This N.J. couple gave their 1963 home a gorgeous 21st century update

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Woodcliff Lake couple, a restaurant owner and a goldsmith, had grown weary of their 1963 home of 35 years, and they briefly considered moving.

But they still loved the town and how the house seemed so well integrated into its wooded setting. So they abandoned the idea of building a new home elsewhere and decided to put what would be $450,000 into renovating their five-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bathroom house.

To create exactly what they wanted, the project would involve work on the home's first floor, including the entry, living room, dining room, great room, family room and laundry room. There were also tweaks in the kitchen and several of the bathrooms. The outdoor pool area was refreshed.

Over the years, the couple's family life had changed. The children who moved away would return to visit with grandchildren, and the couple wanted to make the 5,500-square-foot-house house more comfortable for frequent family gatherings and entertaining, said interior designer Mark Polo, who was hired to redesign and redecorate the home's interior.

"Part of what I did was organize the space so that it made more sense in the way they are using the house now," Polo said. "Everything sort of got shifted."

The shifting included swapping the family room and the dining room. The dining room is now closer to the home's entrance and a new, more spacious family room resulted from an 8-foot addition to accommodate more guests.

"They have a big family," Polo said. "Everybody comes over and they have dinner."

There were several specific challenges: Polo did not like the direction of the staircase, and there were several load-bearing columns that were unattractive but essential to the two-story home's structure. Polo also needed to create surfaces on which artwork could be displayed from the couple's vast collection.

A multi-purpose solution came in built-in cabinetry that houses the couple's art and possessions, helps reconfigure space in the mostly open plan of the home's first floor, and conceals the support beams.

He also repositioned the bar so it can be accessed from both the family room and the great room. "I shifted it to anchor the staircase," he said. "You see what looks like another art wall, but it is a bar on both sides so they can service both rooms from one bar."

Before the renovation, the house had a white color scheme with accents in gray, mauve and pink," Polo said. "We talked a lot about it. It needed to be more mid-century -- clean, architectural yet layered," he said. "I wanted it to be textural because she makes gold jewelry with precious stones."

The couple's art collection and the wife's jewelry designs informed his design recommendations for their home, Polo said. "It's nice to work for artistic people because there are things you can pull from them to make their home an expression of who they are."

What they renovated

The home's entry, living room, dining room, great room, family room and powder room. Partially updated the kitchen and outdoor decks. "We also addressed an en suite bath, a hall bath and a new laundry room," said the wife, who did not want to be named.

Who did the work

Mark Polo for the Urban Dweller of Boonton, interior designs and decorations; SMS Carpentry of Bound Brook did the construction. The couple also worked with architect George A. Held and Associates, Clifton

How long it took

14 months. "We phased it out because we continued to live in the home while it was under construction," the wife said.

What they spent


Where they splurged

"A little bit everywhere. Unfortunately great ideas come at a price. We did extensive cabinetry as we have many family possessions including beautiful dishes and accessories that we use a lot for parties. We are frequent entertainers. We also did a complicated lighting system. Along the way, you pull something out and then there is an opportunity to do something else, and it becomes an added expense," the wife said.

How they saved

The wife explained, "The kitchen was also getting tired, but Mark came up with a plan to address the coloring of some of the cabinets. Only re-tiling the floor saved us an amazing amount of money. We did address the breakfast area, but Mark used a large parsons table from my mother in law, refinished it and did a wonderful lighting fixture and fabulous chairs in vinyl shagreen with a tweed that were just perfect."

What they like most

"My home never functioned better, and when you walk in, everyone gives me the response I wanted them to have: 'WOW,'" said the wife.

What they'd have done differently

We could have moved and built a new home, but we would never have had such interesting spaces, nor the details that are so specific to our needs that make our lives function beautifully. But most of all when I walk in, as I am a jewelry designer and potter, I see the small details that make me smile inside.

Kimberly L. Jackson may be reached at Find Entertainment on Facebook.