CONTEMPORARY CLASSIC – Shorts Hills, NJ

When working with a new client, we typically inquire about the boundaries of their aesthetic comfort-zones, and while coming up with the overall design, we just might poke past that line with a few wild cards and eclectic suggestions to see how firm their boundaries really are. With this particular client, she tested our boundaries!

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She was definitely not afraid of a bold print or a loud color here and there, which we were all for, but as her designer, our goal was to maintain the cohesiveness of the design flowing from room to room, using restraint whenever the need might arise—making every room special, but complimentary. With that goal in mind—and a client with an open mind—a client-designer relationship was cemented, and design babies were born.

From the get-go, we knew it wasn't this client's first rodeo. She had been through renovations before, traveled the world collecting great art and accessories, and had a stellar collection of coffee-table books. Everything on the first floor was to be gutted and reframed, and only two items were required to stay from her previous home—a turquoise, lacquered sideboard, and a pair of Romo watercolor drapes in the same hue. We suggested the turquoise sideboard greet guests in the entry, while the watercolor drapes were repurposed onto a gold, framed bench. From there, a classic black-and-white palette drove the design. A graphic, geometric mosaic by Artistic Tile in the vestibule and a black, lacquered door draw visitors in. The architectural moldings were redesigned throughout with clean stacked door frames. We applied box molding in the foyer and a wide shiplap in the family room. We came up with new windows and doors with black sashes for that modern California-cool, and a glass-and-metal dividing wall to boot. Benjamin Moore’s Decorator's White kept it clean in all areas throughout where wallpaper doesn't take the spotlight.

First room on the agenda? The wine library. Renovations were just beginning as we stepped onto the scene, so we needed to pick furniture and tile quickly in this fun alley-space that once housed library built-ins. Off the wine library is a living room that the client wanted to be a hip, lounge-y space for adults and teens alike. We knew this room was slated to be the biggest wildcard, and therefore the space in which we would take the most advantage of color. There are too many details to mention in this luxe lounge-space, but two highlights include the black-and-teal, cerused game table by Aronson Woodworks and the stacked fireplace mantle. Both too good to not shout out!

Across the hall is the family room, which was pushed out a roomy 10 feet to make way for the giant sectional, complete with cozy cuddle-corner, facing a fireplace mantle designed by NF Home. The dining room sits adjacent, as viewed through a modern glass wall, and both rooms house dazzling built-ins. Light fixtures with dodecahedron and globe-glass forms spill over the rooms and highlight our favorite detail of all, the dining room wallpaper: Maya Romanoff's slate, burlap wallcovering, with shimmering sparks and flecks of golden bronze. It’s the perfect juxtaposition of casual elegance.

When visitors reach the kitchen, the client’s fondness for gorgeous stone slab becomes apparent. Arebescato sprawls from the countertop to the backsplash, stepping up as the showstopper of this space, while more exotic stones were selected for the mantles and dining-room nook. Black cerusing on the kitchen island brought in a complimentary texture to this classic black-and-white kitchen.

Down the hall from the kitchen is the bright-and-cheery butler's pantry and the powder room, decked out in lilac marble. They’re both little jewel boxes of interior design glory not to be missed in this home tour.

As we recall the fine points of this project from start to finish to bring you this write-up, we're reminded of how many wonderful details were brought together to design this home—too many to recount to you without boring you to sleep with our design obsessiveness! No doubt, it was one of our greatest projects to date, and it would never have been if we didn’t have such a superb client to work with along the way.