Studio

Heide is a founding partner and heads the Interior Design studio at Hendricks Churchill. While it might seem that Heide took a circuitous route to interior design, she began developing her aesthetic interests as a young adolescent. Her mother and father were both artists in New York’s mid-century bohemian art scene and raised their family in a house they built out of trees milled on the property. The ever-changing house was filled with artwork and unique finds from estate sales, flea markets and thrift stores. They taught their kids that every challenge has a creative solution and encouraged Heide and her four siblings to change and decorate the home in any way they saw fit. It was a life of abundant freedoms—traveling to carnivals where her parents painted portraits—but one that also brought financial struggles.

Craving a more stable life, Heide began her career in development and public relations for art galleries and museums, which partly scratched her itch to work in the arts. Regardless of where she was employed, she always exercised her intuitive skill for art and design in the places she lived. Layering in color and patina with a mix of eclectic pieces found in unlikely places came to define her signature style at home.

It was Heide’s interiors work at home that attracted her first interior design client. After having bought, renovated, and designed several houses with Rafe, she was able to smoothly transition her primary focus to interior design in 2008. Soon enough, word of mouth attracted a thriving network of clients. Her approach and style remain instinctive and intimate—in her words, “a direct offshoot of my upbringing.”

Rafe was born into a family of builders and by age twelve was immersed in his father’s trade. Despite this—or because of it—he understood early on that a career in the trades was not his destiny. After growing up in a small rural town, followed by four years at Bennington College, he knew it was time to go with his gut and pursue life as an artist. Following Bennington, he attended The Cranbrook Academy of Art and had some early success in New York City’s competitive art world. Although Rafe enjoyed his opportunity as an artist, he found himself longing for stability and eventually went back to construction.

After a few years of this, he and Heide purchased and renovated a series of cottages in Litchfield County, CT. During this time, he understood the potential of combining his skills and passion. Once he began to merge his love of art, design, and building, everything started to come together.

Rafe is interested in designing houses that have a soul and never feel formulaic. “We try to design for the long term and provide a vision that transcends the moment and current trends, because life evolves, and the house has to accommodate these necessary changes.”

As a third-generation builder, Rafe continues a family legacy while prioritizing traditional craftsmanship, cultivating a network of artisans and tradespeople that meet his exacting standards for finely detailed work. He directs every project from design through construction, taking a holistic approach that is guided by a bred-in-the-bone sense of honoring history, the surrounding landscape, and the needs of each client.