Crafting a Transformation

It was a phone call from Turks and Caicos Islands that led designer Kati Curtis to a Rumson-area home, located on New Jersey’s upscale coast, that would change the lives of a city-dwelling family.

Curtis had previously worked with the homeowners on an apartment in Manhattan and a “compound” in Sea Bright, NJ. When the couple stumbled upon this home, they called Curtis to tell her that it was her next project. “They knew we could transform the dark, dated space,” states Curtis, whose work for the couples’ Sea Bright property contributed to their decision to make the shore area their primary residence.

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Oly chair, Stark rug, Arteriors side table, Natural Curiosities artwork

With their faith in hand, Curtis would move to morph the 6,000-square-foot dark, Arts & Crafts style house, full of mid-‘90s greens, oranges and dark woods, into a light, bright, airy home that speaks of a coastal experience but steers clear of anything kitschy.

“Since this was going to be their permanent home, it had to be sophisticated and livable,” Curtis says, adding the couple has two young children who needed to feel at home as well.

Curtis was inspired by the river views just outside the home’s many windows and worked to bring the colors and influences of the natural surroundings in via choices of paints and patterns. “The sunsets here are stunning,” the designer shares. “I loved watching them and seeing how the light changed and moved throughout the interior.”

The designer brought in beautifully detailed wallcoverings to add interest but also to combat the “grand scale, challenging dormers and unusual shapes” found throughout the home. The patterns selected – fish in the powder room and scenes from nature in the dining room – helped bring the scale down where ceilings were particularly high and soften the flow around angular edges.

The same powder room where fish circle the walls is also home to a few other, “more cheeky,” coastal elements that have made a splash with guests. The mirror is framed with shells, and the light fixture is crafted of heavy rope. “The homeowners hadn’t been sold on the rope fixture, but then they had a party and their guests couldn’t stop talking about it,” Curtis recalls, noting the lesson is “don’t underestimate the power of a powder room. People really do notice when you bring in something unexpected.”

Not all the home’s clever touches are quite as obvious. To combat drafts in the master bedroom, Curtis hung heavy draperies, but in a color and texture that appear very light and airy. “It’s these little tricks that work quietly to really make a mark on a space,” the designer notes.

SFrances_140521_0280_CShe has also made her mark on playtime in the redesigned home, which now includes a lively playroom that can easily grow up alongside the homeowners’ kids. “It was important for them, coming from the city, to have a space where all the toys can go and then the door just gets closed,” Curtis explains of the playroom. It’s also a place where Curtis’ own penchant for color and pattern got to run a bit wild.

The home’s many spaces served as a perfect canvas for Curtis’ architecturally driven design sensibilities. She designed everything from the millwork and decorative pillows to custom dressers and a semi-circular sofa, the latter two of which were designed to tuck neatly under windows so as not to obstruct the amazing views. She’s most pleased, however, with the fact that the completed home is one in which the family can grow.

“There’s nothing here they’ll be tired of in a couple of years,” Curtis says. “The colors are subtle with accessories that can be changed out over time. Even the kids’ rooms can grow with them. It’s an amazing backdrop for a family to grow.”

 

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