The Big Six
A Ho-Ho-Kus architect gives a small 1941 home a modern spaciousness and flow without losing its coziness.
Design by Morpurgo Architects
Photography by Laney Fiestal Morpurgo
A Ho-Ho-Kus couple was looking to downsize, but not just any old way. They’d set their sights on a colonialstyle home in their borough’s sought-after Cheelcroft section, and they realized right from the start that it would need work—lots of it.
These empty nesters with four grown children didn’t want a cookie-cutter home. Their quest for individuality led them to the neighborhood where developer Harold W. Cheel built some 50 English Tudor-styled country houses during and after the Great Depression.
“I wanted a home that had something special about it, and Cheelcroft homes are special,” says Laura, the homeowner (for privacy, she asked that her last name not be used).
She was naming her own poison. Many of these homes are on the national or state registers of historic places, but they also pose challenges for modern living. Confined spaces, tiny rooms—these are familiar drawbacks for Cheelcroft homeowners, and the couple recognized that creating their dream home there would require tearing down some walls. The sunny, open design they desired wasn’t the style in 1941, when the home was built.
The good news: They had just the architect for the job. Several years earlier, the homeowners had discovered the many home transformations on Morpurgo Architects’ website and had been so impressed they decided that their next makeover project would go to this husband-wife firm, which is also based in the 1.8-square-mile borough of Ho-Ho- Kus and has been in business for more than three decades.
“I fell in love with the work they’d done,” says Laura.
So, after buying a Cheelcroft home roughly four years ago, the couple sent an “SOS” to Gus and Laney Morpurgo, hoping they could tastefully modernize the 2,000-square-foot older home while preserving the charm of yesteryear that drew them to the house in the first place.
“Laura wanted the changes to be warm and inviting,” Gus recalls. “Comfort was essential.”
Luckily, Gus had experience with other Cheelcroft homes, so he knew both their potential and the challenges they posed.
“There are a lot of them, and people don’t always see what can be done with them,” says Laney, who praises her husband’s “unique eye” and how he injects many fun elements into his plans.
With Laura’s project, Gus knew that priority one was a larger kitchen with a free flow. To better suit the homeowners’ lifestyle and their love for cooking and entertaining, the couple craved an open floor plan. Demolition was the key to a more free-flowing first floor, and it began with a curved staircase at the entry that blocked the view down the hall to the kitchen.
“We removed the landing,” says Gus, who remembers the challenge of having to reconfigure the staircase to provide access to the second floor.
Creating today’s popular open floor plan also meant eliminating the rear hall (this allowed for a roomier kitchen) and modernizing a cozy, circular breakfast nook that looks out onto a new bluestone patio that’s great for cookouts.
Instead of a wall cutting off the flow between the den and kitchen, Gus planned for a stone peninsula to make entertaining a breeze. An island in the kitchen lets guests watch as Laura whets their appetites with the food she’s preparing. And in place of painted oak cabinets that darkened the room, Laura went with Elmira White by Benjamin Moore teamed with stainless-steel appliances for a modern yet classic appearance.
“They wanted a transitional feel— contemporary elements with traditional touches—to bring it up to the 21st century, of course,” recalls Gus.
The hurdles included having to build new beams—a necessary step for structural integrity’s sake with several walls coming down. Plans also called for eliminating some closets to aid in establishing a flow and building a new powder room on the lower level. But even with all this transformation, accomplished by Allendale-based Ray Vetterlein Contracting, Gus says that there was no need for special approval from the Ho-Ho-Kus Planning Board because the work preserved the historic flavor of the Cheelcroft home.
“The challenges are to make sure that the structure of the home is not compromised—that the spaces, when you open them, are bright and free-flowing, that the flow of the house is enhanced, and that there’s beauty to the space,” says Gus.
The spirit of change swept to even the exterior of the home, which took on a fresh, classic look as cream-colored brick was paired with black shutters, replacing green with red shutters. Adding a portico over the entrance afforded protection from the elements while contributing to a harmonious design.
The result: success—and a project that not only the homeowners can be proud of but also the community. In the kitchen, says Gus, “Laura loves the ease of getting around.” But she’s not the only one who gives the kitchen kudos: It was one of five chosen last November for a tour sponsored by The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood.
Morpurgo Architects removed several walls inside this Ho-Ho-Kus colonial, creating the open floor plan that the homeowners sought. The dark wood floors and modern artwork found throughout the house contrast with the neutral color scheme selected for the rugs and walls.
At right: The kitchen was remodeled and modernized with new stainless-steel appliances and Benjamin Moore’s Elmira White cabinets. Opposite page: The careful renovation of the 1941 Cheelcroft home created open flow and sight lines from the living room in the front of the house to the breakfast nook in the rear.
Architect Gus Morpurgo updated and enlarged a rounded breakfast nook, with views of the backyard. A door was added adjacent to the nook, providing easier access to the great outdoors. Opposite page: A stone patio with a job to do—entertaining, of course—is now more connected to the house itself than ever.
