Rustic, Refined
How do you go large with a home but still make it feel cozy? that was the challenge that faced a Mahwah couple with four children, now 9 to 17, when they decided to move from a street they deemed too busy for safe outdoor play.
How do you go large with a home but still make it feel cozy? that was the challenge that faced a Mahwah couple with four children, now 9 to 17, when they decided to move from a street they deemed too busy for safe outdoor play.
“My husband would lose sleep worrying about the kids,” says the wife, a nurse.
The family wanted five upstairs bedrooms, and you don’t find that every day. So they decided to indulge a long-deferred dream: building a custom abode from the ground up. “My husband has always wanted to do this,” the wife explains. “He’s an engineer who owns a commercial plumbing business and knows construction.”
After scouting out properties on the same side of town in Mahwah, the couple settled on a peaceful spot on a cul-de-sac. they tore down the existing home on the property, which had fallen into disrepair, to build this stunning, 6,400-square-foot, shingle-style house. Hoping to infuse
the home with a bit of style, they turned for design direction to friend Terri Fiori of Fiori interior design in Wyckoff, who had designed their former Mahwah residence.
“We’re pretty casual, so we wanted something very open, comfortable and welcoming,” says the wife. “We also went with a rustic theme, because we’ve always liked that style and felt it added warmth to the home, which can seem a bit cavernous with its very large rooms and high ceilings.”
On the first floor, an abundance of natural wood invokes the outdoors and creates a comfortable feeling. Though an open floor plan
Photography by Wing Wong/MemoriesTTL
provides for an easy flow from one room to another, special architectural touches help establish clear boundaries. For instance, says Fiori, “Brazilian hardwood is used on the floors throughout, but we changed the direction of the wood to define each space.”
In the great room, featuring 18-foot–high ceilings, natural materials add authenticity. Case in point: A large fireplace was made with the 
same stone and brick used on the exterior of the home. Heavy, durable fabrics were also chosen for their comfort and ability to withstand spills and stains— they include chenille couches from Safavieh and custom dralon acrylic window treatments from Schumacher. A large custom entertainment center along the right wall, which conceals a TV, and a wooden game table provide extra ingredients for lively family gatherings. “We all enjoy hanging out in this room together and sitting by the fire,” says the wife.
Comfort was also key in the sitting room, the first space visible when one walks through the entry foyer. Here the striking fireplace features a pine surround and a colorful array of glazed ceramic tiles from Artistic Tile—one of the first items Fiori and the wife selected, and one that establishes the home’s color palette. Meanwhile, an iron-and-wood chandelier and sconces from Niermann Weeks and a cotton-and-linen settee from Safavieh help complete the space.
To fulfill the family’s love of entertaining and continue the home’s rustic theme, there’s a chic bar area just off the great room, with a pine wall and a pine granite-topped counter. Cherry wood chairs upholstered in leather with a tin back from Safavieh offer comfortable spots to grab a drink and socialize with friends.
Besides those five upstairs bedrooms, the home also features a fully finished basement complete with a billiards room, a hockey room and a gym area.
“We absolutely love our house,” says the wife. “The process took two years from start to finish, but it was well worth it.”
