With its bright, white walls and wide windows, Blanche Garcia of B. garcia designs’ project feels more like a modern California home than the New Jersey Colonial it truly is. Blanche says, “The house is very unassuming from the outside but when you walk in you are immediately hit with a large window that looks out to the backyard as the backdrop to a floating mid-century modern bubble chair. I purposely kept all the furniture at a low vantage point so that it felt like a sexy California lounge. There are modern aspects and pops of art that create an effortlessly chic West Coast vibe for the house.”
Blanche unified the space with a clean coat of white paint – minus the dining areas’ wallpaper – and selected all new stone and tile for the fireplaces, kitchen, and bathrooms. The wood floor was existing but Blanche enlisted Tim Murphy to custom-tint it a rich brown tone. She also brought in Shaun Killman to build a custom pantry barn door.
It was those types of custom details that helped the great room, with its vaulted ceilings and statement bar, win the HGTV 2017 “Faces of Design” award for living space. The home does not lack for great entertaining space, with two fireplaces and an open floor plan. For cozy reading time, however, you’d find us in the built-in nooks that flank the custom bookcase.
The bulk of the project happened between six and eight years ago, while additions such as the outdoor pool area, the children’s quarters, and the primary bedroom being completed over the past few years. “Our clients and I share the same sentiment, in that we have co-created a home that not only supports who they are as a family, but that will be the backdrop for their future children,” the designer shares.
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