Adam Sternberg, a retired documentary producer who crafted historical narratives for Lucasfilm and the History Channel, has transformed a 1950s farm in Westchester County, New York, into an extraordinary collector's home that serves as a personal museum showcasing decades of accumulated treasures, family heirlooms, and unique collections.
Sternberg's passion for collecting and preserving beautiful objects began in childhood. At age ten, when his mother wanted to discard a beloved upholstery fabric, he convinced her to store it instead. The fabric remained in storage for nearly sixty years until he finally found the perfect use for it in his current home. "I've always been very sensitive to visual aesthetics," explains Sternberg. "I'm also very organized and determined. I knew I would eventually find a place for that fabric, and I finally succeeded."
The fabric, a carefully restored botanical print featuring designs by 17th-century German naturalist Maria Sibylla Merian, now adorns the office of his Westchester home. This 8,300-square-foot property, originally built in the 1950s and expanded over time, houses precious family furniture, antique objects, and collections of dishware, books, and artwork that were previously scattered across multiple residences and storage facilities around New York.
"I could have settled for much less," admits Sternberg, who inherited thousands of objects when his mother passed away at age 104. "But one of the advantages of having such space is being able to unpack and examine every box. The house is a way to tell my family's story."
Interior architect Sally Rigg was tasked with streamlining and modernizing the home before Sternberg could properly display his collections. She removed superfluous molding, renovated rustic beams and solid pine flooring, and improved circulation between rooms, many of which came from a 1990s addition. "The house had good structure and well-proportioned rooms with lots of character, but it looked very suburban, very Ethan Allen," explains Rigg. "There were moldings everywhere. Here's the streamlined version."
Rigg also helped reupholster worn furniture, reframe more than sixty artworks, select new pieces to complete the ensemble, and add a garage that gives the property estate-like appeal. Most notably, her bold use of colors – often inspired by Sternberg himself, as in the curry-tinted pantry – infuses the space with contemporary energy and creates a vibrant backdrop for the owner's antique collections.
Vibrant colors dominate the first floor throughout the home. In the entrance hall, a moss-green Zuber mural creates an exuberant atmosphere while echoing the nearby home of former President Martin Van Buren in Kinderhook, which features similar wall covering. The dining room is dressed in Farrow & Ball blue (aptly named "Dinnerware") that coordinates with hand-painted Delft tiles and Meissen porcelain collected throughout her lifetime by Sternberg's mother.
Rigg chose La Pinède paint by Ressource Paints to coordinate with the Zuber wallpaper in the entrance, a spectacular space that showcases antique furniture, vintage Windsor chairs, and Sternberg's mother's Meissen porcelain. A globe light fixture from Jamb completes the dramatic entrance. In the master bedroom, rich Gournay print adds romantic touches to a majestic bamboo bed by Bunny Williams.
New lighting fixtures, such as the bronze chandelier suspended above the dining table, along with mismatched furniture – like an Eero Saarinen Tulip table paired with 18th and 19th-century Windsor chairs in the breakfast nook – give the ensemble a chic style without heaviness. "I like the mix between old and new," explains the collector, who enjoys regularly rearranging objects to give rooms fresh life. "When you hang something, it stays there, and your eye eventually glides over it without stopping. But if you move it, you rediscover it in a certain way. You see it again, and then everything becomes a pleasant surprise."
The living room features a new sofa, coffee table, and bergère chairs from Jamb alongside inherited antiques, where Holland & Sherry curtains accentuate the majestic atmosphere. On the mantelpiece sits Sternberg's stone fruit collection, artfully arranged. With its historic cherry chairs and vintage mahogany table, the dining room comes alive thanks to Farrow & Ball's Dinnerware paint adorning the walls.
The freedom his new space offers to reexamine details of his past is a luxury that Sternberg, who lived almost his entire life in Manhattan and once delighted in the city's noise, bustle, and energy but now appreciates calm, knows how to fully savor. He laughs saying that while most people his age are downsizing, he's finally expanding his horizons.
"Every time the doors open and I pass through the gate, I feel like I'm dreaming," he marvels. "I find the house, the calm, and the space very enriching; it's easy to meditate and live in the present moment. In that sense, it's the antithesis of all my youthful experiences. Everything went so well, and it's mine."
Landscape architect Margaret Sandwick of Designs in Gardening helped clean up the previously neglected outdoor space with native plants and lush foliage, working in collaboration with contractor Sean Shanahan. "It was a bit of a hodgepodge," says Rigg about the existing landscaping. "Before, it was neglected. It looked like the house had fallen from the sky."
Throughout the home, carefully curated details tell the story of a life well-lived. A pair of 19th-century ink drawings by Hokusai inspired the black and white palette of the living room, where vintage accessories sit alongside recent pieces, including a sofa from The Future Perfect, a table from Dennis & Leen, wall sconces from Visual Comfort, and a rug from Lucy Tupu Studio. An exuberant tropical-themed Zuber wallcovering makes an unexpected choice for the powder room, designed to bring a playful touch that contrasts with the historic setting.
"Renovation and reuse of existing pieces were my favorite steps," explains Rigg about the design process. In one room, Sternberg relaxes in an antique chair that once belonged to his father, reupholstered in custom-painted De Gournay fabric. The master bedroom features pristine white Yves Delorme linens that offer striking contrast with sumptuous Gournay wall covering and vintage bamboo furniture. A new bird's-eye maple bed from Bunny Williams Home fits into a romantic and timeless aesthetic.
"Everything that was stimulating about that city had become exhausting, and I knew I was ready to leave," explains Sternberg. "I find that the house, the calm, and the space are very enriching. No need to mentally prepare just to go get milk." Plush teak seating from Giati, arranged on a side terrace, invites tranquil contemplation. In summer, the pool becomes a place for conversation, with teak furniture from Giati and umbrellas from Santa Barbara Design completing the outdoor living spaces.
