Design New Jersey

From the June/July 2010 Issue:

It's All in the Details

• Writer: Jill P. Wentz
• Photographer: DAVID VAN SCOTT
• Designer: Beverly Lionetti

Architectural accents, collectibles, and luxurious colors and fabrics add personality to a home in Monmouth County

At 7,500 square feet, the Rumson home was spacious and had many beautiful architectural features, but the owners wanted more. They also needed help incorporating recently acquired furniture and collectibles, gathered from travels, into their 2001 residence, so they turned to Beverly Lionetti of Interior Designs by Beverly in Oceanport.

An Interior Design Society professional member, Lionetti prides herself on details and understands the importance of knowing the client. “It’s really not about the designer’s tastes,” Lionetti says. “The designer has to get to know the clients and their preferences and then give continuity and harmony to a home by accessorizing with furniture and a color palette.” To make the owners’ and her collaborative vision a reality, Lionetti called upon the skills of a woodworker, a kitchen expert, two artistic painters, and tile and shower contractors.

Custom woodwork by Jim Sullivan of Monmouth Beach helped transform this residence. Sullivan fashioned triple arches on the foyer’s sidewalls, coffered ceilings in the foyer and library; built-in cabinetry and an enhanced fireplace surround in the library; columned archways into the family room, master bedroom, and master sitting room; columned woodwork above the fireplace in the master sitting room; his-and-her cabinetry and a spa-tub base in the master bath; and detailed molding throughout the house.

The two-story foyer now visually delights. Formal Italian garden landscape scenes, painted by Stacy Guggenheim of Monmouth Beach, fill the sidewalls’ triple arches, and a crystal and iron chandelier hangs from the coffered ceiling.

A floral print in salmon, creams, yellows, and greens covers four armchairs surrounding a cocktail table in a second conversation area in the living room. A coordinating stripe forms the swags and armchair pillows. Both fabrics complement the client’s cream damask sofa in the seating area near the piano.

Wallpaper and draperies paired with an Aubusson rug are perfect dining room backdrops for the homeowners’ country farm table and new green damask velvet-seated chairs, which also give a nod to the existing green breakfront. An iron-and-crystal chandelier and wall sconces complete the elegant setting.


Work Space

For the kitchen redesign, Lionetti and the wife consulted with David Chiarella of Creative Kitchens in Red Bank. A pie-shaped, marble-topped island serves as the main workstation. Tumbled marble set diagonally forms the backsplash above the farm sink and marble countertop, and glazed mosaics in light and dark creams and coffees highlight the wall above the cooking station. A rectangular granite-topped island in the breakfast area stores essentials and has a double-drawer refrigerator filled with juice boxes and other beverages that are easy to grab before stepping out onto the patio.

In the adjoining family room, custom cabinetry and the fireplace surround, coffee-glazed by Kristin Hampton of Kristin Hampton Creations, fill the two windowed walls. A 54-inch-square coffee table, with a bronze-filigree-edged glass center, anchors the room’s many seating options.

Two leather swivel-tilt chairs and a silk-shaded marble and iron lamp accommodate the mahogany his-and-her executive desk in the library. The new coffered ceiling was stained mahogany to match existing built-in bookcases above the fireplace.


Rest & Relaxation

Antique silks and other fabrics in coppers, golds, and creams fill the master bedroom from the custom bedding and cornice boards to the hand-carved bench and chaise. Terra-cotta crystal-drop lamps, from the owners’ collection, stand nobly atop nightstand tables on each side of the crown finial bed.

Other crystals throughout the master suite were custom crystallized to match the bedroom lamps.

His-and-her custom cabinetry in the master bath has a crackled glass and onyx harlequin backsplash between the sink and center mirror. A coordinating harlequin pattern runs through his-and-her green-onyx showers and continues to the window, which is draped in jabots with rosette ties and crystal-beaded tassel trim.

Enter the daughter’s bedroom and you might believe you’re a fairytale princess. A crown appliqué with sheer toile floats above an ornate bed dressed in striped and rose-patterned fabrics in cream, blush, and green. Soft blush wallpaper and carpeting are perfect accompaniments to the existing furniture, antique doll carriage, table and chairs, and blush pink Murano crystal chandelier.

On the basement level, the entertainment room offers several areas for quiet relaxation in chairs or bar stools as well as lively interaction at the pool or green-leather game tables. A home theater and the well-stocked wine cellar are only a few steps away.

The owners’ zebra rug and zest for entertaining determined the theme for the music room. Tan-and-black zebra-patterned silk bar stools and diamond-patterned wallpaper checkered with musical instruments awake the senses. The karaoke center, which Lionetti designed, has diamond-screened front doors backed with shirred silk that allows sound through. Young and old are sure to join in the merriment as this home bustles with excitement.

- DNJ

Jill P. Wentz
a freelance writer and editor based in Holmdel