Update
The makeover installed forced air
heating, with a separate zone on each of
the four floors, replaced wall sconces
with recessed lighting, gutted bathrooms
and installed electrical outlets.
Above all, the updates added brightness and comfort throughout. The unfinished staircase and foyer display the dark
wood that dominated the interior premakeover. The blue-walled family room is
located immediately to the left of the
entrance; a fireplace that dominated the
room was removed, and all-new furniture,
paint and carpeting made the space colorful and inviting. The leaded-glass double doors open to what used to be an
outside porch, but is now a playroom
lined with built-ins for the Clark children.
“The dining room had a heavy oldEnglish pub feel to it,” says Clark. They
removed an enormous fireplace and
paneling that extended to a plate rail,
and painted the coffered ceiling and
new paneling white.
The previous owners had expanded the kitchen, but they’d left behind an enormous
column in the middle of the room. The Clarks replaced it with a steel I-beam, added a
brightening paint job, replaced the lighting and window treatments, and installed new
shelving and wallpaper to the pantry.
All the bedrooms had “a crazy wavy plastered texture,” says Clark. In the master bedroom, they re-spackled, removed a closet where the bed currently sits and used the
wood to repair the area beneath the ripped-out radiators. They also painted the fireplace, and added the marble surround and new hearth. The walk-in closet is a former
bedroom. Below left, an eight-foot skylight shines light through a custom-designed
piece of stained-glass. “That was a big thing we did,” says Clark.
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SPRING 2016 MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE
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