Montclair NJ
Montclair NJ
AIA-NS Silver Award Winner
Windigo helped to transform an orphaned Victorian-era carriage house into a luxuriously rustic, contemporary home for a family of four in Montclair, NJ.
The carriage house, built in the late 1800’s, had once served a large estate on sloping land in Montclair; the land had been subdivided and developed through the years. The structure had been serving as a residence since the 1950’s.
The new owners’ original plan was to work with builder Jack Finn & Company in Montclair and simply renovate the kitchen and refinish selected other spaces in order to move in quickly. Interior designer Elaine Santos, based in Manhattan, was hired to help out with fit and finish. As the work progressed however, the owner’s renovation ambitions became even greater. It was at that point Windigo was brought in to help the owner visualize the bigger picture and help the team bring the project to completion.
In order to fully capitalize on the aesthetics and lifestyle the owner was after, the team thought more holistically about the house, and made some bold decisions to reorganize some of its circulation patterns. A number of on-site casework elements and appliances had also to be successfully integrated into the design.
The goals for the interior finishes were to fully express the juxtaposition of modernity—with fresh, clean lines, the contemporary furnishings and updated color palette—and a vintage feel, with patinaed finishes and salvaged pieces that held true to the carriage house concept. It’s a true country modern reinterpretation.
The sloping site, entered on the uphill side, is naturally quite private. Over time, however, it had become quite overgrown, and a number of accessory structures, such as a gazebo, were scattered around the site. Working with Landscape designers Eric and Diana von Hoffman, Windigo decluttered the site top open new views between the house and its surrounding landscape. Many shrubs and trees were removed around the property along with several tons of large river stones used as ground cover. The main parking area of the driveway was also reoriented so that parked cars were not in the primary views. These interventions helped to build upon the English cottage aesthetic already developing inside.
Further renovations include conversion of the existing detached garage into a family room and entertaining space, reconstruction of the rear deck with views to lower Manhattan, and renovation of an existing storage shed and greenhouse into a home office and seating area.
