NJdesignN E W J E R S E Y ’ S H O M E & D E S I G N M A G A Z I N E

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PROBLEM-SOLVING LANDSCAPES

NEW CONSTRUCTION

CHOOSING COLORS

design directionsOCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2011

TRENDSETTING DESIGNERS AT DÉCOR BY THE SHORE SHOWHOUSE

N E W J E R S E Y ’ S H O M E & D E S I G N M A G A Z I N E

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2011

1011cover_FINAL.revise_COVERS 8/15/11 4:43 PM Page 1

OBSTACLES BECOME ASSETS IN A CLEVERLY DESIGNEDBASEMENT INSPIRED BY VINTAGE FINDS

entertainingways

Above: Adjustable pulley lights fitted with reproduction Edison bulbs create a warm, moody glow. Designer CarisaMahnken used once imposing iron lally columns to her advantage. Framed in mahogany with custom corbels theynow delineate the seating areas and echo the fine details of the antique bar. Opposite: The circa 1890s bar, modifiedslightly to fit alongside the back wall at right, was a staple piece that inspired the whole room, Mahnken says.Original 3/8-inch thick glass doors have a William Morris vine motif. Ice-box hinges and meticulous carving details areamong the features replicated on the newly built mahogany cabinetry and adjacent bar, which houses a sink, winerefrigerator, party size ice-maker and other modern amenities.

WRITER: MEG FOX

PHOTOGRAPHER: PETER RYMWID

DESIGN: CARISA MAHNKEN DESIGN GUILD

WRITER: MEG FOX

PHOTOGRAPHER: PETER RYMWID

DESIGN: CARISA MAHNKEN DESIGN GUILD

As Featured in October/November 2011 of

their directives were to “create a space that didn’t feel like a base-ment,” designer Carisa Mahnken recalls. The couple — who enjoyentertaining — envisioned a fun atmosphere for small and large gath-erings apart from the rest of the house. “I didn’t want to replicatethe spaces they had on other levels,” says Mahnken, principal ofCarisa Mahnken Design Guild, a full-service design/build firm inMountain Lakes. Instead they wanted to create unique areas thatwould function as entertainment space or that would be intimateenough for frequent use by the family alone.

The idea for an Irish pub came from the homeowners — completewith a large bar and a commercial-inspired restroom. They also envi-sioned space for their teenage children to hang out separate from theadults. And because everyone in the household plays an instrument,a stage would be the perfect venue for practicing and performing.

Space Plan ChallengesLike most unfinished basements, this one was alive with the soundsof mechanical equipment and was crawling with metal support

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The copper tray ceiling in the bar and billiards roomprovide access to mechanicals without compro mis ingthe design. A salvaged Victorian-era coat rack can beseen in the background at left. Rustic wood flooring,with its scattering of knots and color varia tion, waschosen for its rugged character. Inset: A green Celtictile surround resonates with the Irish pub-type theme.

When a Far Hills family decided to finish their lower level,

Top: An antique pooltable from Blatt Billiardsin New York City lendsan air of authenticity.Here it’s paired withreproduction billiardschairs and a billiardsscoring rack. The spacebeneath the chair rail iscovered in historicAnaglypta wall coveringglazed for a wornappearance, Mahnkensays. Arched glass doors(at left in photo) lead tothe Connoisseur room, amore intimate space thatcomplements the largeopen area. Bottom: “Thehomeowners all playinstruments,” soeveryone enjoyspracticing or performingon stage, Mahnken says.Beyond the curtain is akaraoke system, lyricsscreen and sound-system equipment.Traditional stage lightschange colors and keepthe focus on buddingrock stars. Open millworkdetails are designed topreserve the acoustics.The decorative screen,cello bench, stool andassorted accessories areantique. When theantique bar wasmodified, millworkersused leftover wood toconstruct the dartboardcabinet at left of stage.

beams, gas lines, and HVAC ducting that divided thespace in challenging ways. “Many of the details of theproject — including copper tray ceilings, the fireplace, thestage, and the barrel-vault hallway — were designed todisguise the mechanicals,” Mahnken says. “In the end,those workarounds turned out to be our favorite features.”Built-in seating made the most of a quirky corner in the

teen room, for instance, while a low-hanging ceilinginspired an arched niche in the bathroom.

One lone window drove the placement of the teenzone, an area that would benefit most from daylight use.Designed to be funky and durable but still fit with thecommercial feel of the pub, a tin ceiling provides accessto mechanicals while distressed black laminate floors with-

stand the likes of spilled nail polish and markers. Built-insprovide a craft surface for messy projects and storage forsupplies. The diner bench, purchased from a restaurantsupply house and upgraded with metallic faux leather,“provides the ideal hangout space, complete with a juke-box and reproduction Navy chairs,” she says.

Pulling it TogetherThe rest of the areas — bar, connoisseur room, bathroom,stage and exercise space — “were fitted like puzzle pieces”within the constraints of the mechanicals, Mahnken says.The idea for the connoisseur room (wine tasting/cigarroom) came later in the space-planning stage. “We real-ized it would be nice to create a more intimate space”where you could get away from a large party, smoke acigar, talk business or entertain a few friends, Mahnkensays. There low-hanging mechanicals inspired the idea for

the barrel-vault ceiling, a feature that preserves as muchheight as possible while setting the stage for the cozy area.Exterior-quality French doors and heavy-duty fresh airventilation keep the smoke from filtering into otherspaces. That and the designer’s selection of less smoke-absorbing materials: stone cladding, leather seating andhammered copper countertops. Custom cabinets conceal abuilt-in humidor and a television.

Spirit of AuthenticityWhile the homeowners wanted an Irish pub atmosphere,they wanted it to be elegant and authentic rather thancontrived. As a result, Mahnken reached out to her net-work of salvage dealers for historically inspired finds.Among the discoveries was a bar that German immigrantsmade in the Brooklyn Navy Yard in the 1890s. As thestory goes the bar was brought by barge to a Hoboken

Opposite and above left: Low-hanging mechanicals inspired the barrel vaulted-ceiling in the wine and cigar tasting room. A mix of stoneworkproduces an aged effect along with plastered walls and distressed built-in cabinetry. Because the terra-cotta flooring looked too perfect, it wasdistressed with two coats of walnut brown stain, which the contractor wiped on and off in increments. Mahnken commis sioned the center floormedallion from an artisan in Turkey. An exterior-quality door (shown above left) and heavy-duty fresh-air ventilation help curtail the smoke. Inaddition, “we used stone, leather and metal (counters are hammered copper made in Mexico) so the smoke would not be absorbed as easilyinto the surfaces,” Mahnken says. Above right: Custom cabinetry contains a built-in humidor and a television so you can “take in that gameyou just can’t miss while smoking your cigar,” Mahnken says.

Above: “The teen space was designed to be funky and durable butstill fit in with the commercial feeling of the pub,” Mahnken says. Avintage table base and reproduction Navy chairs pair with dinerbench seating that was purchased from a restaurant supply houseand reupholstered in metallic faux leather. Chalkboard paint alongthe back wall allows for freedom of expression. New industrialcasters give leftover chairs from elsewhere in the house a newattitude. Right: Built-ins provide a surface for craft projects andstorage for supplies. The sleek metal stool — found in the tooldepartment at Sears — was reupholstered in cool metallic fauxleather. Distressed and durable black laminate flooring keeps upwith whatever the kids can dish out.

establishment where it served patrons for generations.Now it brings its own sense of history to the Far Hillshome, where it was lovingly restored and slightly retrofit-ted to fit along a back wall.

“The great part about using salvage is that somethingunexpected can come back from those searches andinspire the whole room,” Mahnken says. The new built-incabinetry and adjacent sit-down bar, for instance, echothe old bar’s original carvings and ice-box hinges. And“iron lally columns, now sheathed in mahogany and deco-rated with custom corbels,” match the details of the vin-tage bar and define the seating areas around it, she says.

Left: French doors and floor-to-ceiling windows assure that the light from the lone windowin the teen room flows into the barrel-vault hallway and exercise area. Above: To tackleuneven wear in the exercise room — especially around the boxing equipment — thedesigner chose modular FLOR carpet tiles that can be replaced one at a time as apractical, heavy-use solution. Walls are painted in Benjamin Moore’s Greenfield Pumpkin.

Any leftover pieces from the retrofit were used to con-struct a dartboard cabinet in the billiards room.

“The homeowners have great taste and appreciate unique-ness,” Mahnken says, so the commercial-inspired bathroom— like the bar — evolved around antique finds and thedetails they inspired. According to Mahnken, the circa 1905his-and-her swinging stall doors were recovered from a for-mer junior high school in Atlantic City. The leaded-glassentry door, transom window and closet doors were salvagedfrom local buildings and restored. Quartersawn oak trim-work was milled and distressed to complement the doors.As a nod to the Irish pub, “the custom mosaic floor andwall borders reference a subtle Celtic motif and comprise sixshades of marble,” Mahnken says. Subway tile, exposedplumbing and a Calcutta marble washstand all contribute tothe room’s commercial look.

Among the basement’s special touches are those youcan’t see, Mahnken says. Features such as specialty-foaminsulation, ventilation, humidity control, and sound andwater proofing systems used in its construction. Suchqualities “ensure that the space doesn’t have a basementfeel” and make it every bit as comfortable as the rest ofthe house, she adds. DNJ

SOURCES Overall: design/build firm, Carisa Mahnken Design Guild(CMDG) in Mountain Lakes; general contractor, Next GenerationHomes Inc. in Far Hills; cabinetry and millwork, Noble Woodworks Inc.in Staten Island. Bar: circa 1890s bar against wall, CMDG; reproduc-tion bar, cabinetry and millwork, Noble Woodworks Inc.; copper tinceiling, American Tin Ceiling Co. in Bradenton, Florida; sofa, lighting,and copper firescreen, CMDG; vintage coat rack, Bonny NeimanAntiques in Summit; bar stools, Hancock and Moore through NobelRugs & Home in East Hanover; area rug, The Rug Importer in EastHanover; appliances, Karl’s Appliance in Caldwell; fireplace tile sur-round, Motawi Tile through Imaginative Design Center in Bedminster;wall color, basecoat paint above chair rail, Benjamin Moore WilmingtonTan (HC34) with custom glaze; wall covering below chair rail(Anaglypta) with custom glaze, John Marrett Decorative Finishes inMendham. Billiards Room: antique pool table, Blatt Billiards in NewYork City; billiards chairs, spool chair and pool rack, GreenbaumInteriors in Morristown and Paterson; lighting, CMDG, custom dart-board cabinet, Noble Woodworks Inc. Stage: drapes, vintage cellobench, stool and accessories, CMDG; guitars, homeowners’ collection;paint, Benjamin Moore Peal Green (HC-121) with a custom glaze.Connoisseur Room: cabinetry, Noble Woodworks Inc.; plasterwork, JohnMarrett Decorative Finishes; coffee table, Greenbaum Interiors; coppercounters and leather chairs, CMDG; reclaimed terra-cotta tile floors,Mediterranean Tile & Marble in Fairfield. Teen Space: laminate floor,Pergo from Lowe’s; tin ceiling, American Tin Ceiling Co.; vintage tablebase, aluminum chairs and custom diner bench, CMDG; lounge chairs,

The custom mosaic floor and wall borders in the commercial-feeling bathroom “reference a subtle Celtic motif comprisingsix shades of marble,” Mahnken says. The settee is an antiquethat retains its original finish and fabric.

His-and-her circa 1905 stall doors, found at Recycling the Past inBarnegat, were restored and salvaged from a former junior high school inAtlantic City. Other restored vintage finds lend instant character and age:the leaded glass entry door, transom window and closet doors. Trimworkis quartersawn oak, milled and distressed to match the patina of the olddoors. Sometimes the best way to address a quirky corner with a lowceiling is to emphasize it. This was the case with the cleverly designedarched niche that frames the double sink (left). An old washstand thatMahnken admired in a London hotel inspired the custom marblecountertop. The top shelf was meant to hold “tip” jars, she says.

homeowners’ with new casters from Home Depot; painting, BonnyNeiman Antiques; stool, Sears, reupholstered with metallic fauxleather from Kravet; recycled rubber cork board and assorted acces-sories, www.cb2.com; stainless steel counter and drawer units,IKEA; blackboard panels, Staples; wall paint above chair rail,Wilmington Tan (HC-34), paint below chair rail, Dartsmouth Green(691), chalkboard paint, all by Benjamin Moore. Barrel-vault hall-way: plasterwork finish, John Marrett Decorative Finishes; floor tile,Mediterranean Tile & Marble; lighting, CMDG; Bathroom: custommarble countertop and tile, Mediterranean Tile & Marble; stalls,circa 1905 through Recycling the Past in Barnegat; millwork, NobleWoodworks Inc.; assorted vintage items (leaded glass entry door,transom window, closet door, settee, painting), CMDG; urinals,Kohler; light fixtures and sink base, Restoration Hardware; wallcolor, Benjamin Moore Great Barrington Green (HC-122); ceilingpaint, Benjamin Moore Wilmington Tan (HC-34).