N.J. home makeover is a regular feature on NJ.com. To submit your renovation for consideration, email home@starledger.com with your full name, email address, phone number and town/city. Attach “before” and “after” photos of what you renovated.
Matt Siegel says there’s a lot of skill in Ringwood, and he and his wife proved it with a recent update to their home of 18 years.
Every person who worked on, furnished and even photographed their 1965 ranch lives in this Passaic County town of 28 or so square miles and abundant open space: Ringwood State Park, New Jersey Botanical Garden, wildlife sanctuaries and waterways, including four private lakes.
“Living in Ringwood, a small community, we are fortunate to have so many great people in town. So it was important to us to use folks from Ringwood,” Siegel said.
“I wanted to showcase the people that are so talented within the town.”
The busy couple, a pharmaceutical sales director and a pediatric physical therapist, volunteer in their spare time. They also have teenage boys who had made the home’s finished basement their domain. The parents needed a place to relax, and so they decided to convert an enclosed porch into a family room. Outside, a new 200-square-foot deck would replace the patio.
“It was to kind of expand our space,” Matt Siegel said of their 1,600-square-foot home. “I am now not relegated to go into my bedroom to watch TV. I can go into the new family room,” he said with a laugh.
The couple brought in Cozette Brown Interior Design of Ringwood to help with the conversion last spring.
“They were pleased with that work and then, come fall, they decided it was time to move on to the living room and dining room,” said Cozette Brown. “They called me back.”
The second project involved refacing a wood-burning fireplace, removing a low “pony wall” between the two rooms and bringing in new furniture.
“As much as you would think the half wall helped in designating spaces, it actually made for wasted space,” Brown said. There was a small chunk of useless space between the wall and the living room fireplace. Once the wall was removed, the dining area could be expanded to accommodate a larger table.
“You now feel the fireplace is a part of the dining room even though it is in the living room, so it is all one cohesive space,” she said.
Solid oak flooring was used in the family room, dining room and living room, with a finish that ties the updated rooms to the rest of the house. But in the living room and dining room, the functions within a space without walls still needed to be defined. Brown did it with a rug, lighting and furniture.
First, the entry. “With homes built in the 60s and 70s, you walk right into the living room.” For a bit of separation, Brown chose a high-backed chair to place a few feet from the door. “It’s almost like a wall,” she said of the chair back that blocks a full view of the room. The living room was also on the darker side, so the ceiling light she had installed near the door serves the dual purpose of improving illumination while helping to further delineate the entry.
Beyond the entry, Brown used a custom-sized rug to help guide furniture placement and define the living room space. To make the fireplace a focal point in the unified space, the brick was covered with Boral brand stone veneer, carried up to the ceiling.
“The fact that we had it updated and did it from floor to ceiling makes the whole area look bigger and feel bigger,” she said.
The rustic fireplace complements the new furniture and lighting in what Brown described as mostly causal decor. The couple wanted a more grownup home now that their sons are in their teens, but durability was still a priority. “I was careful in choosing the materials so that it would be forgiving for an active family,” she said.
What they renovated
They converted an enclosed porch to a family room and updated the living and dining room of their three-bedroom, two-bathroom home.
Who did the work
Interior design, Cozette Brown; furniture, Palisade Furniture in Englewood (The owners are from Ringwood); general contractor, RJH Construction of Ringwood; masonry, Fierro Masonry of Ridgewood. “We also utilized a local photographer, David Gardiner from Ringwood, and have three of his photos featured on the wall in the dining room,” Matt Siegel said.
How long it took
The living and dining room project took approximately 21/2 months, from October to December 2016.
What they spent
About $70,000, including family room, living room, dining room and deck
Where they splurged
“We splurged on the fireplace, it’s such a focal point in the room,” Siegel said.
How they saved
“Utilizing Cozette as our interior designer helped save money and time across the board,” Siegel said. “She understands our lifestyle.”
What they like most
“So pleased that the entire space is transformed, yet is comfortable and fits into the rest of the home seamlessly.”
What they’d have done differently
Nothing
Kimberly L. Jackson may be reached at home@starledger.com. Find NJ.com Entertainment on Facebook.
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