His wife wanted a room where he could enjoy drinks with the guys and watch TV.
N.J. Home Makeover is a new feature on NJ.com. To submit your renovation for consideration, email home@starledger.com with your full name, email address, phone number and town/city. Attach "before" and "after" photos of what you renovated.
Some homes have one well-styled room that goes largely unused, with a rule that no human or animal resident should press themselves into the sofa cushions or tread on light-colored carpeting to avoid disturbing this pristine receiving area for unexpected guests.
An East Brunswick couple decided to exchange this sort of living room for one that would actually encourage happy living. To enhance their 5-bedroom, 6-bathroom home of 12 years, the wife envisioned a man-friendly makeover for a room where her husband could enjoy drinks with the guys, have some laughs and watch TV.
"Her husband enjoys cigars and wanted to have his own space to spend time with his peers," says Gail Whiting, owner of Design Consultants, a Bedminster interior design firm. The wife had seen Whiting's work at an area designer show house and hired her to redesign the room.
The challenge, Whiting said, was to make the 12-by-15-foot room a masculine, comfortable and functional space within the 4,500-square-foot home, built in 2004.
The makeover
"The room was nothing but white sheetrock walls with this odd-looking soffit going around," she said. "It had no architectural detail. There was a fireplace in the room, but it was an old-fashioned one," she said." Poor lighting made matters worse.
The renovation was to be a birthday gift for the husband, and Whiting wanted to give it a clubhouse feel. She had the room gutted, removing the soffit that dominated the ceiling line but served no useful purpose (it did not conceal wiring, plumbing or any other essential household works). She brought in Victorian-era elegance, covering three walls with walnut paneling and built-in shelving stained in a cherry finish.
Those shelves are now lined with books, a collection of football helmets and assorted decorative accessories and artworks. On a pedestal, an artistic allusion to the room's function is displayed in a cigar-smoking "Royal Frog" by sculptor Frank Meisler.
Whiting crowned the room with a coffered ceiling, with inset leather panels to enhance its rugged features. The original oak floors were refinished to complement the new woodwork, and the fireplace wall was refaced with split stones, leaving a more contemporary horizontal opening for the fires.
Above the fireplace is a large flat-screen television. To shield it from heat when the fireplace is in use, Whiting used a granite mantel. "I picked a slab that blended with the stone so it didn't become an obvious feature on the wall."
One essential feature is a tall cabinet that complements the room's paneling as it conceals bar tools and bottled spirits behind hand-crafted doors. At the cabinet's bottom is a cigar humidor that was set into the cabinet after its arrival from Italy.
In addition to the plush, chenille-covered sofa sized for cozy napping, the room has two swiveling recliners. Near them, a round table has a hydraulic mechanism that allows it to be lifted with ease from coffee table height at 17 inches to a dining height of 30 inches or anywhere in between for card game or other uses.
While the room was designed as a man's space, it has become an area enjoyed by the entire family, including the couple's older children. "He's okay with sharing it," Whiting said. "It really was about making the room feel warm and inviting. You walk into this room, close the French doors and you are in your own world."
What they renovated
The living room
Who did the work
Design Consultants of Bedminster and various subcontractors
How long it took
From May 2012 to January 2013
How much it cost
$150,000
Where they splurged
"Everywhere, but in particular on the Italian cabinet that was retrofitted for the humidor," interior designer Gail Whiting said.
What they like most
The entire ambience. "The Oriental rug, dark hardwood floors, fabulous linen draperies mixed with wonderful accessories and a warm terracotta palette invite you to relax," Whiting said.
Kimberly L. Jackson may be reached at home@starledger.com. Find NJ.com Entertainment on Facebook.