Houzz Tour: A Former New Jersey Firehouse Gets a Friendly Update
A designer guides her friend over the course of several years on a mission to make his apartment more cool
Designer Lauren Wills couldn’t sit by and allow her friend’s converted firehouse apartment to not reach its full potential. So she started making suggestions on how to highlight its hipness. “I was trying to push him to make it a little cooler,” she says of her bachelor friend living in the former firehouse in Hoboken, New Jersey.
They started slow at first, adding a sofa here and some lighting there. They eventually moved on to larger projects, like creating a stylish new lounge deck in the backyard and a new marble-topped drink station in the dining area.
They started slow at first, adding a sofa here and some lighting there. They eventually moved on to larger projects, like creating a stylish new lounge deck in the backyard and a new marble-topped drink station in the dining area.
Looking toward the living room from the dining area on the right and the one-wall kitchen on the left reveals many architectural features original to the building, such as beautiful crown molding and pressed-tin ceilings.
The opening off the dining area previously contained a few floating shelves stacked haphazardly with books. The owner originally wanted a wet bar but Wills talked him out of it because the kitchen and its sink are directly opposite, making another sink unnecessary — and a waste of money. Instead, Wills worked with California Closets to build out a wine-fridge area topped with a custom marble countertop.
A custom maple and steel dining table, which the homeowner commissioned prior to working with Wills, also had to account for the slope of the floors. “One leg had to be an inch and a half longer than the other,” Wills says.
The chairs were once used in the homeowner’s backyard, where they rusted. He liked the look of them so much he brought them inside to the dining table.
A custom maple and steel dining table, which the homeowner commissioned prior to working with Wills, also had to account for the slope of the floors. “One leg had to be an inch and a half longer than the other,” Wills says.
The chairs were once used in the homeowner’s backyard, where they rusted. He liked the look of them so much he brought them inside to the dining table.
Wills has been helping the homeowner decorate for several years. “He didn’t want to decorate or commit to too much at once,” she says.
She picked out the long bench seating about three years ago. “That wall is really long and specific,” Wills says. “This bench has great textured fabric, so I told him he has to get this for his apartment. He pulled the trigger on that without any argument.”
The homeowner is an avid surfer (there are spots in New Jersey and the Rockaways in nearby Queens) and keeps his surfboards leaned against walls throughout the home.
Bench: Ralph Lauren Home, via ABC Home
She picked out the long bench seating about three years ago. “That wall is really long and specific,” Wills says. “This bench has great textured fabric, so I told him he has to get this for his apartment. He pulled the trigger on that without any argument.”
The homeowner is an avid surfer (there are spots in New Jersey and the Rockaways in nearby Queens) and keeps his surfboards leaned against walls throughout the home.
Bench: Ralph Lauren Home, via ABC Home
The bedroom is off the living room. Inside, stairs lead up to an office loft that also features the owner’s books and art collection. The floors are high-polished concrete. Wills suspects the slat-wood ceiling was added more recently, possibly after Hurricane Sandy flooded the building with 6 feet of water.
Bed: West Elm
Bed: West Elm
The backyard was previously a “really sad-looking concrete pit,” Wills says. She worked with Empire Star contractors to build a two-level deck with built-in seating. Wood slats on the left cover unsightly cinder block, and Wills took the slats all the way around the end for continuity. Using the same wood and stain for the deck, slats and built-in seating gives the area some nice visual connectivity as well. Wills had the cushions and pillows made custom in Sunbrella fabric. The top to the cube table in the middle comes off to reveal a fire pit.
The homeowner had the deer prior to the renovation and really wanted to incorporate it into the new design. He had the square cutout created and planted the grass himself.
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More
Why You Might Want to Work With an Interior Design Pro
More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
House at a Glance
Location: Hoboken, New Jersey
Size: 1,800 square feet (167 square meters); one bedroom, one bathroom
Designer: Lauren Wills of Wills Design Associates
The unit occupies the back half of the first floor in what was a three-story firehouse in Hoboken, New Jersey. The building was converted to apartments years ago, before the owner moved in.
The gray upholstered sofa was one of the first things Wills helped the homeowner update in the living room. Given that the room is so large, she knew a large sectional would fill the space nicely. “The sofa is in three pieces, which is great because the floors have a significant slope to them so it was helpful to have it broken up,” Wills says. “It actually evens out.”
The light fixture is a collection of lamps made from woven recycled materials and soda bottles, hung at different heights and distances from a central point on the ceiling. “It was a lengthy process to hang but it was worth it,” Wills says.
Sofa: ABC Home; console and chair: DWR; curtains: custom, burlap