You couldn't fail to notice the beautiful and plentiful original artworks in this Highlands, New Jersey home. From the outside, the house design is an unremarkable early 1980s three-story townhouse but, situated on the ocean and within commuting distance of New York City, the coastal and distant skyline views are something special.
What's even more special, however, is this home's interior design. The home of artist, gallerist, and interior designer, James Yarosh and his partner Barnet Cohn, it's not so much about how to bring artworks into interiors, but how to live with art.
'A study in “curated maximalism,” the interior style is a testament to my lifelong passion for the arts and my specific design philosophy,' explains James. 'My approach to interiors is shaped by my artist’s intuition and influenced by my travels around the world studying the design of major art museums.'
Take the tour to discover how art became the very heart of this home, leading James' design decisions and becoming, as he puts it, 'a celebration of a life well lived and the beauty that I see in the world'. Wouldn't we all wish for that in our homes?
'My approach to design is that of an artist,' says James. 'I learn and take inspiration from the past, yet create spaces that reflect and speak to the times in which we live.'
His dining room ideas bring the space to life against a background of natural gold and yellow and are a masterclass in decorating with art.
'Miriam Beerman’s large-scale painting Nothing Has Changed, (a feminist painting in yellows and pink about the roles of women) takes a seat at the table,' says James (yes, this really is living with art!), 'accompanied by Iliya Mirochnik’s Mudcracked Houses, and work by humanist artist Jacob Landau.'
Lucite back Cote France chairs surround the wenge wood dining table under an Artemide chandelier, all beautiful pieces that complement the artworks.
James brings his home bar ideas into the dining room scheme, with an Art Deco-style glass cocktail cabinet that treads lightly in the space but adds extra sparkle and just a suggestion of jazz age glamor.
It may just be a half wall, but it can still pack a punch with a bold blue paint and a mini gallery of artwork. A sideboard-style kitchen cabinet topped with a maximalist's dream of midcentury glassware and ceramics make a virtue of what might have been an awkward layout quirk.
Kitchen ideas and the blue tones are 'a nod to the sea that sparkles just outside the windows,' says James.
'The idea of me saying “yes” to a blue kitchen began after finding a slab of blue Macauba for the countertops.' adds James. 'The deeper blue walls were painted to match a foiled wallpaper below the chair rail, and other details such as the thick glass backsplash tiles and vintage millefiori glass beads that were fashioned into cabinet pulls. In addition to blue being my partner’s favorite color, I thought it added a little mirth and a reminder to not take the design of a smaller townhouse too seriously.'
Note the kitchen's decorative molding, just below ceiling height, one of the many details that James introduced throughout the property to give the house its 'bones'.
'The townhouse was builder grade basic,' he says, 'which gave me every excuse to re-envision it like a blank canvas.'
'As an interior designer, I have studied how art is displayed in major museums around the world and used this to inform how I curate spaces that spark intellectual conversations, feed the soul, and inspire hope,' says designer James.
An eat-in kitchen is of course about feeding the body but here it feeds the soul too, because when James and Barnet sit down to eat in this dining nook at the signed vintage tile-topped pedestal table, they have notable company. Humanist artist Sheba Sharrow’s large expressionist work Moto Perpetuo and Charlie Schaffer’s untitled self-portrait, among other Russian Realism works, fill the wall space here.
James' living room ideas required a complete re-imagining of the space but the remarkable results are more than worth it. Here's how he did it.
'We gutted and recreated the molding and recentered the fireplace to elevate the home’s simple box townhouse origins,' explains James. 'With the updates, a better spatial center was created for the marble floor patterns that opened the space visually in all directions.
'Working with my brilliant frame maker, Marcelo Barvaro and his frame carvers, I was able to create elegant lines for the space, including hand-carved columns, door frames, and ceiling medallions in mahogany.
'Custom silk drapery edged in Scalamandre pom-pom fringe echoes the patterned trim of the vintage Lalique Perles chandeliers. The ceilings throughout the home are painted Benjamin Moore Vanilla Milkshake, my favorite shade of white, the same color that I painted the walls of my gallery,' he adds.
The newly created detailed molding was then painted over one color, a saturated deep taupe, which then provides a supportive context for the gallery-style art collection, gallery hung in ornate gold frames to curate floor-to-ceiling displays. The living room art collection focuses on Russian Realism, including pieces by Yuri Kugach, Vjachaslav Zabelin, and Nikita Fedosov, as well as a large-scale diptych over the mantel.
Clean-lined, mid-century modern seating options, reminiscent of art gallery bench seating, outline the space.
Opposite the longest wall of the living room, in the stairwell, a collection of white paintings by Nonconformist artist Vachagan Narazyan, with white gold frames are hung in a nautilus spiral arrangement.
Further decorative detailing was introduced with custom bronze railings to delineate the edge of the staircase and James also replaced a half wall that surrounds the elevated dining area.
James' bedroom ideas reference the home's coastal setting, as well as revolving around the artwork. 'Rich, layered fabric throws stretch across the bed like waves, mimicking a shoreline, folding and creating patterns similar to those formed in the sand,' he says, adding 'Dark walls lead the gaze towards the exterior view. Pops of greens and golds around the room speak to the synergy of colors in nature, supporting the idea of rest and renewal. My own artwork graces the walls, including an intimate series, A Family Portrait. Canadian artist Daniel Barkley’s monumental painting Road to Bethesda commands the space, serving as a reminder that no matter your life journey, there are those among us who choose to put one foot in front of the other to continue on with dignity and grace.'
Even in the midst of such strong pieces, James reminds us that 'homes filled with fine art are meant to be lived in; they are a backdrop for memories, a place where life unfolds.'
And reflecting on the completed renovation and redesign as a whole, he adds: 'The overall effect serves as a mission statement of living with art, allowing my fine art collections to sit on top of layered craftsmanship and beauty, as symbols of our culture, not as additional decoration—but the stories of brilliant minds reminding us of triumph over struggle.
'Living with art, in an intentionally-designed home gives you fuel to face life’s challenges. It gives us proof that beauty does indeed always exist. Artworks that speak truths and connect our humanity through the ages give us perspective and hope that our own voices can make a difference in the world.'
Beauty does exist, and in a home such as this, where fine art, thoughtful décor, skillfully crafted furniture and meaningful vintage treasures rub along so happily together, it's easy to appreciate it.
Interior design: James Yarosh
Photography: Patricia Burke
