Designing the home space of a long-established organization is different from planning a residence. While the quest for stunning aesthetics remains similar, budgets, timing and technical and code factors are of utmost importance. But the job description for the interior designer is often essentially the same: update the space aesthetically, yet stay true to its roots. And that is just what Linda Kitson Pacilio, owner of MarketPlace Designs in Summit, did when she was hired to re-envision The Morristown Club, a historic, members-only organization in the heart of Morris County’s county seat.
The club hosts work luncheons, holiday parties, networking breakfasts and business meetings. It needed to continue being a comfortable spot for small corporate gatherings, and its history needed to remain at the forefront of the design. “The building dates back to Abraham Lincoln,” says Pacilio. (The club itself was started in 1884, but didn’t move to this headquarters until 1929.) Adds the designer: “We wanted to maintain the classic elements but update it in a way that would attract both the club’s existing members and new members.”
A few pieces from the original space remain in the newer one, including the wall-to-wall wool carpet, the English carved and gilt Georgian wall mirror and the mahogany tall case clock circa 1880. But Pacilio freshened things up dramatically via a few integral pieces to create focal points. She and her team decorated the walls with a navy nailhead wallpaper with a metallic gold embellishment, and added LED lighting and glass shelves to the existing bar, which was expanded to the end of the wall. The architectural trim work and ceiling were restored and freshly painted, and the bar was painted dark to “recede into nothing,” the designer says, “as opposed to having a bright white bar front.”
The adjacent room, referred to as the ‘clock room,’ and its shelving next to the fireplace, also preexisting yet restored, subtly pay homage to Morristown’s history. “We removed all the book jackets from classic titles and staged it with red, white and blue to represent the flag,” she says. “It was fun to acknowledge American history and give a nod to the early titans of business, which is what Morristown is all about.” (The club’s website reveals that it was founded by a dozen “captains of industry.”)
The pair of Sputnik starburst chandeliers, which Pacilio says were “placed with conviction,” punch up the drama. “If you were to remove these chandeliers and replace them with an 8- or 12-arm chandelier, the room would feel entirely different,” the designer says. “These distinct pieces are the stars of the rooms and take them in a forward-thinking direction.” Thus can this club honor not just its distinguished past, but its bright future too.
Text by Haley Longman
Design by Linda Kitson Pacilio
Photography by Mike Van Tassel