Reconstructing Home Base
Writer Meg Fox | Photographer Meghan Balcom | Designer Judy Sturdevant, Allied ASID | Architect Dawn Heifetz, RA, NCARB, AIA | Builder Triangle Contracting & Painting | Photo Stylist Patricia Schieber | Contractor Steve SkaarResilient homeowners rise above a major loss with gratitude and helping hands
When a devastating electrical fire destroyed the interior of Carin and David Blatteis’ Warren home of 20-plus years, there was only one thing to do: Rally the troops and move forward. “All things considered, we were very lucky,” Carin Blatteis says, noting the couple and their two grown daughters were not home when the fire claimed just about all of the home’s contents. Sadly, however, they did suffer the loss of their family dog.
The job of reconstructing the interior of the 3,600-square-foot Colonial-style home — initially built in 2000 — fell to three key contributors: registered architect and family friend Dawn Heifetz, founder of DPH Designs in Scotch Plains; interior designer Judy Sturdevant, principal of Westfield-based Freeman Hall Design; and builder Steve Skaar, whose firm Triangle Contracting & Painting in Scotch Plains specializes in remodeling and fire restoration.
“The house had extensive smoke damage, so the structure was taken down to the studs,” recalls Sturdevant, an allied member of the American Society of Interior Designers. “Dawn and I collaborate on many projects together, but this one really pulled at our heartstrings,” she says. “This is a family that had lost so much yet were always so grateful and gracious. “There was not enough we could do for them.”
After the loss of their material possessions and their dog, Jake, “They were in a mindset of recognizing what was most important in life and, as such, wanted to simplify; they just needed a home to come back to and make them feel safe,” Sturdevant recalls. “I think their primary design objective was to create a comfortable and uncluttered sanctuary.”
Faced with a clean slate, challenges became opportunities to improve and enhance the home’s flow and function — all within the existing footprint. The foyer, open and airy with a simplified oak banister and black iron railings set against a backdrop of walls painted soft white, “informed the overall aesthetic of the home,” Sturdevant says. It also sets the stage for the home’s neutral palette and more streamlined feel. “You don’t need to overdo things” to make a house a home, Blatteis says.
To further a feeling of casual, comfortable and inviting spaces, a once formal living room in the front of the home — which received little use previously — was converted into a cozy bar and lounge space. “I’ll sit in there because it’s relaxing and quiet,” Blatteis says adding that their new dog likes it too! Access to the home office is now conveniently reached from this room instead of from the family room, where it ate up wall space.
Blatteis, who now works from home, finds the newly decorated office more comfortable and user-friendly thanks to features such as a chenille upholstered chair, a modern desk and a classic dark navy faux linen sideboard for storing office essentials. After the fire, she learned “there was no need to store the thousand pieces of paper, receipts or bills” that she previously kept there. “It’s a lot more minimal than the old office,” she says, and “easy to be in.”
Storage and function were capitalized throughout. Relocating the powder room from a hallway off the kitchen to the center of the house made way for a stylish and efficient mudroom/laundry area in addition to a walk-in pantry just off the kitchen. Widening doorways between various rooms was another modern update that made the interior feel more open and spacious.
The kitchen, fitted with white-painted cabinets along the perimeter, stained quarter-sawn oak on the island and white quartz countertops, is much “cleaner and brighter,” Blatteis says. While it received many enhancements, such as a larger island with storage that almost doubled in size, there is one material item that Blatteis particularly cherishes: a ceramic spoon rest shaped in the form of a taxi cab — the very first houseware she picked up on a trip to New York City after the couple became engaged. “I love to cook and it’s always been in my kitchen,” she says. After sifting through soot, water and piles of debris, the fire marshal uncovered it intact. “It means the world to me.”
Though most living areas adhere to a calming neutral palette — including the family room and dining room — color finds expression in a variety of artwork. “Considering we started with not one piece of furniture and very few personal objects, the artwork played a key role in completing the design of each space,” Sturdevant says. “The clients enjoyed the occasions when we selected the various pieces of art as it offered a chance to add more personal touches that reflected their taste and vibe,” she says. “I felt that it was important that each piece of art speak to them and feel collected.”
A variety of antique and vintage finds also figured prominently into the mix. “If everything was brand new, I think I would have been more unnerved,” Blatteis says. “It would have been a stark reminder of what happened.” Striking that balance between old and new “helps ground the house and makes it feel warmer and lived in.”
While the need to rebuild was a most trying experience, compounded by the complexity and uncertainty of the Covid epidemic at the time, “I can’t say enough” about the architect, builder and designer, Blatteis says. “The three of them worked so well together and made everything so unbelievably easy for us.” The family moved back into the refurbished home just one year later. “We are so tremendously happy with everything.” Sturdevant speaks for the team when she says, “It really was a labor of love.”