Written by Marisa Sandora
Design by RHG Architecture + Design
Photography by John Bessler
When Bridget and Dave Placek first saw their 1897 Mediterranean villa in Montclair’s Estate section in 2014, they fell in love with its spirit. “The house had a very nice feel,” remembers Bridget. “It’s large, but it still seemed cozy. Some of the homes we looked at felt like museums. Plus it had a beautiful yard, very green with a lot of space for the kids to play.”
The house had been renovated periodically over the years, but it still retained many original details such as crown molding, which the homeowners liked. What they weren’t such fans of was the abundance of very small rooms. “The
kitchen alone was four separate rooms,” says Bridget. “Everywhere you went there was a door and a wall.”
So the couple hired architect and designer Rachael Grochowski of RHG Architecture + Design in Montclair to make the home more open and modern. “The way people lived when these houses were built is not the way we live today,” says Grochowski. “So the renovation was about not only updating the look, but also creating a more cohesive family environment.”
Another goal was to open the back of the house to the side, so that the Placeks could see the kids when they were playing out back, and to bring some of the warmth of nature inside. They achieved that with a floor-to-ceiling window that wraps around the corner of the kitchen, allowing a view of the beautiful backyard and pool and light to fill the open, airy room.
Open shelving custom-made of steel floats above Caesarstone countertops and white oak cabinets with a custom stain, contributing to the kitchen’s bright, open feel. “I wanted the kitchen to be white, wood and metal,” says Bridget. “I knew I liked the organic feel of those elements together. Rachael refined that by bringing in the raw steel and these really cool lights that are made from old brake rotors.”
“The unique light fixtures really tie everything together,” says Grochowski. “I was excited that they went for them.”
Handcrafted elements like those fixtures set the tone of the project for Grochowski. “I like things that feel handmade, like somebody put their heart into making them,” she explains. “I strive to make each project feel unique. With a kitchen, for example, I’ll try to find a way to make it different than every other kitchen.”
On the first floor, walls came down to open the kitchen area to the family room, where two couches from Restoration Hardware flank a coffee table made by Grochowski from huge beams of wood salvaged from an old casket factory. “What I love about the table is that you see the history in the end grain and all the rings,” says the designer. “You think about how old that tree was, then its second life as a structure and now its third life as a table.”
Upstairs, a bedroom was repurposed to create a luxurious master bathroom, and a back staircase was removed to make room for a second-floor laundry room. This change also allowed a powder room to be added on the first floor.
The renovation took about seven months, and both designer and client feel it was a success, thanks in large part to the relationship they developed. “There was a lot of trust,” says Grochowski. “We got to add some really beautiful elements to this project because they trusted me.”