DESIGN by KATHY SAMAAN, SAMAAN DESIGN GROUP
PHOTOGRAPHY by JUSTIN COLE
TEXT by NAYDA RONDON
Matt Stempa was excited to make the move from the small Hoboken studio he’d lived in for 13 years to a 1,400-square-foot condo in Edgewater. Built in 2019, the space was brand new when he took ownership in October 2021. It had two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a large walkout balcony with views of NYC. It was more than Stempa, a single, busy marketing executive who commuted to the city daily, had the time or— as he’s the first to admit—the design savvy to make his own.
Like many buyers with their minds full of other things, Stempa didn’t quite fathom how empty his new home would be. “I didn’t realize it would just come as a big, bare space,” he says. “I guess most people want to customize when they buy. Honestly, I had no clue about what to do.”
After months of essentially living with no more than a couch and a TV from his old place, Stempa acknowledged that he needed design intervention. He contacted Kathy Samaan of the Hoboken-based Samaan Design Group for help.
“Working with Kathy and her team was fantastic,” says Stempa, who found the designer online. After meeting with her and realizing she was the one, he gratefully put her in charge.
Samaan and her team knew just what to do. “He’s single, successful, in his early 40s,” she says. “The vibe we were aiming for was sexy, masculine, edgy yet cozy and inviting—something that felt like he could entertain friends in a sophisticated yet relaxed way.”
To turn the basic builder-grade model condo—the very definition of blah—into “something unique and special,” Samaan paired masculine architectural features in warm yet rugged earth tones with soft textiles for “some synergistic magic.”
“With all the custom elements and construction, it took us about 18 months to complete,” says Samaan, noting that the work began in 2022 and incorporated add-ons to the initial scope. “We always enjoy when that happens,” she says. “It means our clients are loving the results.”
Samaan’s strategy called for careful calibration and custom precision. Setting the mood at the onset, she curated the living/ dining room open-space area with features designed to make maximum impact without sacrificing premium space or impeding an entertainment-friendly flow. For a dramatic focal point, she added an electric fireplace with a striking surround of large-format porcelain tile slabs from Genrose. On either side, custom-built walnut wood display cases impart character and charm. “So much more beautiful than a simple white wall and console, this wall breathed life into the space, giving it personality and a whole new energy it didn’t possess before,” she says. Other choice pieces—a Kaws art print over the fireplace, a Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams sofa, a Crate & Barrel coffee table and a Loloi area rug—clinch the look with bold brevity.
To carry through the space’s modern glam vibe, Samaan chose a West Elm dining table with a marble top and Chazz mid-century chairs. Together with the Homary light fixture, the pieces create a separate yet connected social gathering zone that radiates urban sophistication.
The minimalist sensibility takes on a more Zen feel in the homeowner’s bedroom. The bed, headboard and raised-wood base with attached low side tables as well as the hanging side lights—all from Orren Ellis—ground the room with intentional simplicity. Part of this visual center, the accent wall features custom wallpaper made of paper sourced from Sur la Mur; its concrete-look effect projects modern masculinity with a gritty edge. Framing the wallpaper on either side, slat-wood panels from The Wood Veneer Hub climb up the wall and across the ceiling, creating a cool architectural element.
“We do everything very intentionally,” Samaan says. “We’re impacting his day from the moment he opens his eyes in the morning and stares up at the gorgeous ceiling feature we designed to the feel of walking across the hardwood floor into his open kitchen and brewing a cup of coffee or lounging on the sofa to watch the game on Sunday.
“Matt truly embraced the vision and gave us the freedom to dig deep and explore our creativity,” she continues. “The outcome is always 10 times better when a client fully accepts the process and has a great time on the journey.”
“Kathy and her team literally laid out the entire place from top to bottom,” says Stempa. “I don’t know anything about this stuff. They clearly do. Everybody that comes into my apartment thinks it’s amazing. And so do I.”
Want to see more eye-candy designs by NJ’s best designers? Check out our newest issue of NJ HOME.