Grandkids Galore
When you think of empty nesters “downsizing,” how many bedrooms do you envision? For the owners of a West Orange townhome, the right answer was five.
Design by Molly Miller, Molly Miller Interiors
Photography by Aimee Ryan
Text by Donna Rolando
When the spirit of change hit a couple of Montclair empty nesters, the metamorphosis had to be complete. Not only were they ready to trade their 100-plus-year-old colonial for a West Orange townhome, but they also welcomed an exodus from traditional décor to a new chapter in life.
“We lived in Montclair for many, many years in a large, older home, and it was now time to downsize,” says one of the homeowners, recalling what brought her and her husband to The Pointe at Crystal Lake. “I loved my house, but I said, ‘I’m going into something new and I want it to be a totally different vibe.’” While offering a simpler lifestyle—no yardwork, for example—this “downsize” left them with five bedrooms for family and friends.
The kitchen’s creamy Shaker cabinets stretch to the ceiling to optimize storage, as per the family’s wish list. Adorned with nail heads, the dining room’s blue chairs are more than eye candy; their footprint seats the entire gang during the couple’s many gatherings.
Relaxation springs, the homeowner says, from the bright and airy design Molly Miller of the eponymous Maplewood firm completed in the spring of 2022, with a twist on traditional décor. “We kind of gave everything a facelift,” Miller recalls, “and it really transformed this beige box with fake maple-veneer cabinets and black countertops and black appliances into a more sophisticated and airy space.”
No more maple. The kitchen’s gut job renovation brought creamy Shaker cabinets from Omega with a textured Zellige backsplash by Nemo Tile in dual sizes for added interest. Chosen for durability, Caesarstone quartz counters mimic marble, and Italian Ultra Slate is really porcelain flooring by Wayne Tile.
At the homeowners’ first big island, cone-shaped, polished-nickel pendants by Visual Comfort join navy-blue woven stools by Ballard Designs, which Miller describes as “grandchild-proof.” The stainless-steel hood by XO fits more cabinetry, which ties in with Miller’s mission: creating storage in a small footprint. Using “every square inch of space” meant reducing an oversized doorway, stretching cabinetry to the ceiling and maximizing island storage. “I even have cabinets I haven’t used yet,” says the homeowner, an avid cook who values the “great workspace.”
Highlights of the living room include a roughly 55-inch-square coffee table, an Absolute Black Granite fireplace and a blue striped rug. To offset a double-height ceiling, Miller used patterns, texture and extra-tall draperies.
With a burst of yellow from a runner, the kitchen connects visually to the family room, as Miller spreads this “happy color” to a favorite TV spot. Naturally, the couch by Restoration Hardware had to offer what she calls “the ultimate in comfort and relaxation,” joining a blue, softly upholstered ottoman and a John Robshaw fabric chair. Pro tip: Miller used custom pillows from brands like Schumacher for a “layered and unique feel.” The flatweave rug from Annie Selke is a fun mix of blue and zigzag stripes.
The dining room is as much about style as it is about accommodating three adult children, their spouses and their six kids. Brass nail heads and a diamond pattern wow the chairs by GJ Styles/ Kravet, whose slim yet comfortable profile fits the entire gang. The RH textured-grain table features two extension leaves, and its farmhouse style is elevated by other design elements, like the simple Thomas O’Brien lighting with a bronze finish echoed in the curtain rods. Above the oak console by GJ Styles, a new color is introduced: earthy green in Soicher Marin prints.
Throughout her design, Miller was mindful that the living and dining rooms “needed to work together seamlessly and still feel like separate spaces.” Rugs can clash, but the dining room’s taupe Oushak “plays nicely” with the living room’s rug, both by Lulu and Georgia and offers wool—nature’s performance fabric. In addition, floral and striped draperies by Lee Jofa span a shared wall in a neutral elegance, extra tall to soften the double-height ceiling.
Before Miller’s wave of the wand, she says the living room was “an empty, huge, soaring box in beige.” The springboard for change, she says, was Benjamin Moore’s Paper White with a hint of blue. The right shade was key, as this room opens to several others.
From the cushy carpet to the fabric headboard, the bedroom is a true oasis. The expansive windows cried out for the right curtains, a pinch-pleat floral by Colefax & Fowler Miller placed below the arch and paired with polished nickel. Given the size of those windows, motorized blackout roller shades fell into the realm of necessity.
“To make this huge box feel warm and cozy and inviting, we have a pair of Maiden Home sofas upholstered in a medium-blue performance fabric, and it’s all grounded by a really large, wool, striped rug,” she says. Rounding out the scene are a lacquered, grasscloth coffee table by Century, a Moroccan tea table and Ferrick Mason swivel chairs. Since the former fireplace “was not our cup of tea,” Miller shook things up with an Absolute Black Granite surround and beveled mantel. She balanced the artwork with a Tyler Guinn abstract (immense to offset the room’s height), a Susan Hable/Soicher Marin print for the fireplace and original art-fair finds.
Envisioning the master bedroom as an oasis, Miller blanketed the floors in cushy, cut-pile carpet by Stark Carpet and the walls with Benjamin Moore’s Pale Smoke for a light and airy effect. She layered textiles on the RH king-sized bed, its Perennials Fabric headboard dotted with antique brass. Dark-stained bedside tables from Woodbridge Furniture embrace ceramic and silk lamps from Arteriors, while the sitting area is refreshed with a Rebecca Atwood weave.
The result is “totally different than what I had before, but it works,” says the homeowner. “I have good feelings when I come into my home. I love the colors.”
