home
Everything Old
Can Look
New Again
Bright colors, cool fixtures and fun fabrics update traditional homes
WRITTEN BY CINDY SCHWEICH HANDLER PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF DAVID NELSON PHOTOGRAPHY
It’s a common challenge for interior designers: The clients want you to create a bright,
contemporary space using their traditional — sometimes old, often dark — furnishings.
Susan Barbieri, the Hawthorne-based owner of Susan Barbieri Interior Design,
shows here how she resolved this issue in two local homes.
Location:
Totowa
“I am most inspired by my
clients, and aim to reflect their
individuality in the design of
their homes,” says Barbieri.
“Often, that may include weav-
ing existing furnishings, travel
keepsakes, and collectibles in a
way that combines good
design with what's meaningful
to them.” The owners of this
home wanted their foyer to be
more interesting, and to make
the room next to it a place
where the husband, a mytholo-
gy buff, could work and enter-
tain. The couple’s families both
came to America from Italy, so
Barbieri mounted four prints
of antique Roman settings on
the wall, and leaned an origi-
nal work of the Roman god
Hermes against the mirror to
avoid putting holes in the
wainscoting.
26
FALL 2017 WAYNE MAGAZINE
LIGHT AND AIRY
The white and espresso of the foyer’s marble floor is neutral yet elegant, creating a clean, bright feel.
The colors are consistent with the study (opposite, top).