DesignNJ_JuneJuly2023_Digital Issue

Designed for entertaining, the living room is divided into three zones: love
seats for gatherings of four or more in front of the fireplace, a reading corner
with a Saarinen table and a pair of swivel chairs, and a game table that
doubles as an extra serving surface during parties.
BEFORE
the country” but is only a 30-minute drive to a major airport. Their
home, known as the Suydam House, according to the Harding Township
Historical Society, was home to a dairy farmer named Henry Suydam in
the late 1800s. It’s quite possibly connected to Somerset-based Suydam
Farms, run today by the 13th generation of the Suydam family.
“We knew the moment we stepped inside that it was a special house,”
says Muirhead, principal of Jennifer Muirhead Interiors. “The glasswork
around the front door alone was stunning.” They found the home well
cared for and in decent shape. Still, they were ready to make some changes.
“It was really important to us that we retain its history and charm,”
Muirhead says. Moreover, “we loved the idea of being part of the ‘story’
of a home.” One of the first things the couple did before moving in was
to remove the “new” floors from the 1920s in various rooms and restore
the original pine planks underneath. “We loved seeing the old iron nail
heads in the original floors,” she says.
The process came with some surprises — namely in the dining room,
where they uncovered evidence of a fire. Consequently, a flooring
specialist restored what they could and filled in the rest with reclaimed
pieces from an old train station along the Lackawanna Railroad line.
…..
As much as Muirhead is drawn to old houses and their distinct charms,
she didn’t want her home to feel like a museum or locked in time. Rather,
50 June/July 2023