Erin Coren was so sure about this 1930s Storybook Tudor in Rye Brook that she bought it practically on the spot. “I just knew, this is my house,” says Coren. At the time, she was still living in an apartment in Brooklyn with her husband and then-2-year-old. The couple had been planning a move to the suburbs but hadn’t found the right spot for their growing family. As soon as Coren walked into the space, she knew this was it.
The exterior looks straight out of a fairytale, complete with a rounded turret and Juliet balcony. The inside, however, needed some vision — something Coren, an interior designer and co-founder of design firm Curated Nest, had plenty of. Where other would-be buyers saw hot-pink shag carpeting, red walls, and an outdated kitchen complete with vegetable-patterned tile countertops, Coren saw tons of character and a magical place for her children to grow up. (She and her husband are now parents of a 6-year-old and a 9-year-old.)
“It had so much charm without being the typical stuffy Tudor,” says Coren. And since she already was running a design firm, she tapped her partner and co-founder Lina Galvão, and the rest of the Curated Nest team, to help her make the home’s interior match its curb appeal.
Before the family moved into the space in 2017, they refinished the floors and gave everything a fresh coat of white paint. Six months later, they did a big renovation, which included a mudroom addition and major updates to the kitchen and primary bath. In 2024, the house got a refresh that added more designer detail and brought it up to date. “One day I walked in, and the house just felt stale,” says Coren. “It needed an awakening.” Whereas the first renovation was about lightening and brightening in a more modern style, this version of the house leans a bit more into the traditional look, with deeper colors and a more lived-in, patinated feel that embraces the Tudor details rather than juxtaposes them. Once again, the whole Curated Nest team had a hand in it. “It’s just better when it’s a collaborative process,” says Coren.
Formal Living Room
A great example of Curated Nest’s “Livable Luxury” ethos, the formal living room looks ready for more formal entertaining and is just as functional for casual family gatherings. The designers left charming Tudor details intact and filled the room with textured furniture that gives the space an elegant but relaxed look. Original beams, white plaster walls, and large casement windows frame the space with architectural character, and pieces like a soft boucle chaise, a large circular coffee table, and a plush Worlds Away sofa provide lots of comfortable spots for family and friends to sit and visit. Curated Nest loves using beautiful case pieces as storage, as evidenced by another built-in that conceals a television and a sleek cabinet that opens to reveal a huge collection of board games. “I can have friends over for book club, or we can be in here playing games with the kids,” says Coren. She also finally has space for a piano, an instrument she’s played since childhood. This vintage piece was found at an estate sale.
Dining Room
Before the renovation, the dining room had red walls and a set of saloon doors swinging into the kitchen. Coren replaced them with a large archway that echoes the rest of the home’s rounded Tudor details and opens up the spaces to create a more open-concept feel. The design is a playful blend of styles — mid-century chairs with brass detailing, a feminine Chinoiserie paper from Giffywalls, and a checkered indoor/outdoor rug that adds softness and durability underfoot. “You don’t have to pick one style,” says Galvão. “All the layers make it really fun.” The large cabinet tucked in under the windows was one of the very first items Coren bought for the house years ago, and the gray-beige tone looks fresh again against the new pink wallpaper, proving a few updates can give new life to old pieces. Now the family can sit down to casual weekday breakfasts, spread out to do some work in the evenings, and host elegant holiday meals with extended family here.
Kitchen
“I wanted to create a space where my husband felt inspired to cook, and so far, it’s paid off,” laughs Coren. The designers tried nearly a dozen different layout plans to find the right fit for the angular space. Their thoughtful, user-friendly design is custom-made for the family of four. “Every single drawer was thought through,” says Galvão. Using lower cabinets instead of high shelves allows younger family members to help themselves to things like snacks and water bottles. (The lower storage works for parents, too; Coren is under 5 feet.) The designers also included a mini fridge for the kids, knowing they would have trouble opening the large doors of the refrigerator. Coren opted for quartz countertops for easier maintenance and saved the Calacatta gold marble for the herringbone tile backsplash behind the vintage-style range. The recent refresh gave the hood and island a coat of Benjamin Moore’s “Pewter Green,” and added new rattan scalloped pendants from Cedar & Moss over the island.
Mudroom
The mudroom addition has a lot of flexibility, with a big exterior Dutch-barn door and a sliding pocket door that can close it off from the kitchen in colder weather. Heated floors under cement tiles keep the space cozy all fall and winter and help dry up any puddles tracked in on rainy or snowy days. Muddy camp clothes can go right into the washing machine, and customized storage gives each child a cubby for backpacks, jackets, and shoes. A cabinet in between holds parents’ coats and jackets. The wood casement windows are painted to mimic the home’s original iron windows. New green shiplap paneling, a wallpapered ceiling, and an indoor-outdoor rug custom-fit to the space, were added in the refresh.
Primary Bedroom
There were big dimensions — and a big directive for relaxation — to fulfill in the primary bedroom. “This is like my escape room,” says Coren, who kept things largely neutral with a touch of glam. “I didn’t want to get sick of things, so I kept the design more focused on texture than color.” A large canopy bed from Crate & Barrel makes a streamlined statement under a dazzling contemporary Strada chandelier from Visual Comfort, and the arboreal paper from Rebel Walls matches the wall paint so exactly that it appears to be hand stenciled. Coren created a beautiful, cozy vignette for reading with a Four Hands chaise lounge and oversized leaning mirror near a large window overlooking the yard. Olive burled wood nightstands from Made Goods and a made-to-fit dresser nestled under a window add space for storage.
Primary Bath
Coren had to make quick work of the primary bath design after a contractor told the family that decades of water damage could cause the floor to crumble at any moment. She had a weekend to pull together the design, which included a new vanity and luxurious standup shower with rain showerhead and steam. The recent refresh was a moment to make the space feel more personal and current. Coren repainted the vanity in a deep charcoal gray and added rattan door fronts that match the large, scalloped mirrors. A runner and new artwork bring in more color and add a little oomph to the existing Calacatta gold floor and shower tile.
Boy’s Room
At 9 years old, Coren’s son was ready to transition from a “little kid” room to a slightly more grown-up look. This sports-themed space was designed to take him into his early teens, with a cool collection of baseball decor and areas for reading and homework. “It’s a typical boyish Americana room,” says Galvão, but a new desk and leather chair, custom black buffalo-check drapery, and comfortable reading nook will grow with him. Plenty of pillows and a baseball-shaped neon sign add fun touches to the darker decor.
Related: Curated Nest Embraces Livable, Luxurious Home Design in Westchester
