House Tour: Art Deco meets classical French in this New Jersey home for a family of nine
A new baby marks the beginning of a new chapter and a new home in the lives of a newly-wed couple and six children from their first marriage.
By Lynn Tan -
The 6,500 sq ft property is located in Mountain Lakes, New Jersey, within the Manhattan commuter belt. It is home to a recently married couple and their seven children, and they hired KNOF Design for the interior design.
A long-time friend of the client couple, founder and creative director Susan Knof was involved in both a professional and an emotional way. “It was special and inspiring to know how important the new home was to my friend,” says Susan.
Their brief was, well, brief because they were confident Susan would propose a design in keeping with the property’s scale, the family’s practical requirements and personal tastes.
Even though most of the children are grown up and only likely to visit at weekends or on holidays, Susan designed and furnished key spaces to allow all nine family members to be together simultaneously.
Specifically, it was necessary to reconcile their preferences for the geometry of art deco and classic French interiors. “I treated both influences with a light touch, keeping the scheme cohesive and avoiding any clashes of style,” says Susan.
To reflect the two preferences, she chose material choices such as slick mirrored furniture, particularly in the master bedroom, strong geometric framed furniture in some instances, glamorous chandeliers, and distressed timber finishes.
Despite the logistical challenge of splitting her work life between London and Miami, and ongoing projects in London, Sofia and West Africa, Susan stayed on top of things by managing time zones and having support from a tremendous international array of crucial suppliers and teams.
“Of course, good communication is also key. In this case, my pre-existing relationship with the client was advantageous because I knew my friend’s tastes and style well,” she says.