home
JUST LIKE
HOME
Designer Nureed Saeed renovates —
and sells — the house next door
WRITTEN BY CINDY SCHWEICH HANDLER
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF NU INTERIORS
W
hen her next door neighbors were ready to sell
their mid-century modern home, Nureed Saeed,
owner of Nu Interiors in South Orange, knew
exactly how prospective buyers should update it.
The designer’s own house was built in 1954,
eight years before the one being marketed — only
Saeed had renovated it to make it open and light-filled, and appealing to
contemporary families. She decided to buy her neighbors’ place, redesign
it and resell it herself. “It went from being one of the houses on the block
that needed a lot of love to one that a lot of friends and clients looked at
and almost considered buying,” Saeed says. “And for me, it was the best
commute ever. If the contractor needed me, I just said, ‘Walk on over.’”
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BACK TO SCHOOL 2018 MILLBURN & SHORT HILLS MAGAZINE
OPEN AND INVITING FOYER
(Above left) Before the home was remodeled,
visitors entering the foyer were surrounded by
’60s-era wallpaper, black and white floor tiles, and
a wall that hid the staircase. “I didn’t love that even
though the house has the same exposure as mine,
and sunlight should stream in during the morning
from the east, the home felt very dark,” says Saeed.
She opened up the staircase wall and installed sup-
porting slats that add an interesting architectural
detail. The floor, which gives the appearance of
wood, is actually durable Italian porcelain tile in a
herringbone pattern.