Trip to Greenwood gardens, short hills nj

I’d wanted to visit Greenwood Gardens in Short Hills, NJ for the past six years, ever since I heard it existed when moving to New Jersey. We drove there once and it was closed for a wedding, then an extensive restoration of the property took place, and now it’s open to the public Fridays through Sundays. Today I woke up with the idea (some of my best ideas come that way) and just had to visit. I bought a ticket and choose the time slot online, note that you must buy tickets online ahead of time. To summarize it was an absolute feast for the eyes and neither pictures nor words can do it justice - you must go in person.

Once you park, the first buildings you see are the once servant quarters (seen above) particularly the gardeners quarters. There were up to 100 servants at one time on the property. As not only an interior designer but a historical styles buff, I was so taken with the ornate details in each structure, particularly the tiles, and as I went through the rest of the property the many sculptures that came from the owners travels abroad.

Above is the main house looking from below in one of the tiered gardens. I didn’t get a front facing view of the brick home itself as I couldn’t get the image of the original grandiose towering 26-bedroom home built in the early 20’s out of my mind. The original home and gardens were designed by the architect William Whetten Renwick for multi-millionaire Joseph Day and his family, as a retreat from the scorching heat of New York City. This home seen above was built in the 1960s by the 2nd prominent owners, though there were many, Peter P. Blanchard Jr. and his wife Adelaide Childs Frick. Photos show they made the gardens somewhat more formal with manicured boxwood, as I can tell from photos of when Blanchard resided there.

The home and gardens have perfect neoclassical symmetry, with a pair of pergolas, above is with a view of the watchung reservation.

Both of the prominent owners loved dogs and had many, as well as loved to travel where they collected and sent home countless sculptures and figures seen on the grounds, like the hounds above.

One of my favorite features are the two pavilions on the property, the tea house and the summer house (above), both with colorful tile floors and beautiful rock and embellished Rookwood tile ceilings.

Above is the absolutely stunning tea house, with a fireplace, sink, and the ornate hand done floor, walls and ceiling mentioned above. Chess piece statues are placed around it that were so interesting.

Above is the path leading to the ponds, animal ailee, and the Grand Cascade.

The sun finally came out as I sat on a bench transfixed by the Cascade giving a whole new light literally to it, and showing so much more color in the plants and foliage. Below is a photo of the arcade beforehand with clouds dominated the day, yet the gardens were stunning in any weather.

I’m in awe that such a lovely, special preserved home and garden are right here in Short Hills, NJ. The care the 2 owners put into the property is palpable and truly an honor to get to enjoy. Photos and writing don’t do it's beauty justice, you’ll just have to visit their for yourselves. Enjoy!

Best Interior Design Books of 2021

Above: Corey Damen Jensens - Design Remix - A New Spin on Traditional Rooms

We’ve all seen a freshly redesigned interior but innately know (feel) something is missing. Normally the things missing are books (and lots of them!) which add warmth and a personal touch to a space. In each interior ive designed you’ll see a collection of coffee table books neatly placed on our clients coffee table, normally in a acrylic or wicker tray. In that fleeting free moment our clients (or we have) opening one of them up is pure bliss transporting the reader to a place with color, texture and richness. Since you can never have too many books on shelves and as accents throughout your home, below we have rounded up the best coffee table books of 2021:

1.The long awaited book by Corey Damen Jenkens, Design Remix who’s story of how he got his start as an interior designer is an inspiration in itself. He’s also a lovely writer in his own right, and love his social media accounts telling bits of his life and experiences, always inspiring. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting him and found him as warm and interesting as his brilliant interiors.

2. Casa Cabana has a new namesake book out for all pattern and tactile lovers out there. With a fabric-wrapped cover, it is sure to be a coffee table winner. To give you an idea of its anticipated first book, when their first book came out a few years back, when asked what I wanted for the holidays my answer was just that book, to give you an idea of its brilliant images and eye candy.

3. Celerie Kemble, another designer Ive had the pleasure of meeting, who’s inspired my own career over the past decade and a half. While admiring her many projects and her own homes in the Hamptons and Florida, her recent renovation of the loved Mayfair Inn seemed at a whole other level. Her new book Island Whimsy, Designing a Paradise by the Sea, has her signature wicker and ocean-inspired furniture mixed with artesian pieces like the leaf-wrapped four post bed in one of the master suites that’s right out of a (super chic) fairytale.

4. Bunny Mellon, a style icon and art-collector and trailblazer in the field of interior design - someone who paved the way for the rest of us has a long-awaited new book written about her life Bunny Mellon Style. Its important to note and the book explores how her accidental trademark style and designs influenced us all, where we have mimicked her ever since. The book highlights her life including the rich homes she designed including her own, her fashion influences and way of life moving along the upper echelon of society, while remaining humble and keeping purposefully out of the public eye.

5. A Year at Clove Brook Farm: Gardening, Tending Flocks, Keeping Bees, Collecting Antiques, and Entertaining Friends. The title says it all and can’t wait to see the majestic gardens of his after following along on social media oggling the vast grounds for years. Beyond his manicured, lush grounds, the dinner parties he has shared photos of seem like dinner party perfection on their rocky paths, with dinnerware and linens as bright and fabulous as the rest of the home. I often wonder what it would be like to be surrounded by so much beauty, and the book gives us a peak.

6. Last but not least, Ashley Whittaker’s glorious new coffee table book, which happens to be #1 on Amazon currently (and I can see why) is not to be missed with Ashley’s signature colorful, pattern rich interiors. The Well-Loved House: Creating Homes with Color, Comfort and Drama pushes the limits and breaks rules mixing deep greens with turquoise, and chartreuse, something few designers manage to master or even attempt. This book is not to be missed where every room is a palette of bold, colors and shapes that meld perfectly with one another.

Bonus book - coming out January 2022 and already sold out of pre-order options on many sites is Jacque Grange newest book. Jacque has been a long-time favorite designer, and a trailblazer in interior design since I can remember. With his new book titled Jacque Grange Recent Work, we’ll see his true mastery of designing spaces at work. For many decades now Jacque has used his refined eye putting together furniture and decor from different periods that few designers can do with such success. His clientele span art collectors and fashion designers including note-worthy interiors for the late Yves Saint Laurent.

Top 3 before and after interior design projects of 2020

We had rushed to finish renovating a Montclair, NJ basement in late February for long-time clients before the arrival of their baby, for their toddlers to have a place to play through the winter. Little did we know we would be installing the last window treatments while listening closely to the news, unsure if we were supposed to stay shuttered in our homes or keep going on with our busy lives, whereas the shut down did come just days later. This post isnt about the pandemic, but about transformations in our client’s homes that we are so grateful to have been entrusted to work on, and to show what you can do in the most tough circumstances. I am so happy to share these 3 Montclair, NJ interior design projects I was able to design and complete in 2020. Scroll through some of the before and after photos, and let us know what you think in the comments below!

Montclair, NJ Living Room Redesign Before and After

Upper Montclair, NJ Home Renovation Before and After

Montclair, NJ Basement Before and After

Home Office Redesign - Before and After

One afternoon as a meeting wrapped up a long time client of ours excitedly pulled up an image she’d seen of pull-out skylights, something I’d never seen state-side while visualizing a lovely Parisian movie I thought I might have seen them in. Our client suggested them for her future office, a former attic space on the third floor that had been converted into bedrooms years ago. I was on board instantly without any of us knowing if these high-tech skylights would work. The project got underway quickly with an amazing team of renovation experts including Courtney Rombough of Rombough Architects and Dino Nalic, a high-end local contractor, and my team. Courtney’s team determined the skylights were compatible with the existing angle of the pitch roof (check #1!) and the home’s current structure was equipped to accommodate a pair of specialty skylights as these (check #2!). Without anyone having installed this type of skylight in our area, the Velux Cambrio Balcony, more research and 3-D models were made in order to get them right. After permits were filed and approved, things started moving quickly with the contractor’s team opening up the interior wall and ceiling, then on a patch of sunny days opening the roof to make way for sky lights. Meanwhile the client and I were busy shopping at the design centers for a chandelier we’d have an electrician wire for, a pair of sconces to replace the existing pair, wallpaper (because why not?) and furniture including custom bookcases and a rug to finish off the space.

Scroll through to see the before and after photos of this luxurious home office, and some of the fun steps along the way!

Our Top 5 Go-To White Paint Colors

When we are decorating apartments and homes in New York City, our fail-proof white paint colors consist of Chantilly Lace, Super White and Decorators White, all by Benjamin Moore. One of them always does the trick as they all support and compliment bright colors when used on trim (for all those vibrant kids rooms where we really got to have fun with color!), to the art collectors who need a trusted backdrop to let their collections speak for themselves. Yet, as we expand to do more interior design work in New Jersey, aka the burbs, we have developed a trusted batch of white paint colors that you simply cant go wrong with.

Here in an upper west side Manhattan kitchen renovation, we used Super White by Benjamin Moore as the new kitchen had so many modern elements, that a clean white worked.

What in important to keep in mind when choosing paint colors is how the outside and even inside affect a paint color. In New Jersey for example there are lots of trees and greenery (at least for half the year!) and that green will influence the color of your walls and give them a slight greenish hue. This can happen with vibrant furniture in your room and even the light bulbs you choose, casting a warmer or cooler (blueish) hue on the walls. That said, unlike a handful of other whites we love, these 5 colors have been able to stand up to most externals and have become our tried and true whites to work with.

1. White Dove by Benjamin Moore - You might know it and have already been using it but if not I hope this is an AHA moment for you! Eureka, you found it! We use it on walls if you have at least (some) natural light coming in, and religiously on trim and built-in cabinets. It is more soft than Super White, with dare I say the slightest hint of grey in it, though its not noticeable, its just softer than the clean whites while not bringing in any other colors, as other whites do for example Simply White which i’ll get to next.

Shown here White Dove painted on custom built-in cabinets we had installed this week, and couldn’t be happier with the paint color!

2. Simply White by Benjamin Moore - Now this color may not be for everyone and thats because unlike the White Dove, this one does have a touch of yellow in it, or as like to put it, a touch of sunshine. We use this in bathrooms that have little light, as well as laundry rooms and any rooms on an angle where they dont get much natural sunlight, as this color brings the sun with it. Its so subtle that you cant tell its not a clean white unless you look at it near the ceiling (we normally do ceilings in Benjamin Moore Decorators White) where you can see that warm to it compared to the DW.

Here we used Simply White to lighten a dark master bath that had just one small window in it.

3. Pointing by Farrow and Ball - We love this color for the same reasons as we love Simply White, its a white with depth. As it has a slightly more creamy tone than the others, its great for transitional and more classical homes, and looks amazing on trim, doors and molding. We love using it when Benjamin Moore Linen White is a is too dark.

Here we used it in a bathroom renovation that previously had dark cream-colored walls where we wanted a more flattering, lighter color without being too stark.

4. Wimborne White by Farrow and Ball - Now this color is much closer to the clean whites I mentioned at the beginning, yet there is a slight warm and versatility that makes it the perfect color for trim in our transitional projects where we want to lighting things up. This color is clean, sophisticated and our go-to for trim especially if we are using a colorful pallet, or on walls in more modern projects.

We used it here for the trim to help the powder pink walls really pop, whereas if we’d used a cream this modern home office would have had a much more traditional feel.

5. Swiss Coffee by Benjamin Moore - I think of this color as just the way the name sounds, a light cream with mood, depth, and a ton of warmth. This color has the most pigment of the whites I’ve named yet it is versatile working with both browns and greys, and can be used on walls or trim successfully, and is a popular color for kitchen cabinets. That said, I do think of it as a transitional color and would not do it in a modern home, but one with classical moldings, trim and perhaps chair rails.

Here Swiss Coffee was used on the walls, adding a subtle warmth and glow to the space. Image via Studio McGee.

5 favorite Home Decor Stores in Montclair, New Jersey

UPPER MONTCLAIR -

Ampersand Interiors and Garden is still fairly new to the area yet not sure where Upper Montclair (or we!) would be without it. The owner Polly has curated the store choosing beautiful and unique pieces, with an emphasis on one-of-a-kind objects made locally, and carries everything from ceramic and glass vases and dinnerware, to throws and original art. The shop also carry a variety of rug and flooring options, and Farrow and Ball brand paint and wallpaper, making it an asset to home owners and interiors designers alike. The staff could not be more friendly and there is parking behind their shop, making it an easy and enjoyable home decor destination.

Photo of the many vases and ceramics I have been coveting in Ampersand Interiors

Howell, just a block over is a jewel box of wonderfully curated home decor items. Their plush velvet pillows are perfection, as are their whimsical trays and colorful glassware. You will always find something unique here, and a favorite area is their jewelry selection toward the register, specially their necklaces hand-made by women in Kenya. Walk to the back to the sweet children’s decor area and I dare you to not grab something for the little person in your life! There is plenty of parking in the lot on Bellevue Ave by the train, or behind their shop.

Their colorful tableware, perfect for an holiday or hostess gift, and i’d mix and match the drinking glass colors for fun. *Photo by other.

Moss and More - What’s a home or space without plants and greenery? Also fairly new shop to upper Montclair, this beautifully-curated bouquet is a tranquil oasis of green, where you feel better just stepping inside. Their terrariums are blissful, I’d admired them around town wondering where I could find one until someone pointed me to Moss and More. Not to be missed are their succulents which subtly add color and life to a room. Just around the corner from Howell, with plenty of parking in the lot across the street.

Just love their creative potting options like this beautiful classical bust. *Photo by other.

DOWNTOWN MONTCLAIR -

Tableleg Home - Downtown Montclair just wouldn’t be the same without this wonderfully curated shop. Once described as a mini-ABC Home it has a tightly curated selection of home decor items from mirrors and table lamps, to whimsical art and their famous “Montclair” coffee mugs. Zac has rounded up the best for the home, some of our favorites include their crystal pitcher and matching glasses, the John Derian items they stock, hand-towels and lighting. There are 2 parking decks near the shop, one on North Fullerton and the other right off South Fullerton.

The charming facade of Tableleg Home shining in downtown Montclair showcasing some of their fabulous home decor finds.

Swoon - Though their much-loved brick and mortar store has closed, all of the same global treasures are available at their online shop, and you can find Radika the owner, at various pop-up shops around North Jersey. Some of our favorite global finds are the festive juju hats perfect for just about any wall, as well as her silk hand-stitched quilts that are great for guest rooms or the foot of your bed for an extra pop of color. Also dont miss their woven baskets perfect for toy storage, another boutique carrying something for everyone!

Yours truly stocking up on home decor items like their fantastic hand-made pillows and ceramics.

Upper west side apartment renovation

While this particular project was completed over 5 years ago, we get asked about it so often that I thought Id share a bit about how it came to be, my inspiration for the design and color selections, and some fun before and after shots.

My clients were getting tired of their all-white prewar apartment and were entertaining the idea of moving around the time I emailed them mentioned that i’d decided to go out on my own starting my own design firm (this was back in 2013). I had known the family for years while putting myself through interior design school (and juggling multiple interior design internships and jobs). We began working together right away taking the project a few rooms at a time, planning all renovations and installs when the family was away on work trips or at their second home.

Living room before photo

We were able to open up the space by using the entire room adding a credenza and TV area.

The wife, a best-selling author (and fashion icon in her own right), and her husband had a great collection of mid-century antiques and artwork which I had free reign of. I knew they were open to color, recalling the couple's former upper east side apartment dining room had purple dupioni silk dining room walls, red Murano glass chandelier, and royal blue goatskin Karl Springer table. For the living room, I suggested using a mauve color pallet inspired by the historic weathered red brick museum across from them and seen from every window in the apartment, which they were instantly on board with. Flat Vernacular in Brooklyn had just come out with this fabulous watercolor-like design resembling clouds which was a natural fit for the ceiling, while we used Farrow and Ball’s Calamine for the walls, and Benjamin Moore Super White for the trim, the perfect backdrop for their gallery wall. 

Entry and dining area before photo

We moved the sofa to the LR to create the dining room.

I should mention that the whole apt, with special emphasis on the children’s sleeping room and lounge, were designed in an uber eco-friendly way where every piece of furniture or material used was researched (sometimes to the point of finding out what type of furniture glue was used) in order to avoid VOCs, fire retardants and harsh chemicals. For this reason I opted for wool rugs and toy bins, as well as fabrics made using dyes safe enough for an infant to eat (I’m not making this stuff up…!!) made by Oecotextiles, a fabulous company owned by 2 sisters out of Seattle, WA. I also designed the children’s sofa using a natural latex rubber filling opposed to traditional foam cushions which are oftentimes sprayed with retardants as per state requirements. 

Kids room before photo

We repurposed the room and were able to add an extra bed for both boys. We focused on designing the room the kids could grow into.

Kids room/lounge before photo

We lined one wall with bookcases and designed a custom sofa that kids could play on, or overnight guests can use.

In the dining room the clients requested an extra long table flanked by floor to ceiling bookcases yet within that vision there was so much room to play. While I'd envisioned the backslash of the bookshelves to be antique mirror, I opted for a metallic Winfield Thybony wallpaper that had a similar effect. We used a metallic leather and jute area rug, and the client's original Emil Stejnar Sputnik chandelier, which combined with the understated walnut table tops and Prouve dining chairs, make the room really shine. For the modern, all-white kitchen the clients had these fantastic mid-century barstools which I had redone in a zebra print cowhide, naturally, as an ode to our clients wardrobe. And while we’d agreed on floor to ceiling subway tiles to achieve a classic look, I choose a glass version instead to carry that thread of understated elegance throughout the home. 

Now the clients no longer want to sell their upper west side home, they hardly want to leave it.

Dining room before photo

We added custom floor to ceiling bookcases and room length dining tables, while lightening and brightening the room.

Photo Credits:  Joseph Keller

Upper west side kitchen renovation - Before and after

For this upper west side kitchen renovation, our clients wanted (needed!) more room to move around and also wanted the kitchen to feel more bright and have a modern aesthetic. Galley-style kitchens like this one are long narrow rectangles with a hopeful window at the far end, and are just a few feet width wise. This job sounded run yet challenging, thinking of how we would get our client’s a few more feet, let alone inches to make the kitchen wider. We started by demoing the existing cabinets on each side which made the kitchen instantly more spacious, without the heavy wall to wall cabinets. To make it less heavy feeling, and more open we replaced cabinets with custom floating shelves on both sides of the kitchen, and opted for a floating stone countertop instead of more rows of cabinets. I chose glass subway tiles which we did from floor to ceiling on the left side to keep it classic and in line with the style of their prewar building, yet giving the space an elegance feel. We used a clean white paint color for the floating shelves and cabinets, and added a Wolfe stove with fun red knobs as a pop of color. By adding marble countertops and updated fixtures we really brought the space to a new, more modern level. Of course we couldn’t resist adding the zebra cow hide stools for touches of color, and our clients’ lovely antique runner was right at home after the reno. This upper west side kitchen renovation was so much fun, and hope you enjoy the before and after photos!

7 Throw Pillow Sources For Your Home

Dont get me wrong, there is nothing quite like custom-made pillows that you've painstakingly measured for, specifying the exact size, style, edge detail and trim for - in the fabric that goes perfectly with your room scheme. But I've learned that's not always necessary as there are so many great ready-made pillow sources out there, seemingly more each day. In a perfect world you would use a combination of ready-made and custom pillows, but there is no reason to panic around installation week, or while prepping for a photo shoot, if you dont have all the pillows in order. Here is a round up of our favorite stocked and ready-made pillows we love:

Anke Drechsel pillows are a long-time favorite I first learned about seeing them at Gracious Home on the upper east side many years ago. While their velvet pillows with metallic fringe trim are a favorite, their floral patterns are just as on point and elegant. Head over to John Derian or ABC Home if you're in NYC, or check their website to see their nearest retailer near you.

John Robshaw is known for his vibrantly-colored hand block prints that work in a beach bungalow just as well as in an eclectic urban living room, or my favorite, in a child's bedroom. His neutral-colored patterns like this one would be perfect year round for a sofa or chaise.

Aviva Stanoff pillows just speak for themselves like a couture gown. They are so elegant, have a hand-made quality and the perfect anecdote to a formal living room, or a master bedroom to take the decor a step up. The icing on the cake is they are now available at Barney's, ABC Home and Gracious Home, or online.

Seville Bouclé Pillows are the perfect layering pillows. Boucle is not going out of style anytime soon, and with the fun matching fringe, they can work on their own, or with a pattern pillow in front of it. It comes in 3 neutral colors and 3 sizes, and you can find them online or at L'Object and Gracious Home.

Velvet Throw Pillows from World Market can be a lifesaver and are perfect pillows for layering in literally any room. They are polyester velvet meaning they can come in saturated colors, and are soft and stain-resistant. I have used these in several projects with pretty floral or texture-rich pillows in front of them, and their lumbar shape is perfect for tough sofa corners. Their $9.99 starting price cant be beat and World Markets are seem to be popping up everywhere, or you can buy online.

Hudson Park Collection, Bloomingdales own brand, is a collection of subtle, understated while sophisticated textured pillows in neutral colors. As Hudson Park is their house brand, there's no hefty price tag and they are made to last. Perfect for fillers before a photo shoot, but you'll want to keep them for good. 

The Rome Pillow collection from Ann Gish is perfection in beautiful soft jewel tones. I first learned about the brand when I found myself in need of luxurious bedding for several projects all at once, and fell in love with this line that while having linen and silk content, is machine washable. Im not sure if Ann's other patterns are washable but wouldn't be surprised, and its a huge selling point. I cant think of many fabrics as luxurious and elegant, that can be tossed in a washing machine, and you can find them in their showroom, Gracious Home or online.