“We never planned to be New Englanders. We were New Yorkers through and through,” writes Scott Fellows in Connecticut Cottages & Gardens. Fortunately for modernists everywhere, he and his partner Craig Bassam made the move to New Canaan, Conn. Upon arrival, the design duo completely restored the Willis Mills House – saving it from destruction by neglect – and started designing their own furniture.

Architect Willis Mills designed this New Canaan house for his family in 1956.

They needed “pieces that would hold their own against the powerful nature outside and the double-height glass walls,” explains Fellows. Thus, the furniture powerhouse called BassamFellows was born.

Tractor Stool designed by BassamFellows.

Since 2003, Bassam and Fellows have been creating furniture they describe as Craftsman Modern, an approach that places traditional modernist principles – solid construction, utility, beauty without elaboration – alongside warmth and natural materials, believing that nature is a key part of luxury living. “Luxury has to be comfortable and has to be easy,” says Fellows.

Craig Bassam and Scott Fellows at the Glass House by Philip Johnson. Photo: Gwendolyn Horton