Remembering the Historic Connecticut Home of Percy Steinhart

Today STAIR is holding the single-owner sale of the late Percy Steinhart via The World of Percy Steinhart: A Gentleman’s Life, and in reflection, we remember his charming 19th century countryside home in Litchfield, Connecticut. Known as the bon vivant founder and creative force behind Stubbs & Wootton, Percy’s life moved between Park Avenue, Palm Beach, and Litchfield, Connecticut. Across the many influences of his rich and colorful life, STAIR’s collection reflects the same thoughtfully layered and playfully disciplined sensibilities that Percy brought to his own creative practice.

Percy’s passion for design is exemplified through the extensive renovations to his historic Connecticut estate which he oversaw with an eagle eye, preserving the home’s incredible bones while making it livable within the current century. Furthermore, he decorated the home entirely on his own, displaying what Architectural Digest referred to as “an encyclopedic knowledge of the design world” influenced by legends including the greats including Van Day Truex, David Hicks, Billy Baldwin, Anthony Hail, and Mario Buatta.

Currently available through Sotheby’s Realty, the listing provides the following details about this historic 19th century estate:

This stunning 1874 Federal house sits on a 3.93-acre lot and backs up to land-trust property. It was fully renovated and designed by Percy Steinhart, the design maven who created Stubbs & Wooton shoes. The estate contains a 6,641 square foot Main House, plus a wonderful Pool House and Carriage House. In the Main House, the spacious Entry Hall leads to the Living Room with a fireplace and a charming bay window. A large Library with a fireplace opens into a spacious Garden Room. The elegant Dining Room has a corner fireplace and double exposures. Adjacent is a gourmet Kitchen with a large island, high-end appliances, and a sizeable breakfast area with a spacious Cloak and Powder Room nearby. The front and back staircases lead to the second floor and a Primary Suite consisting of a large bedroom with a bay window and fireplace, and an elegant en-suite Bath. A second Bedroom with a fireplace is adjacent to the Primary. Two additional Bedrooms with en-suite Baths, and a Laundry Room, complete the second floor. On the third floor is a center gathering room plus two large Bedrooms and Baths. A large, unrenovated room has potential for use as an additional Bedroom, Gym, or Office. The Basement has a two-car garage with a Half Bath and generous storage rooms. The property is beautifully landscaped with a Croquet Lawn, a large pool, and Pool House with an outdoor fireplace for cooking, and a Greenhouse. The Main House and Pool House have updated HVAC systems with Central Air.

Let’s take a peek inside with photography provided by STAIR, Adrienne Grunwald, and Sotheby’s Realty.

Photograph by Adrienne Grunwald courtesy of STAIR

Born in Havana, Cuba, Percival Paul Steinhart III studied business and later worked as an executive at Citicorp. He founded Stubbs & Wootton in 1993, naming it in homage to the English sporting painters George Stubbs and John Wootton. His passion for art, decoration, and history extended beyond his business and into his homes, where he welcomed a great number of friends to gather in the warmth of his wit, curiosity, and joie de vivre.

Traditional English and Continental furniture sat comfortably alongside European school paintings and Chinese ceramics, as well as modern furniture and decoration, including a pair of white painted plaster palm trees in the manner of Serge Roche. Latin American and Cuban fine art were central to the development of Percy’s style and worldview, with works by Guido Llinás, Manuel Mendive, Roberto Matta, and Kcho hanging vividly throughout his interiors. These works complete the story of his family heritage and demonstrate how a discerning eye finds harmony across time, place, and style.

STAIR’s The World of Percy Steinhart: A Gentleman’s Life sale, is a portrait and reflection of the man himself. His collection of furniture, fine art, and decoration carries his humor, discipline, generosity, and singular eye. It reveals someone who believed that elegance should never feel stiff, that beauty should always have a sense of play, and that the things we live with shape us in return.