That Vineyard Feeling

Design by Styled by Storms
Photography by Brian Wetzel
Text by Donna Rolando

 In the living room of a six-bedroom South Orange colonial, Grandma’s painting of Martha’s Vineyard won’t ever look out of place—now. That’s because the room’s fresh “new traditional” style boasts just enough of a seaside flavor to call to mind sun-kissed family vacations.

“The family I worked with on the design of this home has a big love for Martha’s Vineyard,” Maplewood designer Sarah Storms explains. “They spend a lot of time there in the summer. So, while they don’t live in a coastal town in New Jersey, they wanted to add some of the coastal vibe into it.”

It was a challenge to subtly introduce a Vineyard feel to South Orange. But Storms mastered it with clever finds such as a teak root cocktail table by Noir, sunken-ship table lamps seemingly bursting with barnacles by Currey & Company and, of course, Grandma’s gold-framed masterpiece. The family’s other requirements? The living room had to be child-friendly—and cocktail-friendly too.

A beloved rug—the sole survivor of the room’s earlier life—contributes a cornucopia of color.

When Storms arrived on the scene, the space cried out for restoration, its cream-colored, lightweight furniture “destroyed from general living” after five years. This time around, performance fabric was a must for this clan with three children. And Storms was ready to accommodate with swivel ikat-pattern chairs—perfect for cocktails in the glow of a refurbished fireplace—and the Chesterfield-style sofa in antique blue Kravet fabric.

Because this is not only the TV room but also where the gang gathers for the Super Bowl, custom floral ottomans “layer in additional seating,” Storms says. (The homeowners, she notes, “do entertain a lot.”)

The only element that survived to be part of the redesign was the couple’s beloved center-medallion wool rug, the inspiration for the room’s departure from cool coastal colors to a palette including rust, mustards and warmer blues. “Everything else had failed, but the rug was still going strong,” the designer recalls.

The Lewis & Wood draperies are the room’s “hero” fabric, a fun and natural complement to coastal decor.

The drapery by British textile house Lewis & Wood is the “hero” fabric, slightly refining coastal elements. The Wild Thing pattern is both organic and floral as it introduces “beautiful rich tones on a natural linen ground,” says Storms. But look closely and one finds peacocks and monkeys keeping it “light and fun.” Meanwhile, a variety of textiles in the room—from florals to ikat patterns—creates a fresh traditional style for today’s family.

After the design’s final stroke came its test. As Storms recalls, “They texted me about a week after and said, ‘We already had our first accident. One of the kids spilled something, and it just wiped right off like a dream.’”

Now the whole year feels a little bit like summer.