matter of trust

Only three years out of architecture school, then-27-year-old David Neff was not his parents' first choice to design their new Connecticut home. Of course they adored their son, but Sally and Tom Neff had renovated several homes and knew plenty of architects and designers-all of them more experienced than David. "The biggest sales pitch I've ever made was to get this job," says David. He had worked on 50 houses with fellow architects, but this would be his first as lead designer. "I think they were understandably nervous."

Sally and Tom agreed to consider some of David's drawings; maybe he could collaborate with another architect, they suggested kindly. "I think they were just humoring me," he says. But David threw himself into the project, seeking guidance from architect and then-boss Jonathan Lanman and other professionals, and won his parents' confidence.

Design:
Architect: David Neff, Neff Architecture, 96 Second Ave., Suite 3B, New York, NY 10003; 917/647-2039; neffarchitecture.com.
Interior designer: Jennifer Garrigues, Jennifer Garrigues Inc. Interior Design, 954 Lexington Ave., Suite 225, New York, NY 10021; 212/249-2516; jennifergarrigues.com. Builder/contractor: Nordic Custom Builders Inc., 125 Greenwich Ave., Greenwich, CT 06830; 203/629-0430, nordiccustom.com.
Architectural landscaper: Mario Nievera, Mario Nievera Design Inc., 38 W. 10th St., Suite 2, New York, NY 10011; 212/533-2683; marionieveradesign.com.

Photographs by Tria Giovan
Text by Amy Elbert
Produced by Bonnie Maharam