Before Stacy Bush bought her nearly two-hundred-year-old farmhouse in Boonton Township, she knew her family’s next home would be unique. “I didn’t want a cookie-cutter house or a McMansion, and I didn’t want one needing lots of work.”
When Bush and her husband saw the house, it was clear that it met every wish on their list, but one. It did need work. However, its potential made it irresistible, and the family moved in during the spring of 2013.
Despite additions and renovations done over the years by previous owners, the house didn’t provide the Bush family with the functionality needed. The children’s bedrooms, part of the original house, were small with low ceilings. The kitchen was large, but outdated. Limited living space offered no place for the children to hang out with their friends.
Recently, Bush confronted these problems with an ambitious project. Overall, the Bushes renovated the kitchen and a home office, added a full basement to allow an area for the kids, as well as a great room upstairs, and two bedrooms on the top floor. The latter addition allowed for a reconfiguration to provide better space. There is even a unicorn space. How’s that for unique? But more on that later.
Realizing that she may have taken on too much, Bush brought in Riverlands Design, a hands-on firm that handles everything from minor room refreshes that jazz up the décor to major overhauls that require contractors and construction.
Megan Seminerio, co-owner of Riverlands with Cary Holbig, helped Bush tackle the kitchen renovation and great room addition. She oversaw everything, from décor to the work done by the contractor.
The main goal, noted Seminerio, was to make it a functional living space while also keeping its aged look, ensuring that the rooms throughout the house flow together. She said, “We stayed in the era of the house.”
For Seminerio, the challenge of this project was in “doing something that is technically a full gut renovation but feels like it has always been part of the house.”
This was also the best part of the job for Seminerio. “I love bringing in antiques and objects that can be refurbished. It brings character to the place,” she said.
Merging the 19th and 21st centuries was achieved by using warm woods, neutral palettes, and antique pieces. But it’s more than just flooring and paint that elevate the space. From the second you walk in, the home feels modern, yet completely true to itself.
For the great room, Seminerio used an antique tall dresser from an antique store and created a wet bar by taking a weathered style cabinet, replacing the glass inserts with metal to give it the “vintage look.”
The kitchen has a mix of modern appliances, quartz countertops, and pendant lights with a farmhouse sink, distressed furniture, and cabinets adorned with gold hardware.
Prior to the renovation, the kitchen didn’t have an eating area. Seminerio fixed this by adding a vintage table to the oversized island she had sourced for the room. Bringing the two pieces together was the perfect juxtaposition of old and new, an aesthetic that appeals to Bush, who said, “I didn’t want formal or sterile.”
“I can look at photos,” said Bush, “but I can never create by myself. What I do feels okay, but it is never quite good enough.” For Bush, the decision to use Riverlands was easy. “If you’re spending all this money, why not have someone help and do it right?”
The women met to discuss the project before the construction began. Bush offered inspirational photographs that revealed her varied taste. Seminerio then researched, planned, and sourced items. She would provide Bush with several options on things, moving through decisions from big items like flooring down to smaller choices like a lamp. When Bush had what she refers to as “decision fatigue,” she entrusted Seminerio to make the right choice.
The process was made easier with special software that Riverlands brings to every project. Technology made planning the house’s general mood as simple as it can be.
Bush called the results, “amazing.”
A feature she particularly enjoys is the aforementioned unicorn space. The term comes from author Eve Rodsky who encourages people to reclaim time for creative self-expression. In the Bush house, this space is on the top floor at the landing. It’s where Bush is learning to use watercolors and play mahjong.
At the end of a long and exhausting home project is the magical day when the finishing touches are completed and the big reveal happens. Bush recalled this moment, comparing it to the reveals on HGTV. She said, “I knew the choices made, but it was wow, I couldn’t do this. It’s nice to have it all done.”
Bush summed it up, “The process is difficult, especially with contractors. You underestimate how difficult it is. In the end, it’s an additional cost, but worth it for your own sanity. Let a design expert do it.”
We stayed in the era of the house. I love bringing in antiques and objects that can be refurbished. It brings character to the place.