This 'Low-Lift' Renovation Transformed a New Jersey Home From Builder-Grade to Warm and Lived-in

While some projects require a home to be totally gutted (and the upheaval that comes with it), fortunately, some require a slightly lighter touch.

For the owner of this home in Union County, New Jersey, an extensive renovation wasn't the brief for interior designer Allison Handler. Instead, an interior re-fit that would bring a sense of comfort and homeliness to what was once a largely characterless property.

"This project was purely a cosmetic renovation," Allison tells me. "We weren't moving walls or doing any heavy construction, which meant we had to get creative with how we transformed the space." The owner wanted her home to feel cozier and less "builder-grade with room for more of her personality and distinct design decisions to come through.

The challenge? The proportions of the modern home made achieving the sense of intimacy tricky. "The space itself has high ceilings and large layouts, so making it feel more intimate and warm became the driving force behind every decision we made.

There wasn't anything distinctly wrong with the existing home, and the owners had been living in it for some time already, just "hadn't yet invested in the furniture and finishing touches needed to make the space feel like home," Allison explains. For example, the existing couch was far too small for the large great room, so we brought in a beautiful U-shaped sectional to comfortably fit the family and leave room for guests."

Alongside the furniture, in Allison's quest to bring "warmth, coziness, and an overall sense of home" to the property, layered, atmospheric lighting was the key.

"Lighting is my favorite item to source," Allison says. "It can really change a space, adding both character and depth. We knew we needed a gorgeous chandelier for the great room, which boasts amazing 20' ceilings. For the dining room, we wanted to lean into a moodier vibe, and the Arteriors chandelier we selected was perfect for the space, with its chain detail and dramatic presence."

Many of the hero lighting pieces came from Hudson Valley Lighting: "the flush mounts running down the hallways and the pendant in the breakfast area both have a geometric quality that works beautifully with the interior architecture of the home."

The lighting, used to create a distinctly warm glow throughout the space, is just one part of the home's color story. It wasn't a project that demanded bright color or stark contrast to make an impact, rather keeping to a soft but interesting palette.

"We kept everything neutral but with character," Allison explains. "We leaned into a black-and-white approach in the great room, which allowed the bold Viola marble fireplace we added to really stand out." Walls painted in Sherwin Williams' Greek Villa create the perfect warm white backdrop that takes this space from builder-grade to feeling lived-in. "It is my favorite warm white paint. It almost glows when the lights are on."

"In the dining room, we kept things dark and moody while still maintaining a neutral palette overall," Allison adds. The wallpaper, Kintsugi by Porter Teleo with its glimmering gold 'cracks', provides the starting point for the design ("this particular shade of green was actually the starting inspiration for the moody palette we ended up building the whole room around," Allison says), complemented by a tonally darker paint color for the paneling and ceiling, Urbane Bronze by Sherwin Williams.

It's not the only space where wallpaper does the heavy lifting to add depth to the schemes. "Texture is always an important element to me in any design, and the wallpaper really achieved that here," Allison says.

"Even within a limited palette, we let textures and subtle details shine," the interior designer adds. "The wallpapers in the office and powder bathroom also have distinctive finishes that add depth without adding color."

In the owner's home office, Phillip Jeffries Runway Rivets wallpaper brings an edgy quality to the space, and a texture that comes alive when washed with a soft glow from Corbett Lighting Akemi wall sconces, fitted on the walls. "In the powder room, Phillip Jeffries' Vinyl Croc in Back to Black was the perfect chic-but-minimal update that completely transformed the space," Allison adds.

Without moving walls or changing the house structurally, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the change from before to after is just as lowkey as the renovation itself.

"For me, the end result of creating such a warm and cozy environment with such a low lift renovation was the biggest surprise," Allison says. "People often overlook the simple things that really can transform a space, such as simply changing a paint color or having furniture that properly fits the space."