she says. Topping the mantel are a collection of family photographs and a painting Kari made in college. The vintage rug is Swedish and the old Japanese chest is from Kari’s mother.
