sunshine and sensibility

A California girl, Serena Crowley soaks up sunshine and radiates warmth like a sandy beach. Whether she’s making home for her family—husband Paul and their children Mckenna and Theo—in windy Chicago, rainy London, or their current residence in nippy New England, Serena floods spaces with sunshine. A good example is the Crowleys’ living room; walls of windows and French doors give the space the feel of a conservatory.

But Serena isn’t just a bright-eyed optimist. She’s also a sensible interior design consultant and frugal space planner.

“It was important to me to design a home with a well-thought-out floor plan that did not exude useless space and false grandeur but made every square foot have real purpose and reason,” she says of her family’s home in New Canaan, Connecticut. “It is a home of considerable size, yet each room is relatively small and comfortable with loads of windows for natural light and detailed millwork, giving the rooms an airiness and relaxed elegance.”

Design:
Architectural designer: Louise Brooks; project manager: Charles Loucks, Gullans & Brooks Assoc. Inc., 199 Elm St., New Canaan, CT 06840; 203/966-8440, gullansandbrooks.com.
Interior design consultant: Serena Crowley, Serena Crowley Design, 203/972-9122.
Builder: Frank Tavolacci, Tavolacci Builders.

Photographed by Tria Giovan
Written by Amy Elbert
Produced by Bonnie Maharam

Sources:
Settee and chairs: Lee Industries, , 800/892-7150.
Drop-leaf tables; carpet; pillows: owner’s collection.
Coffee table: Serena Crowley Design, 203/972-9122.
Grecian prints: Hamptons Antique Galleries, 203/325-4019.
Tray: Severed Ties LLC, 203/972-0788.