This 1937 brick Colonial home in Montclair, New Jersey, is a study in personal style—shaped by the creativity and sensibility of the family who lives there. “My husband and I were city dwellers for many years before retreating to the suburbs,” says designer Megan Cherin. “As much as we loved the city, it’s been a really nice and refreshing move to get a little bit more breathing room and join this vibrant community. We love it here and are proud to call Montclair home.”
The couple shares the home with their two children, ages 6 and 8, a pit bull–basset hound mix, and a 15-year-old cat. “For our family to function here, we needed lots of storage and furniture that could take the wear and tear of 2 young kids and 2 pets,” she says. Fortunately, the house was already in excellent condition when they moved in. “We were fortunate that the house was deeply loved and cared for by the previous owners and we received it in really great shape,” she recalls. “So, we had a really good foundation in place when we started.”
Still, as is often the case with older homes, updates soon became necessary. “We were dealing with plumbing issues that snowballed into the large second floor renovations that we did,” she shares, which included the primary bathroom, primary closet, and the addition of a new laundry room. “What started out as stressful and overwhelming ended up being such a blessing. As much as I love and appreciate original details, it was such a joy to be able to add our touch to the home and better plan out the space. There were so many dead zones and odd quirky little details—hello two full bathrooms in the primary bedroom! —that we were able to improve upon.”
With a strong architectural foundation in place, Megan filled the home with meaningful pieces that tell a story. Her aesthetic is warm, lived-in, and deeply layered, with a strong emphasis on antiques and vintage finds. “As someone who sells vintage for a living and does interior design, these incredible, storied pieces are endlessly inspiring and what entire rooms are designed around,” she says. “For me, every vintage piece has a past life, and when it finds a new home, its story continues. That connection—between people, spaces, and the objects that fill them—is at the heart of my work both in my own home and for clients.”
While the renovations took approximately six months, Megan is quick to note that the home is far from “finished.” “I’m constantly making tweaks and adjustments, big and small, switching out antiques and artwork (which can make a really big impact in their own right), painting rooms, and starting new projects,” she explains. “The biggest challenge was adjusting from a lifetime spent in tiny New York City apartments to suddenly having so much space. I had never had this much space available to me before; I could barely wrap my head around it! We, of course, owned nowhere near enough furniture when we moved and it felt like quite a feat to simply furnish it properly!”
That challenge ultimately became the catalyst for Cherin Studio. “I was constantly on the hunt—auctions, estate sales, Facebook Marketplace—for interesting items for my own home when I started to buy some extras here and there and offer them for sale,” she recalls. “What I was offering really resonated with people, and it quickly gained momentum.” “It wasn’t long before my furniture clients were asking for design guidance in their homes. I soon thereafter began rounding out my offerings with interior design services to fill this need and it all ended up coming together quite naturally.”
In the slideshow, the designer invites us inside her thoughtfully curated home, sharing each space room by room.
