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“The best part was leaving things up to her when I felt a bit burnt out with making decisions. Actually, there are a lot of things in the home that I just left up to her. I trusted her and her expertise, and I wound up loving ever ything.” “Seeing the clients so happy and appreciative was the best reward,” Gerts says of all the creative effort she and her team poured into the eight-month project, which took place under COVID restrictions. “We got amazing feedback; they were so impressed with how easy the whole process was; they thought the turnkey concept was the best they ever experienced. From linens on the beds, towels in the bathroom to plates in the kitchen, it was all there when they arrived.” “Yelena’s design matched our family perfectly,” McMahon says. “Family is so important to us, especially since we live so far. So when we come ‘home,’ I wanted it to feel like just that from the get-go. I wanted my kids to run through the doors and have a sense of home here in New Jersey, for my family to cozy up on the couch and stay awhile. Make memories. Yelena achieved that, with many details I love.”
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—including the custom reproduction painting over the white acr ylic credenza with brass pulls—were selected with an eye to maintaining cohesiveness through simple, clean lines and soothing hues. The two crisscross blue velvet ottoman benches offer not just additional seating but a dash of glamorous style. As part of the unification strategy, Gerts and her team used varying shades of blue, gray, white and green in all three rooms; key textural elements in the form of lush velvet fabrics, grasscloth wallcoverings and crisp linen drapes were also featured prominently throughout. Further tying the three zones together, brass accents—on the bases of the coffee and side tables, the chandelier over the dining table and the window rods—provide contemporary elements while the custom drapes, made of white and gray linen in an arabesque pattern, harmonize with the muted broadloom area rugs. “The open floor plan now allows the family members to be together or to find quiet spaces all to themselves,” says Gerts. “I was sure it was going to be pretty difficult working with someone from across the countr y, but Yelena made it a breeze,” McMahon reports.
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