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A Veranda house tour profiles a 1930s neo-Georgian estate in Greenwich, Connecticut, decorated by Ashley Whittaker for a family with five sons. The design combines historic architecture with bold color and pattern, while renovations by architect George Knight open the house to everyday family life. Whittaker and Knight are still working on the property; the source does not specify what their new addition will include.
Veranda has published a tour of a 1930s neo-Georgian estate in Greenwich, Connecticut, showing how designer Ashley Whittaker and architect George Knight have adapted the historic home for a family of seven. The project pairs preserved architectural character with colorful, patterned rooms and changes intended to make the house work better for daily family life and entertaining.
The owners bought the property about five years ago, after moving from New York City in search of more room for their five sons, who were then described as between eight and 18. The estate sits on about six acres with mature trees and includes a swimming pool, pool house and two detached garages, one with a guest apartment. Whittaker says the house had expanded over time, including the addition of wings in the 1990s, giving it what she calls a charmingly rambling layout.
One of Whittaker’s favorite rooms is the game room, designed to feel relaxed without losing its polish. It has a wool-covered banquette, brass drinks tables and an antique Russian cabinet stocked with games. Patterned borders from Pierre Frey break up the room’s striped walls. In the 30-foot living room, two seating areas and velvet sofas help make the large space comfortable for both family use and gatherings, with upholstery in blues, greens and taupes set against creamy Venetian plaster.
The dining room makes a bolder statement: its paneled walls are finished in glossy peacock blue, while decorative painter Chris Pearson added white chevron bands to the dark floor. The design draws on a room by Albert Hadley that Whittaker and her client had admired. Elsewhere, the home displays work by artists including Robert Motherwell, Peter Beard and Melinda Hackett. The Veranda report also describes holiday decorations, including wreaths at the windows and magnolia garland on the stair hall banister.
A Historic Home Made for Family Life
The project illustrates a practical challenge in adapting an older, formal house: preserving the features that give it character while making its rooms suit contemporary routines. Knight updated the kitchen so it could function as a social hub rather than a tucked-away service space. He also altered a back stair so children could reach the kitchen from their bedrooms, and worked with Whittaker to widen the doorway between the kitchen and family room.
That approach extends to the furnishings. The long living room is arranged for different-sized gatherings rather than treated as a formal reception space, and the game room gives recreation a place within the house’s carefully finished interiors. For readers interested in historic-home renovation and residential design, the tour offers a concrete example of how layout changes and decoration can address family needs without abandoning a home’s period identity.
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Renovations Behind the New Layout
The owners had enlisted architect George Knight, whose New Haven firm has experience renovating older Connecticut homes, while searching for a property. According to the Veranda report, they discovered that Knight had previously overseen an update of this same estate. The house’s older layout separated service areas from the main living and entertaining rooms, a division Knight later reconsidered as part of the work for the current owners.
Whittaker’s design balances patterned fabrics, artwork and strong color with quieter surfaces. In the living room, she used pale plaster walls to temper the mix of upholstery; in the dining room, lacquered blue paneling gives the owners’ blue-and-white porcelain collection a vivid setting. The report presents these choices as part of a broader effort to keep the interiors elegant but not overly formal.
““There’s a playfulness to the space. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, but at the same time, feels elegant.””
— Ashley Whittaker, designer, as quoted by Veranda
The Next Phase Is Not Specified
The source says Whittaker’s work at the house is ongoing and that she and Knight are creating a new “ba…” The supplied report ends mid-sentence, so it does not establish what they are building or changing next, when the work may be finished, or whether the project has a planned completion date. The article also does not provide a renovation budget or a full account of the estate’s construction and ownership history.
More Design Work Remains Ahead
Whittaker and Knight are continuing work on the property, according to Veranda. The available source material does not identify the next project or give a timeline, so further details about the scope and schedule have not been confirmed. For now, the published tour documents the completed design choices and the family-oriented updates described in the report.
Key Questions
Where is the estate?
The estate is in Greenwich, Connecticut, on about six acres.
Who designed the interiors?
Ashley Whittaker decorated the home. Architect George Knight worked on updates to its layout and interior spaces.
What makes the game room distinctive?
The room pairs a wool-covered banquette, brass drinks tables and an antique Russian game cabinet with patterned wall treatments. Whittaker described it as playful while still elegant.
What changes were made for the family?
Knight reworked the kitchen as a more social space, changed a back stair to connect children’s bedrooms more directly with the kitchen, and widened the opening between the kitchen and family room.
Is the renovation finished?
No completion date is given. Veranda reports that Whittaker’s work at the house is ongoing, but the supplied source text cuts off before describing the next project.
Source: veranda.com
