PERSONAL SPACE
Now their color scheme would be dictated by the rug. As the homeowner explains, she had fallen in love with this rug years ago, but it hardly fit in with her New York City lifestyle. She never forgot it, and when Short Hills provided the right showcase for her heartthrob, she not only purchased it, but also made it the star of her family room. It’s not uncommon for families to design a room around a favorite piece, be it a rug, a piece of artwork or a furniture item, according to Draznin. “Young people send me pictures from Houzz or Instagram,” Draznin says, adding that it’s a nice way to get a pulse on the clients’ design tastes and preferences. To truly appreciate what was done to this Short Hills colonial requires going back two and a half years to when the family purchased it—but only after first inviting their designer to tour the place and give some feedback. Basically, they needed to know if a very traditional home could walk on the wild side as a contemporary. “We needed to lighten it up and give it a fun, young vibe,” says Draznin, noting that the whole feeling of the house—from colors to fabrics—was stuck in yesteryear. It was tough for the couple to see past the gold and red colors, damask prints, heavy drapery and Venetian plaster walls to the diamond in the rough that was right in front of them. “Luckily, Sharon came to see it before we bought it,” says the homeowner. “She immediately gave us the vision that we could work with.” As young families are drawn to Short Hills for what the homeowner calls the “perfect commute,” the town is undergoing a transformation from traditional homes to those with a modern flair, says Draznin. Above: The acrylic base of this lacquer dining room table screams contemporary, where once drapery and cherry-wood furniture created a more traditional look. Opposite: This bold, bright mirror is the ideal match for the family’s thoroughly modern dining room.
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4 TIPS
FOR BEING COLOR-SAVVY
Designer Sharon Draznin offers these bits of wisdom about ways to use hues: IT’S PLAYTIME: Play your color off the type of gray that is your base. For instance, a bluish gray paint opens the door to a wide variety of cobalt blue accents, while a brown gray might be better teamed with mauve. DAZZLING, NOT DULL: Let accent colors do their job and don’t settle for the monotony of an entirely gray room. OPEN TO NEW THINGS: Rip down some walls where possible (as the couple did in the accompanying main article) to create the open, airy atmosphere that rules today. GET CREATIVE: Your accent colors can be found anywhere in your room’s décor. Have fun hunting down the best accents and let your home truly stand out.
APRIL/MAY 2018 | MSXHEALTHANDLIFE.COM
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