cooking with charm

making the overall spaces difficult to lay out and furnish. Accordingly, Mannino and his team got to work to establish creative order. They leveled the floor and restructured the configurations to create a new mudroom space, a new second laundry closet, a storage room, a home gym and a guest bedroom.

To bring in more natural light, the design team created new, larger openings on the exterior walls of the kitchen and living/lounge areas. “The existing lower space had different levels—it was a 16-foot-tall space—so we had to make all of the various openings into one uniform window height to have it appear that this was the original intention,” says Mannino, adding that they accomplished this by cutting openings into the original concrete foundation, an extensive process.

Under the new schematics, the farthest sliding door leading to the pool was enlarged to create an easier, more inviting transition between the pool and the “cabana.” Adjacent to the kitchen island, the other sliding door is entirely new and leads to the new, porcelain-tile patio. Additional light is plentiful thanks to recessed lighting throughout the space. Further assuring warmth and coziness while staying true to the prevailing modern aesthetic, the cement-like tiles on the indoor floors are heated with hydronic radiant heat tubes; emitting an urban-hip vibe, they look cool to the eyes, but are warm to the feet.

One of the most striking features is definitely the custom black, diamondshaped, V-groove chevron ceiling. Its centered paneling, radiating outward, makes a dramatic statement as it continues the home’s black-and-white color scheme. Pops of bold black punch up the drama even more. For instance, the custom white cabinets with black accent doors—in Benjamin Moore Decorator’s White and Onyx, respectively—“just scream energy and add vibrancy to the space,” the designer says.

In the kitchen, the ceiling works perfectly against the Mitzi gold pendant lights and Emtek hardware fixtures in satin brass to imbue the space with a jazzy, Gatsby-type feel. The custom cabinets, made by Mannino Cabinetry’s bespoke collection team, and the Silestone countertops and backsplash in eternal calacatta gold seal the style deal with élan. A reflection of the diamond pattern ceiling, the custom TruStile barn door features Rustica hardware—it’s another standout. Acting as a pleasing contrast to the white cabinetry, the understated Mannino Cabinetry custom black wood-panel hood fits in with the design aesthetic, while the Artistic Tile floors impart a polished concrete feel and look.

When it comes to style and appeal, there’s no gray area here. The finished basement—which Mannino calls “fun, energetic, young, refreshing and elegant”—has been elevated to a stylish entertainment hub that draws compliments from all who spend time within its inviting spaces.

Says Katherine: “We love how Rosario was able to design the layout of the basement to exactly fit our needs—and to make our vision for the look of the basement real.”

Located between the kitchen and the new guest bedroom, the bathroom offers all the comforts and amenities of a high-end hotel. “We love the bathroom,” says the homeowner. “It’s clean, modern and just beautiful.” Its color scheme follows the rest of the lowerlevel space, adding another rich layer of luxury with an allnatural marble stone countertop and oversized accent niche wall in the shower that gives “beautiful movement and richness to the space,” according to the designer. The freestanding, double-sink vanity is custommade by Mannino Cabinetry; all tiles are by Artistic Tile; plumbing fixtures are by Brizo and lighting is by WAC Lighting.

An Upper Saddle River mid-century ranch’s original kitchen gets a modern update without losing its historic character.

Text by Nayda Rondon Design by Bonnie Hufnagel Photography by Peter Rymwid

Three years ago, after their grown children had moved out, a couple of empty nesters decided it was time to downsize to a ranch-style home. They found what they were looking for in Upper Saddle River. The twobedroom house, a mid-century-style structure built in 1971, had loads of character and charm. But its original kitchen had “renovation project” written all over it.

Hoping to retain the homey aspects that had so captured their hearts, while also clearing up the

The white and gray cabinets and the misty blue of the Sonoma Tilemakers backsplash tile, as well as the sleek metals of the sloping hood, offer an appealing contrast to the rich dark wood beams, warm bricks and rustic accents, such as the aged iron chandelier from Visual Comfort. “We wanted a simple and elegant feel for the kitchen,” says the woman of the house. “We enjoy entertaining, and the layout of the kitchen makes it easy for gatherings.”

space for a more organic modernity, the homeowners contracted architect William J. Martin, AIA, of Westwood-based WJM Architects and Woodro Construction in Dumont, to vault the standard-height ceiling in the kitchen and match it—with rustic beams—to the adjacent living and dining areas.

“When creating the 3D-computer modeling, it became clear that removing the loft area needed to improve the space would destabilize the roof trusses,” Martin explains. “The lofted area above the kitchen was bracing the roof structural system. Roof trusses had to be reinforced and, in some cases, rebuilt and replaced once that loft was removed. This was challenging because the contractor, Woodro, had to install temporary shoring and bracing in order to facilitate the structural modifications. But once the new trusses were in place, the true beauty of the mid-century modern space seamlessly emerged.”

What also resulted was an extremely tall and long rectangular area for the U-shaped kitchen—complete with an island at the center. The space features a wall full of windows on one side and a large brick fireplace structure that forms the “wall” on the opposite side.

So much open space, so much potential. Now, how to make best use of the possibilities in order to create a design that both complemented the mid-century architecture and embraced the elegant symmetry of a more minimalist grandeur?

Enter Bonnie Hufnagel, kitchen designer at Ulrich Inc. in Ridgewood. Working off the architect’s plans, Hufnagel and the rest of the Ulrich team put their considerable skills and resources toward meeting the tall order. Guided by the homeowners’ specific directives, Hufnagel designed and refined the details of the kitchen layout, and the Ulrich crew installed all of the cabinetry and appliances.

“The client and I collaborated regarding the placement of the range top and sink,” Hufnagel says. “She definitely wanted the sink centered in front of the windows and not

This page: “We love the large island for its beauty and functionality, and we love how the double ovens look in the brick wall,” says the homeowner. Also eye-catching are the custom hood by Armore in brushed stainless steel and polished brass, and the Dahlia decorative field tile behind the six-burner Kohler stovetop. Opposite page: Although the Miele dishwasher carries the heavy workload, rinsing a few dishes at the Kohler Whitehaven apron sink with a sensate faucet in polished chrome while looking out at nature is no hard chore either. The homeowners asked the architect to design the high-soaring scenic windows on the kitchen side to mirror those on the side of the family room.