Beyond Interiors, West Hartford Connecticut interior design

BY NATALIE K. POLLOCK
Rona, a chemical engineer who volunteers for educational organizations, and David Gollob, whose business produces a metal coating for aerospace parts, have lived on Talcott Mountain in Simsbury with their two children for less than a year, but they have already made their mark in their new home. Their house is about 10 years old now, and was originally built by Bob Fuller for his second family, just before the real estate crash bankrupted his residential development company known as Landev. The Gollobs admired the house for several years from across Route 185. When the second owners, an older couple, put it up for sale, they bought it to give their daughter a larger bedroom. The 5,700 square-foot, three-level contemporary was designed by Litchfield architect Lance Olivieri to flow around a massive central chimney. By the time they moved in, the interior was in need of repair and redesign. The second owners were apparently more interested in

pursuing their horticultural interests than in repairing the leaking skylights or decorating the 12 rooms and 7 bathrooms. Before leaving, the retirees landscaped the two-acre lot with flowering bushes and bulbs, and created a small pond on the front lawn. A motorized waterfall was added to recirculate the water, and a heater regulates the carbon dioxide levels so that the gold and white Koi fish can survive. Inside, the white stucco walls have become the Gollobs' canvas for indulging in their interest in artwork. They sought interior designer Gary Tracy's help to add color and warmth to the wide open spaces. Gary, of Beyond Interiors in West Hartford, starts every project with the philosophy, "Rome wasn't built in a day." He adds,

"For Rona and David, I worked on one room at a time with the goal of making each space livable and comfortable. As time goes by, we will know what works for them, and then we can make the design flow into the next room." One of the first rooms they addressed was the great room -the new term for a casual living room, or a family room suitable for entertaining. The givens were a fieldstone fireplace with soaring chimney, two-story height, and plenty of natural light from large windows and skylights. "I found the project very interesting because the house was so different and the Gollobs were very definite about wanting Southwestern," Gary explains. Indeed, the owners travelled to Santa Fe many times to collect furniture and artwork.

They commissioned a large painting by Tony Abyeta, a famed Navajo Native American, whose rich earth tones with blue accents guided the interplay of colors and patterns in the room. Gary softened the painting's colors with his choice of soft fabrics and tapestries. The sofas, which were custom-made in Santa Fe of leather and carved wood trim, are neutral and comfortably overstuffed. The Gollobs added two sculptures of Native Americans by David McGarry of Arizona and New Mexico, encased a sandstone sculpture for the granite coffee table, which rests on a Zapotec rug woven by a tribe in southern Mexico, and displayed a peace pipe on a carved alder wood cabinet.

Across the foyer close to one of the many entrances to the house is a unique bathroom whose walls are entirely painted to evoke a courtyard scene somewhere in the Southwest. Rona and Gary worked with artist Nancy Kramer Potanka of Avon to suggest colors and specific elements. Mexican tiles cover the floor. Down the hall, which has been transformed into an art gallery for photographs and copper plate etchings by German artists Carl Damon, is the kitchen. The preexisting glazed tile trim in blue and rust and Mexican tile flooring work well with the new breakfast nook where the family eats all of its meals. A built-in banquette now seats up to 12 diners. Also on the main floor, Gary helped the Gollobs create a cozy TV room in soft earth tones which bring out the beauty of the weathered chestnut

flooring. The dining room, master bedroom and guest room have been left alone for the time being. The lower level is mostly above ground and fully built out, with a rec room, two bedrooms, full bath and wine cellar for 700 bottles. Upstairs are more bed and bathrooms, an office for Rona, and lots of storage. Gary just completed the design of 13-year-old Sandra's bedroom, with billowy fabric in a yellow and blue palette, and complementary wallpaper in the bedroom and bath which looks like faux painting. The Gollobs are not in a rush to finish designing their new home. They prefer to live with what they have until inspiration or need strike. And Gary is in total agreement with their approach. He believes that design should have longevity.