PATRICK SUTTON tailored Interiors
Introduction
Patrick Sutton’s emotional education and psychological examination of his life are as integral to the success of his practice as his training in architecture and decades-long experience as an interior designer. Time and again, Patrick’s clients emphasize his gift for listening, for “getting” them, his approachability, and his intuitive instincts. He understood one homeowner’s tastes so well, she joked to him, “Get out of my head!” These talents, however, were hard-earned.
On paper, as in his collection of vintage photographs that portray a smiling, impeccably dressed family, Patrick’s childhood appeared ideal. His charismatic mother was a fashion model and an actress. His chivalric father, a U.S. Army captain during World War II, swept the former beauty queen off her feet and went on to become a celebrated travel journalist. The family traveled around the world in first-class cabins and stayed in the finest hotels. Patrick’s early exposure to such exquisite luxuries surely ignited his curiosity about and passion for design. And yet, behind the glamourous facade, all that glittered was not gold.
Soon after the young family moved to Hawaii, where Patrick’s father launched a magazine, his mother began to show signs of schizophrenia. She was just twenty-six years old. As her mental health rapidly deteriorated, Patrick’s father buried himself in his work, rarely coming home. Patrick’s seemingly picture-perfect childhood became marred by trauma, shame, and loneliness. This was hardly a home where he could invite friends over. But while his schoolwork plummeted, his empathy and emotional intelligence soared. “In order to survive a home absent of role-model parenting, I became
Above: A sculptural, rustic plaster staircase makes a bold statement on the lower level, which accesses a mudroom, wine cellar, and recreation room.
Opposite: Streamlined materials—limestone, blackened steel, plaster, and oak—give the lower level a chic, gallery-like look.
Sumptuous details, such as mohair upholstery for the custom-made bed and sofa, and softly filtering linen curtains, transform the primary bedroom into a sublime sanctuary. Patrick cut out the center back of the sofa for an even better view of the garden. The moody colors of a mid-century painting by Stephen Greene inspired the palette throughout the house.
Following spread: The beautifully landscaped grounds and old-growth trees belie the fact that this property is just a couple of miles from downtown D.C.
Above: The spiffy new pool cabana further sheds the idea of this being an old house.
Opposite: Burnished-steel cabinets join a ceiling and walls crafted from planks of cerused oak. The Murano glass pendant light is from the 1960s.
The entertaining kitchen includes a large island that can accommodate many guests at breakfast and lunch. The wall behind it is lined with blue quartzite, one of the many stones Patrick and Chip sourced from an Italian quarry. Patrick tricked out the La Cornue range and cabinetry with polished and brushed steel trim. The wall of crystal stratus recalls a Japanese etching of a turbulent sea.
