Serene and Charming Design From Ruth Richards Interiors

This Summit home is quietly inspiring, with a stylish design that allows room for calm and contemplation.

Two coats of the right paint are worth a thousand coats of the wrong ones,  and the soothing hues in this New Jersey home – creams, sands and misty pale grays – are the perfect serene backdrop for additions that add levity.

“My clients are a very young, fun couple who love a little whimsy, so in the living room we incorporated her antique bar cart and a papier-mache rhino head mounted on the wall,” says Ruth Richards of Interiors at Woodside, a boutique design firm in Short Hills. She accessorized the cart with faux animal horns, a large seashell and pure white hydrangeas to play off of the wall art. The room is grounded with a bound woven wool rug from Major Mills in a sands-of-time color.

In a corner of the living room, an original bookcase with leaded glass doors becomes a stunning focal point. Richards recovered  the inviting window seat in natural hues with a peel of citrus in the cozy throw blanket. The playful armchair with acrylic legs is from A. Rudin.

Office Oasis

For the wife’s office on the second floor, Richards found the Ice desk from Worlds Away.

“We thought it was going to be opaque white, based on the name, and when it arrived in this funky mint color, we decided to go with it and find fun fabrics to play off it,” recalls Richards.

The day bed is from West Elm, with a custom cover for the cushion. The client owned the desk chair, which was reupholstered in a new stone-colored fabric. The Xanadu bench from Ethan Allen was covered in a custom fabric from Travers.

“We accessorized the desktop with a lamp from Pottery Barn and a porcelain bust from BHE Studio,” notes Richards. Inch by inch, from hearth to home office hideaway,  it was all about a wash of Zen serenity with  a touch of color play.

No Reservations

The dining room is as placid as it is elegant. No bright colors or clunky fixtures interfere with the timeless pleasure of savoring a good meal in good company, and even though the chair coverings look luxe, they are low-maintenance and can be wiped clean with a sponge.

For a fresh way to divide the dining room from the living room, Richards inserted a pair of custom sheer panels at the threshold. The two-sided design can be seen from both rooms. To keep things on the light side aesthetically, Richards added an acrylic chandelier from Clayton Gray Home.

The chairs are a custom design from Artistic Frame, covered in a soft taupe faux leather by Donghia and trimmed with French Houles nailheads. “The clients never have to worry about sticky fingers or spills again,” states Richards. She scouted for a table with similar graceful tapered legs.

Clutter-free Kitchen

The couple worked with John James Architect, AIA, a firm based in Maplewood, for extensive renovations and a two-story addition. James reworked their kitchen and transformed the space completely by incorporating a family room and a breakfast nook. He also designed the new kitchen to include a series of clean lines and streamlined storage spaces.

“We replaced a busy, colorful backsplash with fresh, white subway tiles, and changed out all of the cabinetry hardware to brushed nickel mushroom knobs and bin pulls,” explains Richards. The industrial nickel pendant lights are from Circa Lighting. Even the refrigerator door had to be recreated in custom metal to work with the new cabinetry.

The flat roman shades are fashioned from a Schumacher fabric that is repeated in the adjacent family room as drapery.

“I do like hardwood floors for kitchens,” shares Richards. “They’re more comfortable than other surfaces because they give a little.”

It’s ease and comfort all the way.

Top secret 411 for calm-cravers everywhere: “The living room paint is a Benjamin Moore Classic Color Collection shade- Number 1535, Seattle Mist. The foyer is their Historical Color HC-84, Elmira White”

Emily Rickard  Stylist
Photography by Emily Gilbert
Interior Design by Ruth Richards of Interiors at Woodside

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