ABSTRACT ART ISN’T PRIZED FOR TELLING A STORY; IT evokes emotions from raw energy, color and texture born of genius on canvas. But for one Springfield couple, the abstract art that runs as a theme through their move-up colonial has a lot to say—about designer Barbara Hendrzak of the Mountainside-based eponymous firm.
“She showed us things that we never would have picked on our own, and those are the pieces that we ended up absolutely loving,” says homeowner Michelle. Abstracts were among the welcome twists in a 2020–21 redesign that proved just right for the couple and their kindergarten-age son.
“She knows when to push us,” adds husband Dan, also thrilled with the gut-job renovation by SCS Contracting in Springfield that gave this 1966 colonial an open floor plan and the kitchen of Michelle’s dreams.
As Hendrzak set about giving their forever home a “classic timeless look,” she knew the art needed center stage. “A room without art in it is kind of an unfinished room,” declares the designer. “Part of the reason we did such a neutral backdrop (gray, white, black and blue) was to have the art stand out.”
Upon stepping into the entry foyer, guests get the first taste of art’s influence with an original Cecil K. acrylic and unique details such as a brass-legged, faux shagreen console accented with wooden jars and ceramic-on-marble sculptures. For further effect, the banister’s iron and dark-stained wood are juxtaposed with a geometric stair runner in gray and white.
Perhaps nowhere is the power of art more evident than in the dining room, where Callie Campbell’s original abstract oil on canvas drew an “immediate reaction” from the homeowners. “It’s such a wow piece, and it looks like we commissioned that for the room, and we did not,” says Hendrzak.
The painting’s gold leaf complements the golden band around the vertical-glass-rod chandelier, another statement piece that expanded the couple’s horizons. Though striking with their modern lines, the oak-veneer table and chenille upholstered chairs are meant to pay second fiddle to the art and the lighting that glistens around the room.
Not only paintings but also abstract rugs (namely by Stanton) over walnut-stained wood are a unifying theme and help define the open plan’s common spaces.
The living room highlights dual abstract originals by Peruvian Jose Ccala as “conversation starters,” she says, while the black cabinetry by Kitchen Expressions gets a pop from the bar area tile’s bold chevron pattern. For style more formal than the adjacent family room, Hendrzak introduced an Ethan Allen couch with a Greek key pattern and gold tones in the tables by British Home Emporium and blue leather chairs.
Visible from all four rooms—as per open-floor-plan magic—is a cream, marble-look fireplace in the family room, where a large-screen TV is built into black cabinetry. Continuity stems from whisper satin drapes with a Scalamandré cut-velvet band, a hint of gold in a diamond-pattern console and the blue of a mock Roman shade (embroidered by Anna Elisabeth). Always ready for young’uns, the stark-gray chenille sectional in Crypton “takes abuse very well,” she says.
The room that kicked off this redesign—the kitchen for Michelle, who likes to entertain—pairs white shaker-style top cabinetry with a gray island base and light-gray-veined quartz countertops. The brick-pattern backsplash imitates marble and packs a punch with an accent over the Wolf stove with stainless-steel hood. Hudson Valley’s linear chandelier and a mock Roman shade by Anna Elisabeth complete the space.
Bonus: The island seats in faux gray leather with silver nailheads are practically kiddo-proof.
Michelle’s favorite part is the layout’s “together” feel. “Now with the open floor plan, I get to be with everyone else while I’m preparing, which is really nice,” she says.
TEXT by DONNA ROLANDO
DESIGN by BARBARA HENDRZAK
PHOTOGRAPHY by VIC WAHBY