DESIGN by RACHAEL GROCHOWSKI, RHG ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN
PHOTOGRAPHY by DONNA DOTAN
TEXT by DONNA ROLANDO
It wasn’t just one challenge that faced Rachael Grochowski, founder of Montclair-based RHG Architecture + Design, as she sought to infuse modern influences into a Montclair Tudor-style home built in 1910 while preserving its legacy of elegance. It was a tightrope walk of delicate decisions, requiring her to balance the glory of a past design with a busy family’s practical household needs today.
Wherever possible, Grochowski would preserve architectural gems, such as leaded windows and tracery-pattern ceilings, but she also worked to resolve water-penetration and structural issues— the house had settled over the years. Add to that the challenge of family structure—specifically, giving four kids in a blended family their own equal bedrooms.
Arches over the doorway to the family room and extensive millwork are architectural gems that enhance the character of this Tudor home designed by prominent early-20th-century architect Dudley S. Van Antwerp.
By the time she completed the redesign in 2021, the designer’s attention to original details had paid off with resounding success. The homeowner dad was particularly pleased with the unifying effect on his tribe. “As a blended family that includes four teenagers, having spaces that reflect each of their personalities was important,” he says. “Now everyone has a place that feels like their own, and the shared areas bring us together in a natural way.”
“They had just purchased the six-bedroom house,” Grochowski recalls, “and it’s a beautiful, historic home with a beautiful piece of land. But it really didn’t function very efficiently or smoothly. The layout was a little bit funky. For example, they didn’t really have anywhere to eat together except in the big dining room, and it didn’t feel terribly connected to the outside. It was just tired.”
With tall, port ruby-colored velvet chairs by Studio Van den Akker, the dining room has its wow back, making it perfect for entertaining. The designer used black to pop the plaster ceiling’s artistry and stretched the frosted-glass, globular lighting by Studio Apparatus over the traditional burled wood table. Previously a bright hue, the fireplace was repainted and wrapped in a metallic band. Grochowski also enlarged the opening to the adjacent bar area with bronze-cased resin cabinetry, created by removing a butler’s pantry. It features custom storage for the wine collector in the house.
But the dining room is no longer the only option for convening. “They wanted an eat-in kitchen, and that was really important,” she says. Because the old kitchen lacked flow and functionality, she removed a back staircase and reoriented the room to face a wall of windows and a back garden. Now the family has an island and black-framed, resilient-fabric stools. With a custom oak finish and a small frame, the cabinetry nods to the millwork throughout, but it has a contemporary feel, just like the brass-infused lighting by Kichler. A focal point is the dark-bronze custom hood, paired with white marble in varying shapes on the backsplash and counters.
The “star of the show” in the family room, says the designer, is the millwork, which surrounds a fireplace that was there before. Keeping all eyes on the millwork meant curating neutral furniture and highlighting craftsmanship such as a handmade, poured-glass light fixture, hand-stitched leather side tables both by Ochre, and wood-detailed chairs prized for stature and artistry. She also designed the patinated-metal coffee table, making it accessible to all the seating. The pebbled pattern rug has an organic essence.
The family room is right off the entry foyer, which naturally had to deliver a bang. So the designer added a “little sparkle and a hint of the past” with metallic details in the woven stair runner. She revved up the room’s natural sparkle with clear glass windows that brighten the once-dark room. Grochowski, who sees metalwork as art, spread its charm to the entry table and glass sconces. As seen here and throughout, wood flooring in a custom color speaks to her philosophy, that honoring the past doesn’t mean getting stuck there.
The homeowner is simpático. “I love how the history of the house is still so present,” he says. “The original details were preserved, but updated in a way that makes the home feel both timeless and comfortable.”