Although French's daughter, Margaret French Cresson (1889-1973), made minor changes in furnishings, decoration and structure after Chesterwood passed to her ownership in 1939, the house is essentially the same as it was when it served as the summer retreat of her parents.

The carriage entrance is located at the northern end of the residence and opens to a long central hallway. At the other end of the hallway, the southern entrance frames views of Monument Mountain and, in the distance, Mount Everett. The placement of these opposite doorways ensures continual cross-ventilation, a quintessential feature of Colonial architecture.

The floor in the hall, parlor and dining room is quarter-sewn oak. The most striking aspect of the hall is the original tapestry wallpaper from France, ingeniously selected by French to integrate the interior with the foliage outside. The wallpaper, which was hand-painted on paper, mimics the dark green woods surrounding the estate.

The staircase forms a recess to the left of the study door, which is framed by two columns. Their capitals, featuring ears of corn, were designed by French.

The antique furnishings in the residence are heirlooms or were bought by the sculptor. The tall case clock in the stairway niche, for example, was purchased at the Fifth Avenue Auction Rooms in New York because of its association with Chester, New Hampshire, the home of its maker.

A double portrait of Mr. and Mrs. French and a portrait of their daughter hang at opposite ends of the hallway. By the southern entrance, another portrait of French's only female assistant, Evelyn Beatrice Longman (1874-1954), hints at the importance of their friendship. A large Dutch painting hangs prominently in the center of the hall: the brass plaque on the frame mistakenly attributes the painting to Hans Holbein the Younger. It is actually an 18th century copy of the right leaf of a triptych (c. 1572) by Marten van Heemskerk, another Dutch painter.

A wood-burning furnace was the first heating unit in the house, followed in turn by coal and oil systems. Lighting likewise followed the technology of the period: French first installed kerosene lamps, then gas, and finally electricity in 1910. In some rooms of the house, the capped gas pipes are still visible. A spring about a half mile south of the house supplied Chesterwood's water. French tapped this underground source by installing a capricious hydraulic ram, which was augmented by an electric pump in 1910. As a result of a W.P.A. project, both were replaced in 1932 when Glendale was connected to the town water system.