While retaining the shape of its original architectural envelope, the house was essentially rebuilt, with new window configurations, open circulation, and an exposed ceiling, all in service of maximizing watery vistas and ease of use. On the lofty upper level, the existing chimney, newly revealed in its full floor-to-ceiling height, was clad in glossy black brick tile. The monolithic form now feels like a high altar in a temple of light. Custom zellige tiles imported from Fez cover the walls of the kitchen and baths, where Helen’s genius for juxtaposing colors and materials comes into high relief.
The polyglot ensemble of furnishings hews closely to the signature Marden mix: Moroccan rugs; bold contemporary designs by the likes of Gaetano Pesce, Marcel Wanders, and the Campana Brothers; humble American folk pieces; 20th-century classics by Paavo Tynell, Adolf Loos, and Pierre Jeanneret; and a few Continental antiques to leaven the brew. “I just pick things that I like, things that make me happy,” Helen says, pooh-poohing the idea of some grand decorative vision. Her designers would demur. “She has an incredible eye,” Sachs insists. “The more crazy Helen would get, the more Brice liked it.”
This story appears in the December issue. Never miss a story when you subscribe to AD.
