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.
Living in the old factories and warehouses of New Jersey’s urban areas has become a glamorous way of life for many professionals.
As the machines of industry and commerce are increasingly displaced by the devices of households, recycled buildings in several larger cities offer chic, loft-style living. Once converted to residences, these light-filled industrial interiors have the lure of dramatic views and capacious open floor plans, often in the vicinity of bustling nightlife.
One such building, a six-story former sugar factory in Jersey City, appealed to a lawyer for whom it would make an easy commute to his Newark firm. While his third-floor apartment had attractive features, all the white trim and wainscoting struck him as dated and far too traditional.
In terms of function, the kitchen wasn’t conveniently outfitted, and there was no place to hang his coat or store a broom. So he brought in Hillary Cohen of hCO Interiors, also in Jersey City.
“When we first looked at the apartment, he had just moved in,” Cohen said. What he loved about the 1,446-square-foot condo was its exposed brick walls and the abundance of nearly floor-to-ceiling windows, she said. “Our goal was to update and modernize the space and highlight some of the beautiful features.”
To enhance the windows that framed her client’s city views, the designer decided the metal holding them in place should be painted black instead of white. “Painting it black adds contrast and really highlights an amazing feature in the apartment,” she said.
While the overall layout and high-end appliances worked, the kitchen cabinetry needed to be reconfigured. “The cabinets seemed to stop in awkward places,” Cohen said. “It’s not a huge kitchen, so we really wanted to make sure that we were utilizing the space well.” New cabinetry with cleaner lines was custom made to use all the available wall space. “We changed the lower cabinets into drawers because that is more convenient to the way he lives.”
The entry hall off the kitchen is set on a diagonal, and space was borrowed from that area to add a floor-to-ceiling closet. At 2 feet by 3 feet, it has room for coats and cleaning supplies.
“It made use of dead space,” Cohen said.
For entertaining, a wine refrigerator and a bar cabinet lacquered in soft gray were added to coordinate with the dining area that shares the open space of the living room. “For this apartment, we came up with a really great pallet of grays and modern tones, but it’s still warm and inviting, and it also feels masculine,” Cohen said.
In the two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment, the guest bedroom doubles as an office. Cohen selected a sofa bed from CB2, and two Oso Industries concrete tables on casters that can be wheeled from the front of the sofa to its sides for use as bedside tables.
Her client wanted most of his budget to go to functional improvements, so Cohen mixed furnishings from retailers such as Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams and Room & Board with vintage finds gathered from shopping trips to her out-of-state sources. “I try to take regular trips to different vendors to shop for different clients and make sure I am finding unique pieces,” she said. “I try to do that at least once a month.”
One unusual find is an old movie theater spotlight that was converted into a floor lamp. In the master bedroom, round mid-twentieth century tables hold chrome lamps from the 1960s. The small tables, with their hairpin legs, were selected to minimize their effect on window views.
The master bathroom was gutted to improve efficiency and to make the small space feel more luxurious and open. A glass shower and free-standing tub set on a wooden platform replaced the built-in bathtub. “We removed all the existing travertine tile, and we added a ceramic tile on three of the four walls,” Cohen said. “It mimics a Carrara marble. The fourth wall has the wall-to-wall vanity and a mirror that goes wall to wall.” The floor is a mosaic of dark gray granite tiles.
“You can now walk between the tub and the shower,” Cohen said. “It doesn’t feel as boxed in as it did before.”
What he renovated
Both bathrooms and the kitchen of a loft condominium. Updates throughout included refinishing floors and wooden doors, replacing the fireplace mantle and painting.
Who did the work
hCO Interiors of Jersey City, design and project management; Highlander Hardwood Floors, Edgewater
How long it took
From January to May 2016
What he spent
The project cost including furnishings was about $160,000.
Where he splurged
The custom kitchen and bar cabinets.
How he saved
He chose relatively inexpensive furniture and materials for the guest bedroom and bathroom.
What he likes most
The living room, particularly the ceiling lights and black window trim.
What he’d have done differently
He would have chosen a more functional kitchen faucet; it does not pull out or rotate for easy sink cleaning.
Kimberly L. Jackson may be reached at home@starledger.com. Find NJ.com Entertainment on Facebook.
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