The Vermont license plate inspired the interiors of this mountain home

Vermont has attracted the strong, silent type for centuries. The New England ski capital is known for maples, mountains, and minding your own business, and its historic houses follow suit – sturdy barns and Greek Revivals dot the hilly landscape, interwoven with trails, lakes, and valleys that add to the state’s charm.

With all the natural splendour and architectural heritage Vermont has to offer, building a new house there is an intimidating proposition. One New York City couple was undaunted by the challenge after hiring Sheila Bridges to decorate the interior.

It was the New York City–based designer’s skill with layering and texture that made her the best choice to bring warmth and character to an 8,000-square-foot house built by the Burlington, Vermont-based architecture firm TruexCullins in 2023. ‘I fell in love with Sheila’s work after seeing it in ELLE Decor,’ the wife says. ‘Her use of pattern and colour is very appealing.’

After the husband had floated – and subsequently kiboshed – buying a ranch in Montana, the couple scouted rugged central Vermont in one whirlwind weekend, visiting 10 properties in two days. They chose an unspoiled 240-acre plot with unobstructed views in every direction, a stunning, romantic piece of earth.

But, as one might expect, it was not without some issues. ‘There was no road into the house site. We had to park at the edge of the road and hike up,’ the wife says. ‘But the minute you clear the bend, the whole world opens up before you. My husband was completely enraptured.’

Kitchen

The cabinets and island are painted in Farrow & Ball’s Calke Green. The oak barstools are by Sawkille Co., the fittings by Waterworks, the pendants by the Urban Electric Company, and the range and hood by BlueStar

Dining room

A vintage pine hutch stands next to a dining table by Atelier Démiurge

Great room

A custom sofa by Holly Hunt in a George Smith mohair and armchairs from Dmitriy & Co in a Dedar fabric surround an ottoman from Bunny Williams Home in a Pierre Frey fabric. The chandelier is by Vaughan

Great room

Vintage chairs in a Schumacher ikat surround a games table from John Rosselli & Associates. The wallpaper is by Morris & Co., and the Roman shade is of a Castel Maison fabric

Parlour

The walls are covered in an embroidered Scalamandré toile, and the custom skirted sofa is in a Lee Jofa fabric. The steel and glass cocktail table is by Iatesta Studio atop a Stark Carpet rug

Bar closet

White pine walls encase the bar area. The Radicchio wall paint is by Farrow & Ball, and the rug is vintage

Powder room

Bridges used John Derian Chimney Swallows wallpaper to continue the outdoorsy Vermont theme. The walnut sink console is by J. Tribble, the fittings are by Waterworks, and the sconces by the Urban Electric Company

Guest bedroom

In a corner of a bedroom wrapped in Lee Jofa Mille Fleur wallpaper sits a Lee Industries chair and ottoman in a Pierre Frey fabric. The mirror is antique, the brass floor lamp is by Vaughan, and the Roman shades are by the Shade Store

Main bedroom

Bridges chose Farrow & Ball Green Blue for the walls and a walnut and iron four-poster-bed from John Rosselli. The wool rug is from Temple Studio, and the watercolor is by Katie DeGroot

Main bathroom

The Catchpole & Rye copper tub, with fittings are by Waterworks, has a prime mountain view. The pendant is by Remains Lighting Company, the curtains are by Emma J Shipley, and the marble floor tiles are from TileBar

Guest room

A Lee Jofa forest pattern depicting deer covers the walls of a guest bedroom. The side tables are antique, and the sconces are by Circa Lighting

Guest room

The bed is in a Schumacher fabric, the nightstand is antique, and the lamp is by Circa Lighting. The bedding is by Serena & Lily, the wallpaper by Pintura Studio, and the rug by Stark Carpet

Exterior

The patio of the barn overlooks the 240-acre property, with landscape design by Wagner Hodgson

Barn

Two Nickey Kehoe sofas in a Rogers & Goffigon fabric flank an ottoman in a Schumacher ikat. The armchairs are by Madeline Stuart, the chandelier is by Ralph Lauren for Circa Lighting, and the curtains are by the Shade Store

Barn

In the barn, the walnut console is by Sawkille, and the jute rug is by Stark Carpet

Powder room

Wallpaper by Timorous Beasties creates drama in the barn powder room. The concrete sink is by Kast, the fittings are by Waterworks, and the mirror is antique

Landscape

The house overlooks Mount Ascutney in Vermont

The designer

Sheila Bridges surrounded by the Vermont countryside that inspired her

The Greek Revival house follows the form of traditional 19th-century New England connected farms. A central, rectangular structure houses the husband’s library, an office, and a parlour for the wife, with four bedrooms above. Initially intended as an occasional landing for ski trips, the house has now become a regular retreat, with friends and adult children populating the bedrooms.

There is a double-height, barn-like space (the only room with undecorated walls) used for larger gatherings, and to the right is the great room and kitchen, where the family spends most of their time, with the primary suite above it.

Bridges’s design concept began with an unexpected source of inspiration. ‘It started with the Vermont license plate,’ she says. Its distinct leafy-green hue, reflected in the Morris & Co. ‘Blackthorn Autumn’ wallpaper, covers the kitchen cabinets and extends into the great room.

‘I’m always inspired by nature,’ says Bridges, who keeps horses and homes in the Hudson Valley and in Iceland. ‘I visited Vermont a lot throughout my childhood. When you think of the state, you think of the foliage, so it follows that this home is very rich and reflective of nature.’

A flora and fauna theme permeates every room of the house, with barn swallows flying on the walls of one downstairs powder room and vines and butterflies adorning another. Even the custom Roman shades in the great room were designed with animal motifs at their centre.

Upstairs are two more cheeky prints, with prancing deer on the walls of one bedroom while skiers zoom down slopes in another. ‘I start every job fresh,’ Bridges says. ‘In 30 years, I have tried not to use the same pattern or textile twice.’ Bridges goes beyond bespoke.

The depictions of winter sports and forest fauna disappear in the wife’s parlour, where the focus shifts to trees and foliage with two botanical prints mounted on an earthy chinoiserie grass-cloth toile by Scalamandré.

In the pattern-light, green primary suite with the best views in the house, peace is the premise. ‘Though this was a new build, I still wanted it to feel like it had a sense of history that isn’t just about humans,’ Bridges says. ‘History is also rooted in nature. After all, this was all forest at one point.’ sheilabridges.com