Party On!

Design by P. Smith Design
Photography by Phillip Ennis
Text by Donna Rolando

Two Saddle River empty nesters love entertaining so much they were determined to keep the good times rolling throughout an extensive renovation of their home and yard. That was a challenge for designer Patti Smith (no, not the famous singer-songwriter-poet-photographer) and her team from Ridgewood’s P. Smith Design. They had to get things ready for special occasions that arose during the multi-year project.

The eventual result? Today’s sleek, modern design matches the evolved style of both husband and wife, breaking free of their once traditional Ralph Lauren dark woods, suede and leather walls and copious collections. “It was what everyone in the ’90s was doing, rich and warm and grand—but it was stale,” says the lady of the house, whose tastes had since swung to modern and minimalist.

“I called her Martha Stewart,” recalls Smith. “But Martha Stewart elevated, based on her ability to entertain so exquisitely and seamlessly and always be calm.”

Arteriors’s stacking tables are as practical as they are stylish, with hammered brass and bronze.

Somehow it was really no surprise that, when Smith came onboard simply to renovate two powder rooms in fall of 2018, she was also tasked with a major redesign of the six-bedroom brick colonial, the couple’s home for more than 20 years. As they had last renovated decades ago, the powder-room update only underscored other needs and opened the door to more work, the homeowner explains. When the entire project was completed in early 2021, it included a master suite for all three of their adult children and a nursery for a 2-year-old granddaughter. “We really use our home,” she says.

John Richards artwork delivers a powerful punch of color that contributes to the living room’s modernity.

A neutral palette is central to the minimalist look Smith was striving for. No longer bursting with color, the living room keeps it light and airy with a cream velvet sofa by Interlude Home, eggshell chenille chairs by Christopher Guy and a tonal rug by Prestige Mills. Yet there’s no danger of monotony with a pop from twin John Richards abstracts, which a row of mirrors reflects and amplifies. From their bow-tie shape alone, it’s easy to see why Smith says the mirrors too are art.

“Glamorous and fun” is how designer Patti Smith describes the Trowbridge Gallery artwork that elevates the cabana hallway.

For the John Richards chandelier, another showstopper, she chose quartz petals for natural elegance and further illuminated the space with alabaster lamps. “I wanted to keep the off-white theme, and my client is not a crystal type of person,” she explains. Smith also welcomed mixed metals for interest in the stacking tables from Arteriors, featuring hammered-brass tops and bronze legs, as well as the satin brass accompanying tone-on-tone drapes by JAD Fabrics.

With their jewelry effect, hanging pendant lights by Fine Art help the master bedroom achieve a look of elegance.

The master bedroom similarly starts out neutral with the silvery gray of faux reptile skin by Osborne & Little on the walls, but makes a statement with oversized pendants by Fine Art. Creating a jewelry effect, they hang on both sides of the modern sleigh bed and the two-tone night tables by Baker Furniture. Smith says that at the time the homeowners “both worked a lot and traveled a lot, so the goal was to come home from a trip and have the room be very elegant and simple, not a lot of furniture or busyness.”

Shaking up neutral is the bold blue of another John Richards abstract, and Smith continues this color statement in the carpeted bedroom’s sitting room, which overlooks their new backyard terrace. “It’s just a cozy space with two oversized swivel chairs in a blue velvet and a fireplace, a place to end the day with a glass of wine—or start the day with a newspaper,” she says.

Ready to accommodate family and friends, this dining area offers an extended season due to the heat-equipped pergola.

This fun-living couple further tasked Smith with an extensive outdoor redesign that included the pool cabana. There, sleek, black laundry appliances preserve the hallway’s elegance, as does the feminine artwork from Trowbridge Gallery in London on walls clad in taupe-toned, faux crocodile by Phillip Jeffries. Of the artwork, Smith says, “We just liked it. Because it had water, it had an outdoor effect, but it was glamorous and fun at the same time.”

In the cabana’s bathroom, a “spa-like vibe” emanates from the sandy-toned tile by Porcelanosa stretched floor to ceiling. With its smoky brown cabinets, the kitchen also demonstrates a clean, modern ambience courtesy of Porcelanosa. “We tried to make it all monochromatic with sand tones that give it a natural effect,” says Smith of the luxury vinyl flooring that grounds the space.

Extra seating at this Caesarstone counter area lets the chef socialize with guests.

As per the couple’s extensive wish list, a pergola equipped with infrared heat extends the outdoor dining experience into late fall. There’s always room for one more at the ceramic quartz top table by Manutti, which cleans up in a snap. Styled with Caesarstone, the counter space maximizes seating with rope-backed stools, complementing the dining chairs. And the outdoor kitchen’s L shape connects the chef to his guests. In keeping with the sandy tones, she refreshed the pavers around the pool with 36-inch square porcelain and curated Brown Jordan chaise-longue chairs for style and comfort.

The homeowner calls the outdoor transformation a “modern miracle.” She chose Smith after perusing the designer’s website and realizing that she could live happily in any of the rooms featured. She chalks that up to Smith’s contacts, knowledge and “exquisite taste,” as well as her ability to work collaboratively with clients in harmony with their tastes.

“I thought it was phenomenally done, and it has turned this into an absolutely beautiful entertainment home, where we entertain every week,” says the homeowner. “Honestly, every room was so beautifully created—I love every room.”