Photo Spread: a Scarsdale Tudor Designed by Irwin Weiner of Irwin Weiner Interiors

“You should get a surprise when you walk into a home,” says legendary designer Irwin Weiner, and, indeed, the stately stone-and-timber exterior of this new Scarsdale Tudor gives little indication of the visual feast that awaits inside. The owner, a lifelong art collector, wanted a spectacular space in which to display his superb collection of art glass. “I call it my ‘old age home,’” he quips.

With his blessing, Weiner upended conventional design tropes, adding whimsy and humor. In the two-story foyer, where a large chandelier by renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly has pride of place, Weiner eschewed the “more typical black-and-white checkerboard floor” for tiny mosaic tiles in a circular motif that pick up colors from adjacent rooms. He covered the dining-room walls with a horizontally striped silk fabric and wrapped the same bobble fringe trimming the draperies around the moldings and the fireplace. There are echoes of deco throughout: in the library’s stepped limestone fireplace; in the 1940s-style floral wallpaper pattern in the master bath; and in the clean lines of the furniture, both new and vintage pieces reupholstered in velvet and linen. The den is a study in color, with its coffered paneled ceiling, red-papered walls, and striped custom rug. The aubergine armchairs, says Weiner, are a nod to the other half of the couple who owns the home: “Her only direction was she wanted purple.”

In a sunny corner of the den, a William Switzer table and two John Boone chairs set the stage for cards or cocktails.

In the double-height library, Weiner installed the white-oak paneling in a honey-colored stain and filled the room with art deco style. A vintage kidney-shaped desk from Florian Papp Antiques and Art Gallery on Madison Avenue blends seamlessly with a deco-style coffee table from Design 18, a Moderne-inspired wing chair from William Switzer, a Donghia leather ottoman, and a cut-velvet striped sofa by Edward Ferrell. The period chandelier, which originally hung in a theater, is from David Duncan Antiques.

The fantastical foyer sets the joyous tone for the entire home. Weiner went with modernist circles fashioned of tiny Studium tiles rather the typical black-and-white checkerboard pattern. One of the owner’s many glass art pieces sits atop a Regency table from Evergreen Antiques. The owner also asked for the high oval window so that he could see his prized Dale Chihuly chandelier from his second-floor office.

A beamed and paneled ceiling, rust-red Waverly wall covering, and Sacco’s custom striped rug give the den a warm, cozy feel. Enda Kelly Woodworking created the custom cabinet for the owner’s art glass collection. The Holly Hunt sofa is covered in Calvin/Donghia fabric, and the coffee table is from Majestic Reproductions. Weiner re-upholstered existing John Boone armchairs in a purple Kirk Brummel fabric from Brunschwig & Fils.

The dining room is a visual feast. Weiner covered the walls with a striped fabric and lined the moldings and fireplace with bobble fringe, both from Kravet. A chandelier from Chameleon Fine Lighting presides over a Profiles table, Sirmos chairs, and a William Switzer credenza. Sacco’s custom rug is like art underfoot.

Designer:
IRWIN WEINER
Irwin Weiner Interiors
767 Lexington Ave, Suite 500, New York, NY
(212) 308-2235;
irwinweinerinteriors.com

Photographer: James Bleecker