A Rhode Island couple envisioned a timeless home on a historic property.
By Kelly Chaase
Photography courtesy of Marvin
On a historic property in Providence’s East Side, Billy and Tiffany Libby began their first ground-up house build. The land was long admired for its history and for its gardens that felt like a secret. Knowing this, the couple had a clear directive: honor the place while still crafting a home of their own. “I was interested in a house that was similar to those you find in the French countryside, but we also wanted to make sure that whatever we built fit within the aesthetic of the East Side,” says Tiffany. “That meant something more traditional and creating something that didn’t stick out too much.”
Tiffany’s vision of a French countryside home took shape as white stucco, soft lines, timeless details, and surrounding gardens. Billy wanted a classic space, in harmony with the neighborhood, and inspiring. Add three growing kids and lots of visiting family members and friends, and they knew they not only needed room, but the space had to work for them. “We went through a few different iterations of the house before we landed on this one,” says Tiffany, who adds that they had an indoor garden at one point and a prominent wine rack. “We had a friend come by who said to us, ‘Look, you can still make your home feel unique and classic, but most importantly, you want to make sure that it’s functional,’” says Billy.
The couple brought in architect Jack Ryan of Jack Ryan Architect and designer Emily Lindberg of Emily Lindberg Design to bring their visions to life. Working with white stucco poses design concerns, such as weathering and boxiness. To avoid the latter, Ryan varied the form where he could. He added a recessed balcony on the second floor for depth. “We made a conscious decision to push the balcony in rather than have it bump out, so it becomes a carved-out space and adds dimension to the façade,” Ryan explains. He and the homeowners selected deep-set, black-trimmed Marvin Elevate® windows with narrow frames, which add contrast and pair well with the slate roof. “We liked the idea of black windows for that crisp contrast against the white stucco,” says Ryan. “You see black wrought-iron windows in a lot of Parisian homes.”
Additionally, the team worked with Marvin to install deep-set windows to add architectural depth. “It was really important to us that the windows be set back, not flush with the exterior, so you get that shadow line and depth you see in older homes,” Ryan notes.
To select the windows, the Libbys visited the Marvin Brand Experience Center at 7 Tide in Boston’s Seaport. “With a house like ours, the windows are critical because they really set the tone,” says Billy. He said the black-framed windows against the stucco reminded them of France, but they wanted to see them up close.
In Boston, Lisa Massari, a Marvin Brand Ambassador, guided them through hardware selections, allowing them to compare the differences. A full-scale projection screen gave them a clearer sense of window and door sizes ahead of ordering. “It’s really hard to appreciate the difference in a picture or even a rendering, so going there to see the windows in person, feel them, and even play with the mechanism really helped,” says Tiffany.
Because the lot was deep, the house footprint became a large square. Therefore, Ryan knew they would need a central feature to add interest and light to the home’s core. The homeowners wanted a one-of-a-kind grand staircase. The result is a museum-like, sinuous staircase with no sharp corners that winds its way through the middle of the house. Initially, Ryan and his team considered prefabricating the staircase, but opted to hire a carpenter to frame it and a specialty plasterer to mold it. Ryan added a skylight at the top to let natural light spill down. “It is very artistic, and it came together really nicely,” says Billy. “You can’t see it from the outside, so it’s a bit of a surprise when you come inside.”
Having one staircase ties the three levels of the home together like a central spine. Its placement also adds wings to the house, so on the first floor, there is a main entryway, a guest room (which functions as a home office), bathrooms, and the kids’ play area. Toward the back of the house are the kitchen, dining room, and living room. “The stair spatially connects the floors vertically but also creates distinct areas and zones on each floor,” says Ryan. This layout works for the homeowners because it creates some separation between the kids’ spaces and the primary suite, as well as between the playroom and the entertaining area, without completely isolating them.
While Lindberg has clients throughout the Northeast, her office is in Providence, and she knew the property before the house was built. She worked with the Libbys and Ryan to add artful moments through the home, such as an arched hallway that leads to the back of the house on the first floor. “I thought that without the arch, it was just a hallway,” says Lindberg. “By creating that visual draw, it became something special, and it also seemed to speak to the symbols of older homes.”
She also played an essential part in the kitchen, making it bright and open with a 10-foot, sage-green kitchen island, white cabinets, and brass hardware for added warmth. She designed an exaggerated hood with curved edges and an oak underside above the Wolf range to anchor the space within the large, open room. “In a combined kitchen-dining-living room, scale matters,” says Lindberg. “The hood needed to really ground that zone.”
The interior palette is calm and muted with mostly bright white walls and white oak floors, punctuated by the dark soapstone fireplace and the large, black-framed windows that let in the sun. According to Ryan, the ever-changing light throughout the day is the real color of the home. “For us, it’s all about making the house feel bright and alive with natural light, so the sunlight, which shifts throughout the day, becomes the color,” says Ryan. “That was our approach on this home; rather than relying on bold paint or decoration, we let the play of light animate the home.”
The homeowners worked with Lindberg to select window treatments throughout the home. In the kids’ rooms, they were more playful, and in the main living areas, they chose a creamy off-white to work with the dark-framed windows. “We wanted the look of French linen, but with a better drape, so we chose a blend,” says Lindberg. “My goal with the curtains was for them to feel architectural, almost like part of the wall. I wanted them to blend in and be contemporary without added valences or tassels.”
An indoor-outdoor feel in New England can be tricky, but Tiffany was really hoping they could make it work. For her, going inside and out needed to be easy, especially in the warmer months when the kids play in the pool. She also wanted to see their backyard and outdoor space. Working with the Marvin Modern Multi-Slide Door, which measures 14 by 8 feet, the team was able to achieve just that. “I love them. They are so huge, but easy to open,” she says. “We leave them open whenever we can to let fresh air come into the house.” The large doors fold open to the back patio and pool area, and there is no step down, so it truly feels like another room outside.
The home has become the family’s sanctuary. They regularly host family members and friends, and they love it when others feel relaxed in their space. Billy says he finds inspiration and relaxation in the various corners of the home, and he loves how seamlessly it opens to the outdoors. “The backyard has been surprisingly exciting to me,” says Billy. “Looking out at the pool and the trees, you almost don’t see another house for a long stretch, and it’s really relaxing and enjoyable.”
For Tiffany, the home’s design has become a true sanctuary from the demands of daily life. “Once I walk in, I get this sense of calm, it’s so cozy and comforting,” she says. “It just makes me happy to look around and to hear and see my kids playing. They created the perfect home for us, and it really takes us away from our outside world and lets us relax and enjoy.”
