growing family, growing home

A Cape Cod-style house in Hasbrouck Heights gets a major expansion, making room for a new generation—and a new aesthetic.

Text by Marisa Sandora Carr Design by Jennifer Pacca Photography by Marco Ricca

The homeowners wanted to lighten up the palette to make this Hasbrouck Heights house more modern, so they chose white oak floors, which were then whitewashed. Designer Jennifer Pacca used blue as an accent color throughout, including on the built-in bench in the sitting room at the front of the house. “I really like what Jennifer did with all the different shades of blue,” says homeowner Gregoria Kouletas. “It’s not too masculine at all, and she brought in some feminine touches with the chrome and gold.”

This page, left: Using white upholstery in a home with three boys held no terrors for Gregoria. “I made sure the fabrics are cleanable, and it’s very comfortable for the kids,” she says. Opposite: An espressocolored island adds warmth and contrast to the white kitchen. Because the window frames in the home are black, Pacca wanted to add a touch of black throughout the house. She achieved that here with blackand-chrome light fixtures above the island.

When author Thomas Wolfe wrote You Can’t Go Home Again, he failed to anticipate Gary Kouletas. With his wife Gregoria, Kouletas purchased his childhood home in Hasbrouck Heights from his parents. And today, thanks to a major upgrade and expansion, the Cape Cod-style house is making just as many memories for Gary’s three sons as it once did for Gary.

At first the three-bedroom home worked fine just as it was for the family of four. But when the couple had their third son, they felt themselves outgrowing their space. They considered moving, but vetoed that. “We love the town, and we felt we needed to keep the house in the family,” says Gregoria. “Gary grew up with the neighbors we still have today. Friends he graduated with, as well as teachers he had when he was in school that are now our sons’ teachers. Many people Gary went to school with still live in town, and now our children go to school with their children.” So, honoring continuity, the couple decided to stay put and build an addition on the home to give each of the boys his own bedroom and get the master suite they’d always wanted.

Once they had the architectural plans in hand, Gregoria hired Jennifer Pacca of Jennifer Pacca Interiors in Wyckoff to design the interior, which expanded from 1,400 square feet to about 4,200 square feet, including four bedrooms, three full bathrooms and a laundry room on the second floor. “I wanted a bright house with large windows and lots of white,” says Gregoria. “It was pretty dark before and had all dark furniture.” So Pacca was charged with lightening things up—and adding some sparkle.

“Gregoria wanted a comfy living space for her family, but she also wanted a little bit of bling and glam,” says the designer.

In the sitting room at the front of the house, Pacca used gold tables, a white chair with a gold frame and

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throw pillows with a little bit of sparkle to add pizzazz, and the room is now the homeowners’ favorite. “The kids like to lounge on the built-in bench, and I like to sit in there to relax or have some privacy if the kids are in the family room,” Gregoria explains.

The built-in on the wall, lined with blue linen grasscloth wallpaper, gives her space to display artwork and accessories and “is an interesting focal point, with the shelves all different sizes and shapes,” Pacca says. She chose a unique blue hide rug to tie in the accent color used throughout the house.

Blue barstools provide striking color in the mostly white kitchen. The stools are durable leather, so spills can be easily wiped away. The countertops are Cambria quartz, and the backsplash is a broken-joint mosaic tile from Artistic Tile with a darker grout to accentuate the tile and make it more interesting, says Pacca. A dark island and black light fixtures add contrast.

In the dining room, Pacca brought in blue with the curtain fabric. “The dining room is the center point of the house, and all the shades of blue I used flow from that curtain,” she explains. The room isn’t very big, so she chose small chests on either side of the window for storage instead of a larger buffet table. A striking crystal light fixture from Crystorama adds the glam the homeowner requested.

Gold and silver accents were used to liven up the living room as well, with gold trim on four white chairs that surround a round, silver coffee table. Pacca kept the furnishings neutral to allow the blue accent wall to really pop. “I love the shade of blue we used on that wall, and the subtleness of the blue and white,” says Pacca, who says this room is her favorite of the project.

Overall, the designer sought to maximize every inch of space, adding thoughtful details throughout the home. “The house is not huge, but they really went all out, which was nice,” she says.

The homeowners were thrilled with the transformation. Says Georgia: “I would never have found or picked out what Jennifer picked out, but I look at everything now, and they are all such great pieces.” Gary’s childhood home now works for their larger, busy family, and does so beautifully.

This page: In the living room, “I kept the furniture and accessories neutral to allow the blue feature wall to pop,” says Pacca. The gold trim on the white Caracole chairs brings in the bling. Opposite: Below a coffered ceiling in the dining room, gray, buttontufted chairs from Essentials for Living flank the single pedestal dining table by Vanguard Furniture. The showstopping chandelier is by Crystorama.