Paint It Black
Bold colors and architectural details provide a once-outdated freehold living room with unmistakable glamour.
Design and photography Andrea Gorgol, Beautiful Interiors Home Décor
Text by Darius Amos
Before the dust even settled on their purchase of a 20-year-old Freehold home, new owners David and Michele were ready to change everything—but they didn’t have a clear vision in mind. Their solution: Pass the designer’s keys to Andrea Gorgol, owner of Manalapan-based Beautiful Interiors Home Décor.
“I was basically in there right after their closing,” recalls Gorgol, who in summer 2025 was tasked with giving the living room a major facelift. “It was very outdated, and they gave me full creative freedom to do what I wanted—with their input, of course.”
Black, white and gold dominate the living room’s color scheme, including the accent mirror from Wholesale Flowers & Furniture. The mirror’s frame was originally a darker hue, but Gorgol had the store paint it gold. An area rug from AB Carpet & Flooring in Manalapan resembles the detail of the marble nesting and side tables from Pottery Barn.
The room required a major overhaul. Other than a pair of decorative-but-outdated columns, the space lacked architectural interest, and it had very ho-hum, beige walls. It was hardly a showstopping look for the first room one saw when walking through the front doors. For the redesign, Gorgol heeded an unlikely muse: the color black. “I get inspiration from small things, one little piece,” she says. “In this case, I wanted something dramatic, and it was Benjamin Moore’s Black.”
For more drama, she designed all-new millwork for the walls, painting the upper halves in black and the lowers in a complementary white. “We also took down the columns and added a coffered ceiling, giving the room more depth and architectural character,” she says. Gorgol paired those details with black, white and gold furnishings, including a couch, an armchair and coffee and accent tables from Pottery Barn. The finishing touch was a painting of bright flowers in a vase, which the designer found at Hobby Lobby in Freehold, giving the room a pop of color.
“Andrea worked magic on my space, taking it from drab to fab,” says homeowner Michele. “I’m obsessed with how it turned out. She transformed my dreary living room into my happy place. Everyone that steps in is in awe!”
