Clara studied art at Syracuse University and there continued her classical art training as well as studied, in depth, the relationships between Gothic and Greek design elements and had an interest in all kinds of architecture. The photo on the left is a watercolor of the highly detailed gothic gateway at Porta de la Carta in Venice, Italy. Clara's knowledge of Gothic architecture and both her and Chester's time in Europe certainly lends her an appreciation for this piece of artwork. As Clara herself was an artist, and Chester was very much in love with this woman, she was trusted by him to make good design choices and therefore much of the art collection was decided by the both of them together–and she may have even been a bigger voice–not only Chester who would have been making the purchases. Clara even has one of her own paintings up in the library, right above the fireplace, making it one of the main focal points of the whole room and showing off her technical and classical painting skills that she acquired throughout childhood and her time at university.

 The feel of the 2nd floor, the women's floor, is very bright and sophisticated compared to the rest of the house, not to say the rest of the house isn't gorgeous and well thought out. But on this floor there's lots of floral wallpaper and a much more feminine touch in each room, even Chester's room has a very pretty and delicate yellow wallpaper. Clara was a lucky lady with the only balcony access, and had a gorgeous view of the estate from her bedroom. This entire upper level almost feels like a sanctuary that reflects the softer side of the Congdon family’s tastes, revealing another layer of their personalities through the design choices made there.

Both the smoking room and the breakfast room containing the light fixtures I mentioned above also highlight a Japanese wood technique called Jin Di Sugi: a technique that historically takes soaking cypress wood for hundreds of years. While the technique used to create the look of the wood in the breakfast room and the smoking room was a faster, adapted version created by famous interior designer John Bradstreet. It still has the Japanese feel that the designer was certainly trying to achieve. This technique brings out the wood grain much more clearly, creating a beautiful finish. Both rooms combine Japanese and Arts and Crafts aesthetics in a harmonious way, combining wooden panels and Japanese techniques with these crafted light fixtures, tiles, and connections to nature. The overall effect creates a look that reflects the Congdon’s desire to show off their worldly experience into their home while still maintaining a unified aesthetic.