Design by Hillary K. Cohen
Photography by Rebecca Mcalpin
Text by Nayda Rondon
Jessica and Mark were out walking their cockapoo, Benny, when they chanced upon a house being built in Florham Park, just a short distance from their then home. It was love at first sight. The small family—the couple and their teenage daughter—was drawn to the six-bedroom, six-bathroom modern colonial, and after negotiating customizations with the builder, they sealed the deal in April 2022 while it was still a work in progress.
“My husband and I were working remotely post-COVID, so we loved that we’d both have our own offices,” homeowner Jessica says. “We also enjoy entertaining and felt the main floor’s open layout really lent itself to that.”
Wanting to start fresh, the busy professionals knew they would need help not only in furnishing the 4,200-square-foot home, but also in decorating it in a “livable, inviting and fun” style. After seeing the designer’s work online, the couple contacted Hillary K. Cohen of HCO Interiors in Basking Ridge. They clicked, and the process took off from there; they started in January 2022, the design was completed by April and the last piece was in place by January 2023.
“My favorite projects are when clients let us create a holistic vision and then collaborate with us to tailor it to how they live their lives,” Cohen says. “Our challenge here was that the house was under construction; we had to hit the ground running to select finishes, cabinetry, moldings, lighting and more. We only had a short time to establish a design concept and then stick to it.”
The shared vision that emerged was of a modern, streamlined look. “Rather than overly stark, the home is livable and inviting,” Cohen says. “Clean and contemporary with well-curated touches of dramatic contrasts, it offers a calm backdrop for busy lives.”
To achieve a sense of soothing cohesiveness throughout the first floor, walls and ceilings were painted in Benjamin Moore Calm, and the white oak floors were uniformly custom-stained. To keep things interesting, a blend of light and dark pieces and subtle textural layers was strategically integrated.
In the dining room, visible when entering the home, Cohen went full force. To light the way, she chose a customized chandelier by Blueprint Lighting. Striking and dramatic, it makes an ultra-modern statement. Equally impactful is the accent wall—wood flooring installed in a herringbone pattern. (“We’re obsessed with it!” Jessica exclaims.) Adding to the arresting factor, garden-store metal sculptures pop off the wall, creating a compelling three-dimensional art piece. The textured bone console from Williams-Sonoma, the Dovetail Furniture pedestal table and the Crate & Barrel chairs complete the look in complementary fashion.
Because the clients wanted fuss-free pieces, Cohen went with fashionably functional choices such as wipeable kitchen stools from Moe’s Home Collection and a large Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams sectional clad in performance fabric in the family room.
Personal touches and custom features hold court in the living room/bar. “Hillary designed the room around a coffee table we had in our old house, one of the only furniture pieces we kept,” Jessica says. “We love how she mixed warm and cool tones in the room, elevating it with accent pillows and amazing textured wallpaper in the bar. Fun fact: The bar was supposed to be a coat closet, but we thought a bar would be much more entertaining.”
In the primary bedroom, Benjamin Moore Lacey Pearl on the walls and ceiling offers a serene setting. The steel-blue velvet bed from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams—adorned in a Matelassé coverlet, CB2 organic cotton duvet and matching shams, and custom chevron pillows—invites slumber while the mauve velvet slipper chairs and round ashwood table—both from Lulu and Georgia—encourage lounging.
“We’re pleased with how the whole interior came together,” Jessica says. “Hillary really understood the essence of what we wanted for our home: a clean, polished, sophisticated look but with a really comfortable, livable feel. That is what she helped create for us.”
To see more luxury home renos across the state, check out the fall issue of NJ HOME!