Written by
Donna Rolando
Design by
Danielle Palmadessa
Photography by
Katelyn Mangin
A little glam goes a long way in an “organic” redesign in Livingston.
Bold colors are one way to wake up a sleepy home, but not the only way. A couple of snowbirds, who spend much of the year in Florida, wanted a makeover that would enliven their traditional, dark-hued, ranch-style home in Livingston. But the award-winning design by Dani-elle Palmadessa of Franklin Lakes-based DRP Interiors owes its drama not to brilliant shades of paint, but to carefully curated textures that go the extra mile for style.
To switch it up, the homeowners wanted a light, bright, more transi-tional look with a bit more glamour; and Palmadessa turned it on with a style she calls “glam-organic.” “For some, organic design can be too rus-tic, too casual,” she explains. The solution: adding a touch of glitz with antique mirrors, gold-leaf cocktail tables and similarly stunning effects.
In the den, the color scheme is neutral—a welcome contrast to the mustard, khaki green, red and chocolate that once gave the room a heavy feel. Yet despite the light new palette, when one journeys across the den’s fretwork rug to plop into a faux-reptile-pillowed sectional before the charcoal-colored marble fireplace, there is no sense of dull. Ditto for the master-bedroom suite, which shed its black-and-beige hues, floral rug and dark-stained furniture, yet still finds drama in the starburst chan-delier of raindrop crystals and wall art created from cocoa wood petals. “The idea is that you can be neutral [in hues] and still create interest,” says Palmadessa.
And if you think you see a hint of gold and glitz throughout, your careful eye has picked up on the glam-organic influence. In the den, it’s there in the shimmer of the capiz-shell-front media cabinet, the moth-er-of-pearl trim of the antique mirror atop the fireplace, the metallic element in the faux croc pillows and the gold-leaf abstract brightening the wall. In the bedroom, satin brass is sprinkled about from the lamps to the dresser hardware, and the chandelier is an antique bronze. Palmadessa dabbles in contrasts from a palette including taupe, charcoal and ivory to add just the right dose of oomph—such as the bedroom’s chevron chairs before a restyled fireplace, playing off the more subdued off-white-and-gray carpet.
When it came to the master bath, the owners “didn’t want to change everything,” says Palmadessa, yet the room still got a pop because of an accent mosaic wall with a lot of metallic material. The dark mahogany cabinetry was repainted a very pale gray, and the floor—once a Jerusalem gold—came to life with the look of travertine. (It’s really porcelain in a brick pattern.)
One of the challenges facing Palmadessa was how to maximize existing space, since the den had lots of roles to play, including as a place for friends to get together for cards. “We went with acrylic,” she says of the mandatory card table. “To have anything solid would have made it seem cramped. That’s also the reason we used mirrors: They really open up the space.”
Not only does this design give the snowbirds a golden vibe right here in Jersey, but her Midas touch helped win Palmadessa a Design Excellence Award from the American Society of Interior Designers.