TL;DR
Get backup power and energy gear delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
Veranda has published a tour of a 1930s neo-Georgian estate in Greenwich, Connecticut, decorated by designer Ashley Whittaker and updated with architect George Knight. The design pairs historic details and patterned rooms with changes intended to make the house work for a family of seven and for larger gatherings; Whittaker’s work on the property is ongoing.
Veranda has published a tour of a 1930s neo-Georgian estate in Greenwich, Connecticut, showing how designer Ashley Whittaker and architect George Knight balanced the house’s historical character with changes for modern family life. The roughly six-acre property belongs to longtime clients who moved from New York City with their five sons, and Whittaker’s work on the home is still underway.
The house tour presents a design that combines traditional architecture with bright colors, varied patterns and informal gathering spaces. Whittaker calls the game room a favorite, describing a compact setup with a wool-covered banquette, brass drinks tables and an antique Russian cabinet stocked with dominoes, cards and board games. Its striped effect comes from Pierre Frey’s pairing of two 18th-century Indo-Persian borders, according to the report.
Elsewhere, the 30-foot living room is arranged as two seating areas around matching velvet sofas. A mix of chairs and patterned upholstery in blues, greens and earthy taupes sits against creamy Venetian plaster walls. Whittaker said the room was intended to work for family evenings as well as entertaining, including gatherings of as many as 60 people.
The dining room makes a bolder statement: its paneled walls are finished in peacock-blue lacquer, while decorative painter Chris Pearson added white chevron bands to the dark-stained floor. The report says the scheme was inspired by a room by designer Albert Hadley that Whittaker and her client had admired. The home also displays art collected by the owners, including works by Robert Motherwell and Peter Beard.
A Historic House Made for Daily Life
The tour offers a specific example of how an older, formally planned house can be adapted without stripping away its period character. Knight updated areas once designed to separate service work from entertaining, including changing the kitchen into a more visible social space. He also reworked a back staircase so children can reach the kitchen from their bedrooms, and Whittaker and Knight widened the opening between the kitchen and family room.
Those changes matter because the estate has to serve both a large household and its owners’ entertaining needs. Rather than treating the formal rooms as display spaces, the design uses flexible seating, durable-feeling family areas and vivid decorative choices to make the house feel lived in. The article documents a design approach, not a real-estate sale or a reported renovation-cost assessment.
Products Worth Considering
Bose SoundLink Flex Bluetooth Speaker (2nd Gen), Waterproof, Dustproof, USB‑C, Up to 12 hr Battery, Black
Ring Alarm 14-Piece Kit
Shark HydroVac MessMaster Cordless Wet Dry Vacuum and Mop Combo, AW261
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
A Greenwich Estate’s Long Evolution
The owners acquired the property about five years before the report, after deciding to leave New York City for more room for their five active sons, then aged between eight and 18. The estate occupies about six acres with mature trees. The house had expanded over time, including wings added in the 1990s, and the property also includes a pool house, swimming pool and two detached garages, one with a guest apartment.
The owners had involved Knight, whose New Haven firm has experience renovating older Connecticut homes, in their property search. According to the report, the wife recognized the house as a strong fit and learned Knight had previously overseen an update there. His earlier work had modernized parts of the interior while retaining its historic character; the current project builds on that history with more changes to the kitchen and circulation between rooms.
Whittaker’s other choices link old and new rather than following a single period style. A contemporary landscape photograph by Carol Greenan Bouyoucos softens the living room’s Georgian moldings, while the dining room’s blue lacquer gives the owners’ blue-and-white porcelain collection a vivid backdrop. The report also describes a library displaying works by Motherwell and Beard, and a primary bedroom where a flower-meadow photograph by Susanna Howe sits over hollyhock-patterned wallpaper.
““There’s a playfulness to the space. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, but at the same time, feels elegant.””
— Ashley Whittaker, designer
Project Details Still Unreported
The house tour does not give a precise publication date, renovation budget or full timeline for Knight’s and Whittaker’s work. It also does not identify the owners by name. Whittaker says the project is ongoing, but the report does not specify which rooms or construction stages remain, or when the work may be complete.
Descriptions of comfort, elegance and the home’s suitability for family life are attributed to the designer and architect; they are not independent measurements of how the spaces perform. The article does not report interviews with the homeowners or provide details about the property’s current market status.
Further Work on the Estate
Whittaker says her work on the residence is ongoing, and the report indicates she and Knight are developing another project for the house. The source ends before identifying what they are creating, so the next renovation or design milestone has not been publicly specified in the material provided. Further details would be needed to establish the project’s scope, schedule and completion date.
The tour also describes the home during the holiday season, with wreaths and red bows at the windows, magnolia garland on the double-height stair banister and a Christmas tree in the hall. Whittaker notes that the owners host dinners for about 30 and have three fireplaces; those seasonal details illustrate how the estate is used, but the report gives no schedule for future events or additional updates.
Key Questions
Where is the estate featured in the house tour?
The 1930s neo-Georgian estate is in Greenwich, Connecticut, on about six acres.
Who designed and updated the home?
Ashley Whittaker handled the interior design, while architect George Knight worked on architectural updates, including changes to the kitchen and circulation between rooms.
What is distinctive about the game room?
It combines a wool-clad banquette, brass drinks tables and an antique Russian cabinet holding games. Its wall treatment pairs two 18th-century Indo-Persian borders to create a playful take on stripes.
Is the work on the estate finished?
No completion date is reported. Whittaker says her work on the home is ongoing, but the source does not detail the remaining work.
What changes were made to support family life?
Knight updated the kitchen as a social space, reconfigured a back staircase so children could reach it from their bedrooms, and widened the opening between the kitchen and family room.
Source: veranda.com
