DESIGN by LAURIE DIGIACOMO INTERIORS
PHOTOGRAPHY by TORI SIKKEMA PHOTOGRAPHY
TEXT by DONNA ROLANDO
For family and friends longing to bury their toes in the sand, a couple’s redesigned beach house just two blocks from the waves in Spring Lake turned out to be a treasure. But proximity to the water isn’t the only way it says “Welcome.” The spirit of hospitality is embedded in the six-bedroom, center-hall colonial after a gut-job renovation completed in 2023 by Ridgewood-based Laurie DiGiacomo Interiors.
Busy New York professionals, her clients wanted a new design for new needs that emerged with three adult children branching out into the world. DiGiacomo explains: “They are going to retire to this house and wanted it to be sophisticated and not themey.”
Far from an empty nest, this longtime family home—originally built in 1920— draws 20 or more guests on summer weekends. Now with a reconfigured first floor—“The house was completely gutted down to the studs,” DiGiacomo says—hosting is a snap. In a key change, the new kitchen moved closer to the landscaped backyard for entertainment ease and greater square footage, replacing a sunken family room.
The heart of this project is a design that prioritizes socializing. Guests are encouraged to sit and chat—even explore a book, perhaps, as the lady of the house does on rattan chairs in a cozy nook of the living room. One doesn’t have to go far to get the message that conversation—not TV—is king. The living room is right off the foyer, which begins the home’s color story with its “cheerful and bold” saturated- blue wallpaper by Serena & Lily and orange table. Spreading this sunshine with pops of orange against blue, DiGiacomo arranged the cream Universal sofa and Uttermost swivel chairs all “to be conversational,” she says.
Besides assuring a welcoming spirit, the new design required DiGiacomo to walk a kind of design tightrope, achieving an elevated coastal style without falling into a beach-theme trap. For balance and a coastal vibe, the living room features a fireplace with board and batten over porcelain tile, a gently weathered coffee table and sea-glass lamps in the book zone.
For a kiss of blue in geometric patterns, DiGiacomo chose Roman shades with Thibaut striping and a Momeni rug over the home’s abundant hardwood to define seating spaces. Performance fabric throughout and a nearby mudroom to launder sandy towels make beach-living pain free.
In the kitchen, the client feared that all white might be too cold, so DiGiacomo warmed up the Shaker cabinets and chimney-style hood with Benjamin Moore’s Van Courtland Blue on the island base. Then she introduced more blues in the glass subway backsplash and pendants by Hudson Valley, a hint of the beach in driftwood-and-rattan island stools by Palecek and Carrara-like sophistication for quartz counters.
In the dining room, the wet bar takes a page from the kitchen with its blue cabinetry and glass mullions, then accents it all with hand-wrapped raffia hardware and AKDO’s reflective glass tile in a diamond pattern. More than just a pretty face, though, the bar comes fully equipped with wine fridge and icemaker.
With lounge atmosphere and a TV for movies, the family room seats a crowd with its roughly 14-foot sectional in blue linen and Thibaut striped swivel chair, joining a versatile cocktail otto- man. Departing from orange, this space draws upon blue and green as seen in the Annie Selke wool rug—a soft contrast for hardwood floors—and ties together the room’s entire crayon box through artwork. Woven rope lamps (Visual Comfort) on wood tables evoke ocean reflections.
Blue finds a new way to dazzle in the powder room, with Quadrille wallpaper bursting with dramatic shapes. With a nautical flair, a rattan-trimmed mirror at the light-blue vanity resembles a ship’s porthole. Completing the look are Crystorama’s polished- nickel, shaded sconces.
As for that balancing act, achieving a coastal look while avoiding a beachy cliché? It was a solid success in the eyes of this socially inclined couple. They’ll be retiring soon, yes, but they won’t be lonely.
“My clients were so pleased with the finished outcome,” says DiGiacomo. “It is everything they wanted and more.”
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