Slow & Steady Wins

Fiona Leonard used a serene and coastal palette to reflect the clients’ love of the sea

In the living room, soft sea blue tones in the accessories reminds the client of the seaside.

It took a consultation with Fiona Leonard before Darien home owner Christine Schoenrock really began to get a sense of the direction she felt the home should take.

It was decided to take a slow pace, tackling each room one by one, gradually uncovering the perfect home that lay beneath all those past wrong decisions. They started with the dining room, where Fiona created a serene, coastal palette that reflects the family’s shared love of the sea and their favorite pastime, beachcombing for sea glass.

Fiona was tasked with making the home suit all comers - to reconcile Christine’s desire for a light, white aesthetic while maintaining the home’s status as a neighbourhood stomping ground for friends of the family’s seven-year-old son. To reach this goal, she used performance fabrics throughout to merge the pretty and the practical.

Throughout the home, the essential look was brought back to Christine’s favorite blue and white colour pairing, infused with the occasional orange burst for added punch. The space is finished with art and found objects Christine has curated herself.

Next for the home, Christine and Fiona hope, will be shiplap walls in the mudroom bath and more projects in the future. Quite a progression, when you consider the steady evolution of the work.

Ben Wood Blue Boat Bow artworks from Trowbridge Gallery line the stairway.

In the dining room, the nod to the sea is continued and ‘Seascape’ by Marc McKinnon hangs on the wall, and the rug and velvet on the chairs is easily cleaned allowing the client to host either an elegant dinner party, or simply have a pizza night without worrying about mess.

A cosy spot for a cup of tea or a cocktail as you sink into the wing chairs.

The clients’ vast collection of seaglass is displayed in bookshelves in the living room