Photography by Nicole Franzen
Who Owns The Apartment?
This beautiful brownstone is owned by interior designer, Arianna De Gasperis. She discovered a true real estate gem located in Jersey City’s historical Van Vorst Park. This property is one of the first homes constructed in the entire park in 1852. Truly a special place to live. The brownstone is a 3,300 square-foot property with original details, making it the ideal canvas for De Gasperis to showcase her talent. She made sure to preserve as much as she could throughout the renovation.
Photography by Nicole Franzen
The Modern Kitchen Renovation
The original kitchen was narrow and too small. The first room De Gasperis wanted to renovate was the kitchen. She removed a wall, demolished a back staircase, and relocated a powder room to make a luxury modern kitchen. She wanted a kitchen that was completely functional for her lifestyle. There wasn’t any room for entertaining. Prior to the remodeling, the only route into the backyard was through the garden. So she decided to build a deck off the kitchen which provides an elegant outdoor area. The kitchen was expanded to twice its original size. The beautiful bay windows were enlarged to flood the kitchen with natural light. Unfortunately, the original parquet floors could not be salvaged. Ariana chose herringbone oak floors to restore the character of the space.
De Gasperis is inspired by European interior design. She teamed up with London-based design firm, DeVol, to design the cabinetry and paint them an olive green color. The paint color is Benjamin Moore’s Devonshire Green.
Photography by Nicole Franzen
The Original victorian Brownstone Details
While Ariana gutted the entire house, there are a few details that are original. The grand staircase shown above is the original staircase. There are also original trim and mouldings and fireplaces. She did a fabulous job maintaining the beauty of the historic home while integrating her own design style.
There were rooms and details that needed a lot of work such as the flooring and the bathrooms. Ariana completely transformed the bathrooms by increasing their size to make them more spacious and modern.
Photography by Nicole Franzen
An Elegant Living Room Design
How elegant is this living room design? The furniture is warm tones and mixes of textures. The brown velvet accent chair looks luxurious in the space. I adore the hints of vintage pieces. The vintage chandelier adds the right amount of glamour to the room.
Barrel Back Leather Swivel Armchair | Patina Chair
Velvet Rust Armchair | Chesnut Leather Chair
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Photography by Nicole Franzen
The Serene Primary Bedroom
The earthy bedroom is a neutral space with a unique green headboard. The Venetian plaster wall with trim moldings adds a charm that’s cohesive to the Victorian townhouse. The home decor is very minimalist with a vintage charm. She added a green velvet bench to match the headboard. I love how she adds sophisticated colors to the space.
Photography by Nicole Franzen
History of Van Vorst Park
Today’s blog comes with a quick history lesson about the famous neighborhood in Jersey City. The Van Vorst Park neighborhood was established in 1841. It was named after the powerful Van Vorst family, who were among the first Dutch settlers west of the Hudson River. It truly blossomed in the final half of the nineteenth century, pushed by population development throughout the New York area. the neighborhood consists of rows of uniform properties around the park.
