Garden Street Historic Restoration by J. Patryce Design

A few blocks back from the Hudson River in New Jersey is Garden Street, where rows of brownstones sit behind tree-lined footpaths. Garden Street Historic Restoration is one such brownstone, and its recent reimagining by Joan Enger of J. Patryce Design suggests a sensitive coming together of old and new.

The client inherited the home and “felt particularly nostalgic and protective over who she would place this turn-of-the-century brownstone into the hands of,” says Enger. “My husband and I had a prior connection with the family and a reputation for respecting original details, so she reached out when it was finally time to renovate the 20-foot-wide beauty.”

From the outset, the design intent was grounded in maintaining and celebrating the home’s heritage.

From the outset, the design intent was grounded in maintaining and celebrating the home’s heritage. On the ground level, also known as the parlour level, many of the original features have been retained, including the elaborate plasterwork, mahogany staircase and marble mantles, which “recall a bygone era,” offers Enger. Custom double doors inspired by the original doors, which had already been removed, create a striking sense of arrival fitting for this home’s innate grandeur.

The quiet and refined materiality includes white oak, unlacquered brass, neutral paint colours and creamy natural stone. Rift white oak flooring laid in a herringbone pattern stretches from front to back, creating visual continuity across the main level and bridging old and new elements. This detail is repeated in the bathroom, where tumbled limestone tiles are arranged in a herringbone pattern alongside honed Calacatta and shiny Zellige tiles.

Though Enger’s scope of work was extensive, she has delivered it with a light and intuitive touch.

Two grand arches lead to the bright and airy kitchen at the rear, where steel-framed windows capture views of the backyard, and a door opens onto the terrace. At over three metres high, the ceilings are a welcome reminder of the building’s lineage, and a custom ladder rail fixed to the cabinetry adds a welcome, old-world touch alongside the informal banquette seating.

Though Enger’s scope of work was extensive, she has delivered it with a light and intuitive touch. The ornate architraves and ceiling roses exist in pleasing harmony with the contemporary colour palette and new joinery, meaning the home’s heritage undoubtedly prevails with a tempered, contemporary edge.

Architecture by Jensen C. Vasil Architect. Interior Design by J. Patryce Design. Build by The Mex Construction.