A designer's home is always a sight to behold, and that's exceptionally true of 465 Round Hill Road, the stunning backcountry manse of acclaimed Greenwich interior decorator Linda Ruderman. For over three decades, Linda Ruderman Interiors has furnished Connecticut's Gold Coast with bespoke interior decorating and design services, committed to a philosophy of never repeating the same look twice.
"You don't walk in and say, 'That's a Linda Ruderman house,'" explained Joanne Mancuso, a top producer at Houlihan Lawrence's Greenwich office. "She's able to listen to her clients and customize each individual home in a way that's just amazing—it's all about them, their desires and personalities."
Round Hill Road is arguably the most sought-after address in Greenwich, counting among its peers the likes of Southampton's Meadow Lane and Roxbury Drive in Beverly Hills. Luxury can become competitive in a place renown for grand-scale living, yet Sound View Manor captures the dream with a refreshing sensibility that is uniquely its own—a touch reflective of its designer-owner's painstaking craft. The gates to its commanding drive open to reveal distant views of Long Island Sound and four scenic acres, with the 13,000+ foot home majestically sited at its center. A paneled library, sun-filled sitting room, a gracious living room and chef's kitchen weave together inviting living space suitable for both formal and casual living. A walk-out lower level boasting a gym, Pilates room, home theater and billiards room with wet bar opens to pathways leading to the home's sumptuous pool and spa area, outdoor kitchen and bocce court.
Interior design, art and art history have always been Ruderman's true passions, but pursuing them wasn't an overnight process. After completing nursing school in 1973, she began a career in the airline industry. But what seemed like a starkly different path proved Ruderman's key to having the freedom, and money, to put herself through design school. Travel was a constant: Her independent curriculum included design study tours, experiences she greatly attributes to her style and something she continues today.
While decoration is a big part of her business, it's the actual design of spaces—selecting styles, fabrics, wall coverings—is what she enjoys most.
"What makes great design is scale and proportion, circulation. All of the things that make up the whole package of a room and being able to use it, utilize it for many different functions," Ruderman remarked. "When you walk into a room, it embraces you, instead of walking in and thinking, ‘Where am I going to sit?’” It has to be welcoming, and to have that you have to take many different elements to get there. If proposing a sofa I also have to envision the curtains, the chair against the wall. Seeing the whole room—that’s the key to success in order to make these rooms as warm and embracing for the people that are entering them."
