Design New Jersey

From the December/January 2010 Issue:

Upscale Downsizing

• Writer: Liz Smutko
• Photographer: Peter Rymwid
• Designer: Karla Trincanello

A retired couple moving from a single - family home find they can have everything they want in a renovated townhome

The townhome community in Florham Park had so many positives — including charming architecture based on a French village concept, a golf course winding around the property, only six townhomes clustered on each cul-de-sac — that a retired couple looking to downsize from their single-family home nearby were intrigued. They live in Florida over the winter and didn’t want to worry about the grounds and maintenance while they’re away. But they still needed a welcoming base of operations close to their children and grandchildren in New Jersey and the culture and entertainment of New York City.

Opening the door to the 20-year-old unit for sale, though, revealed a disappointing interior. The living room was small, the dining room closed off, the kitchen didn’t have enough storage, and the draperies on all south-facing windows had to be drawn tight to block the glare and heat of the sun. This also blocked the views of the golf course greens, pond, fountain, and gardens. Still, it was roomy at 2,800 square feet and had three bedrooms, three full baths, two powder rooms, and a walkout basement with good natural light.

Before buying the home, the couple asked for options from Karla Trincanello, an allied member of the American Society of Interior Designers and president of Interior Decisions Inc. in Florham Park. “They wanted to downsize, a trend that is bringing a whole new market to townhomes,” Trincanello says. “But when people consider them, they usually don’t realize things can be changed. These clients did.”

Trincanello, consulting with Phillip Kowalski, an architect and engineer in South Orange, determined that walls could come down or be moved to create spaces more appropriate to her clients’ wishes. With this information, the clients went ahead and closed the deal. “That’s one thing people are doing more of, asking designers whether it’s feasible to add on or revise a home,” she says. “It’s important to understand this process, however, because someone contemplating removing a wall must have a licensed architect or structural engineer provide drawings and documentation that the building will be supported and structurally sound to avoid serious problems and future liabilities. My job was to design a space that creatively satisfied their needs and incorporated the furniture and accessory design in a suitably prepared environment.”


Opening Up

The foyer presented the first obstacle. “The entry was barricaded by a railing, and it stepped up two spaces to the main floor with another reception area leading to the dining room, living room, and kitchen,” Trincanello says. “Removing part of the railing and continuing the stair treads opened up the space.”

The homeowners wanted to unite the living room and dining room. Removing the wall between the two and installing two columns as load-bearing supports accomplished this structurally. But the ceiling rises to 11 feet in the dining room and only nine in the living room. Trincanello designed a step pattern to soften the difference, add dimension, and unify the spaces. It also makes the living room ceiling appear higher.

Townhomes often lack character — a symptom of a builder using materials and finishes in bulk. However, details can be added to personalize the spaces. In her clients’ living room, for example, Trincanello added a true mantel to the fireplace. “It gives the room body,” she says. To solve the problem of the blazing sun through the windows with southern exposures, she selected wide louvered plantation-style shutters, which also add dimension and character.


Adding On

Though the kitchen had been renovated recently, it had only seven feet of counter space and lacked a sense of permanence, Trincanello says. Space previously wasted by a triangular storage closet became a new open butler’s pantry, adding 10 feet of new counter space and 30 square feet of storage and display cabinetry.


The homeowners typically eat at the kitchen table. “A banquette adds seating for the grandchildren,” Trincanello says, “and moves the table from the center of the room, where it would have been cumbersome.”

Up two steps from the main floor, the master bedroom is long, about 22 by 15 feet. Trincanello placed the bed on the long side, under two windows, to make the room more intimate. Then she added a fireplace on one side of the room and a comfortable chair and ottoman on the other for reading or watching TV. Louvered shutters cover the windows and the space between, creating the illusion of a window wall.

In the master bath, a single sink and dressing table replaced a double vanity. A closet that once opened onto the reception area was closed up and its access reversed to open into the master bath. Inside is a small washer/dryer (there’s a full-size unit downstairs), a hamper, and shelves for towels. “The homeowner wanted to do small loads without having to go to the lower floor,” Trincanello says. “I always ask for a wish list at the beginning, and this was one of the top items.”

The low-maintenance, high-style townhome has worked out wonderfully for the homeowners, Trincanello says. “Every April when they move back up, they call me and tell me how much they love it,” she says.

Liz Smutko lives and writes in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, all 12 months of the year.