A Wise Upsize
As a family adjusts to a larger living space in Ho-Ho-Kus, a traditional colonial gets a comfortable, captivating refresh.
Design by Marian Shulman, Wostbrock Home
Photography by Christina Ruth Grieco
Text by Nayda Rondon
When Marissa and Peter Sala traded in their Hoboken condo for a 5,000-square-foot colonial in Ho-Ho-Kus, the move wasn’t just a change of address. It was a complete lifestyle reboot. It also posed a design challenge for the busy professionals (she’s a BERGEN Magazine Top Dentist; he’s a Manhattan finance exec) with two young kids and three dogs.
“The shift to a larger home, with little furniture to fill it, felt overwhelming,” Marissa recalls of their October 2021 move. Additionally, its outdated finishes and décor didn’t reflect their style. “We wanted something traditional, but fresh and livable,” she explains. “We needed help.”
That assist materialized during a visit to Wostbrock Home, a furniture store and interior design center in nearby Ridgewood. “I’d started choosing a few things on my own, but quickly realized I was in over my head,” Marissa admits. Enter Marian Shulman, one of Wostbrock’s interior designers. “She saw what I’d chosen, made some tweaks, and I fell in love!”
What started as a small request—help choosing fabric for pillows and two chairs for the family room—soon expanded into a plea for guidance in creating a total home facelift.
The dining room combines vintage charm with a modern sensibility. From the sculptural Visual Comfort chandelier to the Bradburn Gallery ceramic bowl atop the server, every detail contributes to the welcoming whole.
With Shulman guiding the décor/design and Wostbrock’s owner, Steve Wostbrock, overseeing flooring and finishes, the Salas realized they’d lucked onto a go-to goldmine. The store provided everything from furniture and custom design to flooring and runners, not to mention a network of contractors that the family quickly grew to value. “Their son even wanted to invite one of our painters to dinner,” Shulman recalls. “That’s just the kind of wonderful family they are.”
The team’s transformation began in the entryway with fresh paint, updated lighting, new furniture and a staircase runner. From there, Shulman refreshed the downstairs guest room and kitchen. But the biggest challenge, and ultimately the most rewarding, was creating a family room that set the tone for the whole house and clinched the homeowners’ trust.
“Marissa had never worked with a designer before and was hesitant at first,” says Shulman. “But once she saw the results, it was smooth sailing.”
Adding a personal layer, the leather armchair and ottoman, once in the husband’s childhood home, now grace his modern day home office.
The designer’s approach—combining traditional elegance with youthful practicality—paired perfectly with Marissa’s aesthetics. “Lifestyle dictates design. No matter how beautiful the design, if it doesn’t fit your life, you won’t love or enjoy it,” says Shulman. “I wanted the home to convey a mix of classic and contemporary, yet feel comfortable and welcoming.”
Accordingly, Shulman’s choices were equal parts practical and pleasing: performance fabrics, wool rugs and stylish furnishings built to withstand everyday wear. The family room’s classic blue and-cream palette is enlivened by playful modern art. CR Laine Bradstreet chairs frame the newly refinished, wood-burning fireplace. Above it, art by Benson-Cobb and Visual Comfort sconces add subtle decorative touches. A cream sofa and tufted Wesley Hall leather ottoman sit atop an Antrim rug, anchoring the space with understated charm. A blue CR Laine Marcoux swivel chair, in Blair Steel fabric, contributes color and comfort. Benjamin Moore Collingwood perks up the built-in shelves, while walls in Balboa Mist offer a soft glow.
In the dining room, Marissa’s vintage, estate-sale find—table, side chairs and server—got a second life with fresh finishes and upholstery. Dressed in Serene Chalk fabric, two Lee Industries head chairs complete the set, seamlessly blending old and new. Shulman added custom drapes in Fabricut’s Ventura Heather, loving the “color and scale of its geometric pattern.” Phillip Jeffries Silver Steam wallpaper, Kalaty rug and Trowbridge Gallery artwork perfect the setting.
The aviation-inspired art over the Hickory Chair Continental Demi-Lune bar cabinet references the husband’s piloting tradition. “My father was an airline pilot and taught me to fly in a small, propeller-driven aircraft,” he explains. “Our son has similarly caught the aviation bug, and now it’s also something we share.”
Cloaked in Benjamin Moore Narragansett Green, Peter’s home office is saturated in sophistication, its ambiance further accentuated by the fireplace’s black mantel and the sleek Vanguard Make It Yours Berkeley writing desk. Custom drapes in Unique Fine Fabrics echo the walls, creating an enveloping, unified aesthetic. “The way the room’s darkness feels in different settings—bluer or greener depending on the natural light and time of day—is unique; it’s moody in the best way,” Peter says.
Visual Comfort’s contemporary chandelier and Home Goods’ Sinead mirror bring unexpected elements to the traditional space—“and that’s precisely what makes them so perfect here,” Shulman says.
From Peter’s tailored office to the family room’s easy-living feel, each room has its own voice, yet all speak the same design language. The designer expertly blended notes of old and new, polished and practical to cultivate spaces that are functional, intentional and expressive of the vibrant, young family that calls it home.
“We’re so happy with and proud of the results,” Marissa exclaims.
