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| NJHome
Knowing that her dining room would see a lot of action, designer Robyn Stevens wanted it to be inviting. The vintage candlesticks clustered like a centerpiece on the ebonized Louis XVI table team up nicely with the antique rock crystal chandelier and sconces, and the abundant French-1940s-style leather chairs always allow room for one more. The de Gournay Paris wall coverings with peacocks and exotic plants are hand-painted in soft, soothing tones.
The newest owner of a classic brick colonial in Saddle River can tickle the ivories for guests and fill a gallery wall with her own masterpieces. But what this original condition circa-1990 house cried out for was a designer to breathe new life into its classical style. Fortunately, home buyer Robyn Stevens is also the founder and principal designer at Silhouette Studio in Saddle River. She had the experience to make it happen. “We started renovating immediately the minute we moved in,” says Stevens. “We updated everything.” Yet she resisted the clean-slate, gut-it-all approach. The reno completed in 2019 would merge new and old elements, respecting the home’s architecture but starting from scratch with all the finishes, hardware and flooring, and—in some cases—wood paneling. “We kept it in a classical style; it has a lot of symmetry, the proportions are great,” says Stevens. “It just needed to be brought back to life.” In luxe textures, subtle patterns and nature-inspired hues, Stevens merged French 1940s elegance with fresh contemporary accents. The result is perfect for when it’s just the family (Stevens, her husband and their three dogs), but it can also be the life of a gala. Stevens admits a passion for entertaining—she loves a good dinner party, which this home can easily accommodate, starting with what she calls the piano room. “It’s a comfortable room for cocktails and some good friends,” says Stevens. She didn’t have to shop around for the cubist-style paintings that adorn the gallery wall alongside the Steinway grand or the large abstract over the banquette. “I’m a designer, but I also do oil painting,” explains Stevens, who put her muse to work throughout the home. She then used gilded frames (gold leaf over wood) for balance, warmth and “a nice little shimmer, which is elegant,” against watery blue glaze walls, she says. Guests can relax with a cocktail in hand on the pearl-colored, woven silk settee sculpted in the workroom of Genesis Upholstery in Passaic, or perhaps a Louis XVI chair with gilded frame and fox fur pillows. The tradi-