When you love art, you are driven by an insurmountable passion to surround yourself with a collection that makes you smile each and every day. But imagine applying that same passion to building a home around your art that also makes you smile. A home that is as much a work of art as the artwork itself.
This is exactly what the owners curated after purchasing a modest ranch in 1998. Nestled on nearly two lush acres in the heart of Old Short Hills, the house was transformed into a warm, comfortable Frank Lloyd Wright inspired home that became the perfect vessel for love, life and art. Thoughtful details throughout make art a natural extension of the home, while special features make daily living truly a pleasure -- a celebration of life through art.
Designed by David Estreich and Brian Blackburn of David Estreich Architects in NYC, in collaboration with Interior Designer Thomas C. Burger of Las Vegas, the home was renovated and enlarged into the masterpiece it is today -- a collection in and of itself. A new master bedroom wing, kitchen wing and rear pavilion were added in an unassuming way from the front, creating an interior space boasting nearly 10,000 square feet while also creating a delightful courtyard in the rear for al fresco entertaining.
The home’s flowing design invites residents and guests to meander through its wonderful spaces. And what isn’t seen is as impressive as the exquisite details that are. For example, radiantly heated floors throughout the entire home envelope occupants in warmth and comfort all winter long. It is a home that makes you want to linger and wander, rather than simply occupy it.
Architectural details throughout the residence remind you that you are part of something more, as if you yourself are also part of the art. Changing floor levels, ceiling heights and shapes create special rooms that all feel different yet cohesive. Lower ceilings in the gallery are offset by lower floors and higher ceilings in the great room, a barreled ceiling in the foyer, a soaring ceiling in the family room and a bi-level ceiling in the dining room. Unlike ceilings and floors in most homes, the ceiling and floor details are an intricate part of the design, drawing your eyes up and down and all around.
And while it may seem to have happened by chance, that was certainly not the case here. Lighting, windows, wall shapes, moldings, ceilings, floors, built-ins, seating layouts, angles and adjacent rooms were all taken into account during the home’s transformation. Gutting the previous home was the only option to create the right spaces for fine art and sculptures -- so they could be experienced rather than just seen. Even the baths and kitchen were designed as works of art, with an oval bath for “her” featuring curved walls and even a curved shower door that were all painstakingly designed to perfection.
As with any home inspired by a Frank Lloyd Wright design, the interior and exterior spaces are at one with each other -- bringing the exterior in and allowing the lush landscaping to be the backdrop, the canvas, for a life well-lived. A large free-standing pavilion in the rear of the home is the piece de resistance of the exterior. Made of stucco, metal, glass and screens, it offers a comfortable enclosed seating area in which to enjoy warmer weather with panoramic views of the courtyard and gardens. The structure appears as if it was always an integral part of the property.
And that is what is so special about this home. The thought put into each interior and exterior “room” is so unfathomable, so immeasurable and so incomprehensible – resulting in a design so cohesive, so striking and so spectacular that should just one surface of a room go missing, the entire design would fail. It is as if each room is a puzzle piece, working in conjunction with one another to create an overall masterpiece.
Photography Peter Rymwid
