Stewart-Schafer principals James Veal and Christine Stucker added a personal touch to a house in Easton

Built in 1984, the four-bedroom home sits within 18 acres of woodland in the town of Easton, a 62-mile (100-kilometre) commute from New York City.

"The bones of the house and property were incredible," Veal and Stucker told Dezeen. "You can tell the original owners who had this house built put a lot of love into it, no detail was spared."

They had been searching for a house in Connecticut for a year, to no avail.

But when they found this 4,700-square-foot (437-square-metre) residence on Morehouse Road it was "love at first sight" and they put in an offer almost immediately after viewing.

"Sadly the second owners did not maintain it over the years and there were several things that needed to be fixed and replaced," they added.

An extensive renovation involved updating the family room, kitchen, and powder room, and redesigning the interiors throughout.

Several of the large glass windows and doors were replaced, and the exterior was transformed with new decking and planting after clearing the site of dead trees.

The couple also renovated a cabin in the woods on the property, to serve as a guest house.

In both buildings, a blend of Japanese and Scandinavian decor was used to complement the existing wooden floors, ceilings and other joinery, in order to stay true to the original designs.

Bedrooms and bathrooms were painted with earthy hues, while other rooms feature rugs, upholstery and bedding that continue the same palette.

"With all the wood and views of the property we knew that inside we needed to play on those organic colours," said the duo. "We used various textures throughout the home to balance things out."

The main house is split over three floors, with the majority of living space located on the central level.

A double-height formal living room and adjacent dining area have decks on either side and connect to the separate kitchen that features white tiling and wood cabinetry.

The primary bedroom suite on the same level leads to an indoor pool, which can be exposed to the elements by fully sliding back a floor-to-ceiling glass wall.

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