The Greenwich Home of Designer Andrea Sinkin

April 14, 2020

Text by Megan Fulweiler    Photography by Michael Partenio    Produced by Stacy Kunstel

On any given afternoon in this Greenwich home, you might find six-year-old Aria roller skating through the kitchen, two dogs in cheery pursuit. It’s the kind of commotion her parents, Andrea Sinkin and Harry Jaffe, welcome. The couple like a home that feels lived in. “Nothing makes me happier than having the guest rooms filled,” says Sinkin, who hosts an annual sit-down Rosh Hashanah dinner for forty. Unwavering in that conviction (and knowing it means dings and spills are inevitable), Sinkin, an interior designer whose office is based in Greenwich, has created an irresistibly inviting nest for her family.

The house didn’t come by this feeling naturally. When the couple purchased the Dutch Colonial, it was hollering for an update. Nevertheless, Sinkin was smitten with the building’s sprawling silhouette, its nooks and crannies. Deciding on a top-to-bottom cosmetic transformation, she set herself an unforgiving seven-week deadline and went to work.

Today’s airy living room is a prime example of the designer’s skill at devising rooms that are polished and livable. There may be embroidered woven linen curtains at the windows and imposing sixty-six-inch-tall mirrors bouncing the light about, but should a pet hop on the crushed-velvet sofa it’s not the end of the world.

And that eye-catching assemblage of items on the living room coffee table? Sinkin had a successful career in fashion as a trend forecasting consultant before becoming an interior designer. Accessories matter, she believes, and personal ones are special. The table holds treasured paperweights along with sea glass and shells the family has gathered on summer outings. “Aria loves to show them to visitors,” Sinkin says.

The soothing gray and blue palette flows into the adjoining dining room for harmony. To signify more adult dining, though, this space includes a chic Thibaut chinoiserie wallpaper and a flush-mounted Murano glass chandelier.

When it came to the kitchen, yesterday’s dark cabinets were an easy fix, thanks to the wonders of paint. The eleven-plus-foot island, however, was a challenge. Determined not to have unsightly seams, Sinkin scoured New England to find a solid piece of quartzite for the job. A faux ostrich-leather cornice, easily wiped clean with a sponge, dresses the window above the sink, while the bay window hosts a custom table and an octagonal banquette.

A coat of Gray Huskie paint by Benjamin Moore sweeps up the stairway and into the bedrooms, threading the spaces together with the rest of the house. In one guest room, an accent wall signals spring with a smoky-hued paper strewn with yellow flowers. The green of the flowers’ stems is echoed in the upholstered headboard. “I wanted a modern headboard to offset the paper’s classic nature,” Sinkin explains.

Aria sleeps cocooned in a princess-like bed enhanced with a regal cornice that will also suit a larger bed someday. A collection of heirloom plates floating on her pale pink walls adds a sweet touch of family history. Her adjoining bath sports a dainty vanity and a chic light fixture for girly glamor.

In the end, everything seems right here, especially the warm ambience. Sinkin’s magic is not just her ability to put together a fabulous house but, more important, knowing how to create an overall sense of home.

Project Team
Interior design: Andrea Sinkin, Andrea Sinkin Design

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