Barberrys, a country house overlooking Long Island’s North Shore, was designed in 1916 by Harrie T. Lindeberg for publisher Nelson Doubleday, and was intended to create the impression of graceful age through careful articulation of the massing and the use of traditional, lightly patinated materials. The house suffered in the intervening years, and the delicate balance of Lindeberg’s palette of materials and colors had been badly compromised. On the interior, the main axis, which originally allowed a view from the fountain in the entry court to the Sound, had been closed off in the course of previous renovations.

PBDW was hired to restore this historic home to its original condition. Our team reopened the major axis through the house that framed views of the water. We replaced exterior doors with custom bronze units, adjusted openings and trim in major spaces, and installed new mantels. Our rehabilitation of the exterior required a range of disciplines from materials conservation to new design. We cleaned the face brick and roof tile without removing their distinctive patinas, cleaned the non-historic bronze zodiacal figures on the front door, and restored the sgraffitto reveal around the door, which featured a design of birds and flowers. The major door surround—a combination of brick, terra cotta tile, and slate—was a new design inspired by a similar element on the water side of the house, while the lanterns were recreated from an archival photograph.

Architect: PBDW Architects (Samuel G. White, Brigitte Cook)

Decorator: Jeff Lincoln Interiors

Exterior Cleaning Contractor: Dariusz Knapik

Contractor: James Armstrong Contractors, Ltd.

Painter: Ed Booth Painting

HVAC Consultant: Flynn-Aire

Bronze Doors: Riviera Bronze

Sgraffito: EverGreene Architectural Arts

Bronze Cleaning: Tatti Art Conservation

Photographer: Jonathan Wallen

Stanford White Award for Craftsmanship and Artisanship, Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, 2019