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Bill Larkin is the manager of William Pitt Sotheby's International Realty in New Canaan. But judging by the elegant renovation he just completed of his company's New Canaan office, he could also be an interior designer.
According to Larkin, the office of Sotheby's International Realty's largest affiliate in Connecticut at 26 Cherry St., is in one of the oldest homes in New Canaan. "It used to belong to Mabel Lamb, who was a grande dame of real estate," he says.
As a typical historic New England home, it was a warren of tiny rooms. Larkin's vision, realized with the help of architect Dinyar Wadia of New Canaan, was to create an open and functional space within the shell of a traditional historic home. "Unfortunately, we weren't able to save anything from the old house except one beam in the basement," Larkin says, "But we re-created the façade of the building just the way it was."
This wasn't the first construction project for Larkin, who used to design stores. "These retail spaces were used as prototypes for branch department stores like Saks Fifth Avenue," he says.
The new office, with its blend of traditional moldings and urban chic furnishings, is the perfect setting for the Sotheby's brand. "We have little competition in terms of global exposure," Larkin says, adding that the company is in 44 countries. The new website carries exclusive Sotheby's listings, one of the reasons New Canaan attracts a number of buyers from overseas, many from the United Kingdom. "The Sotheby's brand is very recognizable," Larkin says.
The dust is still settling at 26 Cherry St., but Larkin has already embarked on another project. "We're working with the Silvermine Art Guild to exhibit the work of local artists," he says. Art, he points out, is synonymous with Sotheby's. "We'll be inviting the public to our showings," Larkin says. "The art will look wonderful in our new space."
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