An early 1900s Arts and Crafts home with an impressive modern art collection

Posted on Wed, 6 Aug 2025 by KiM

In addition to refurnishing the house, we also undertook an extensive renovation; adding a standalone three-car garage and converting the existing attached garage into a mudroom, a laundry room, a paneled-wood family room, and an expanded kitchen. Our clients, who had inherited an impressive art collection of primarily Calders, Miros, and Picassos, described their style as ‘East Coast preppy,’ and so we accepted the challenge of marrying that aesthetic with the bold, primary colors and forms of the iconic modern artworks. We developed an interior color and material palette in the reds, blues, yellows, blacks and whites of the art, but with each of those colors softened and muted. The result is a house that feels right for the art, right for the clients, and right for the house.
Jessica Helgerson does it again, creating some vintage magic in this beautiful home but somehow managing to work in this modern art collection and have everything make sense. I love how cohesive it all is by using those primary colours throughout (though in very manageable shades). Photos: Aaron Leitz.

TCD says:

The house is beautiful as is the art, but for anyone wishing they could furnish their home in a similar fashion, every one of those art pieces can be purchased online as a print or litho for small amounts. Framing would of course add costs, but none of the art shown is beyond the means of most.

KiM says:

….. I don’t understand the point of this comment. Because I said it was an impressive art collection? Just because you can get prints (unfortunately) doesn’t make owning original art less special.

TCD says:

I’ll answer this and then you can delete it, but my intention wasn’t to diminish the house or the artwork, I complimented both.

Your site is a testament to excellent taste and for many of your readers the buildings and furnishings shown are aspirational.

Many will recognize the art shown and will know the originals are in specific museums and private collections throughout the world. This doesn’t detract from their beauty.

I simply made a comment that almost anyone could buy similar pieces to enhance their own homes at a much lower price.

Surrounding oneself with beauty is an attainable goal.

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