When homeowners in Saddle River, NJ decided to sell their 10,000 sq ft home they offered its use as a show-house to benefit the Cancer Research Center at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey.

With only four weeks until the opening, Diane Paparo and Associates took on the 25’x60’ kitchen and breakfast area. Her mission: to transform the dark and traditional space into a colorful and contemporary gathering place.

To brighten the existing dark green countertops the backsplash was concealed with slightly mirrored silk glass to reflect light. The dark bronze cabinet handles were replaced with chrome to match the brushed stainless appearance of the backsplash. To break up the base cabinets, countertop, and wall cabinets, and to reflect light from the opposite wall’s six windows, Paparo covered the larger backsplash with a wavy lime lacquered panel.

Seeking to add contrast to the room and break up the large blocks of wooden cabinetry, Paparo covered the pantry doors with three custom-made curvaceous cream lacquered panels. The walls of the butler’s pantry, located to the left of the panels and lined with dark cabinetry, were highlighted with high sheen pistachio Venetian plaster.

Adding character and warmth through color, the walls were covered with tangerine paint and hand-stenciled with seafoam green luster stone. The wall opposite the pantry holds the kitchen’s high-end stove, range, and hood, and is accented with a seafoam green painting.

The exterior wall of the kitchen houses six full-length windows overlooking the pool and landscape, bathing the breakfast area in natural light. A cream sofa lines the window for additional seating. At the center lies a wool and silk area rug beneath the Luna table from DP Studio, designed by Paparo to appear as if the tabletop is floating above the vertical glass and lacquer base. The 11 ½ ft ceiling was coated in luster stone and tangerine stenciling.

Paparo’s bold and whimsical color palette and contemporary styling converted the kitchen without the addition of permanent fixtures or altering the room’s structure. The transformation was so remarkable that the homeowners have since removed the home from the market!

	Are you a designer? Send us your story!