Amazing Grace

For their own weekend home, renowned decorators Stephen Sills and James Huniford let loose their undying passion for design and created a contemporary home with classic overtures. When the design duo came upon the 1929 Colonial, it was unlivable — but they saw potential.

They started by covering the walls in the foyer with an unusual material — veneered chestnut laid out like a patchwork quilt. Against the neutral background, they've assembled an eclectic blend of furnishings from a sleek silk sofa to antique steel ammunition cabinets.

In the living room, hand-grooved plaster walls resemble white corduroy. Against this backdrop is a quirky collection of glass laboratory beakers, which sits beside a circa-1749 globe. Upstairs in the master bedroom, the walls are a subtle yellow-green hue with a shiny lacquered finish. A wall of mirrored candleholders casts a soft glow about the room. The detached garage has been remodeled into an elegant light-filled guest house with a stone floor and 18th-century antiques.