Getting to know her clients on a personal level and understanding how they live in their space is what Michelle Pauline Interiors is all about. Following a career in advertising in New York City, Michelle Gomberg exited corporate America to focus on raising her family. She discovered a natural passion for interior design while building her own home and decided to pursue a degree in Interior Design, eventually launching Michelle Pauline Interiors. She now focuses on residential planning and luxury interior design with homeowners throughout Bergen County and Manhattan.
“My clients are well-versed about the trends and products on the market, but they need a designer to pull things together,” says Michelle. “I walk them through the details of a specific project; from the starting point to developing the layout and functionality of the space, and then to the final transformation. Form and function come first, and the design follows from there.”
Formal Dining Room
The formal dining room pictured had a tremendous amount of natural light, so Michelle’s goal was to provide a space that was gorgeous from the inside—as well as from the outside looking in. A hand-woven leather chandelier from South Africa provided the perfect amount of glow. The custom dining table makes a statement with its burnished metal base sculpted in a branch-like style, creating the definitive “wow” factor. The tabletop has gorgeous linear veins with a dark walnut stain. The table can seat ten guests comfortably.
“Understanding the client’s use of space, their entertaining needs, and their family life is essential to good design,” says Michelle. “We did a schematic of the table with seating and determined that ten chairs would be perfect.” The soft design and open sides of the chairs help to highlight the beauty of the table as opposed to a chair with arms. Warm metals complement the table base and are repeated in the window hardware and lacquered white bowl as well, which features a pop of green. The drapery fabric features elegant horizontal lines that balance the vertical pattern of the wall covering. Calla lily wall sculptures add a touch of grace and beauty in white and metallic gold. Luxury finishings and sophisticated touches add color and texture.
Foyer
"We wanted to highlight the tremendous amount of light gracing the foyer,” says Michelle. The custom stair runners highlight the colors of the branches, the roping of the ottomans and are visible through the banister railings. “It’s all done with intention,” says Michelle. “Even the book has subtle wine-colored undertones reflecting the buds of the branches on the table. All of the fibers and materials are diverse yet complementary.”
Office
The office was designed to encapsulate a masculine and luxurious feel. With leather-wrapped bookshelves and black cerused accents, the space speaks for itself.
Master Bedroom
Tones within the custom templated area rug dramatize the room along with the burnished frame of the bench. Finding the balance between modern and traditional, Michelle complimented the room with a chandelier of lacquered burnished brass and smoked glass which sets off the antique mirrors over the nightstands which accommodate alabaster table lamps. The entire master bedroom is covered in a basketweave wallcovering. “Tone-on-tone basketweave provides subtle elegance and a nice tranquil calming balance to the drama of the dark undertones,” says Michelle. "It's romantic and sophisticated and the homeowners are able to enjoy it as a bedroom and for leisure."
“Working with our amazing clients and getting to know them on a personal level, plays a huge role in setting the tone for our beautiful designs from a functional standpoint. We love getting to the root of how our clients live in their space, which family heirlooms will be repurposed (almost always), and what turns them on! At the end of the day, we want our clients to fall in love with their home…and they do.”
michellepaulineinteriors.com
On the left side of page 44, the title should read:
FROM FUNCTION TO DESIGN...The design strategies of Michelle Pauline Interiors
“My clients are well-versed about the trends and products on the market, but they need a designer to pull things together."