When a professional couple with two young children bought a cookie-cutter colonial in Randolph, they hired Kathy Samaan—founder and principal designer of Samaan Design Group in Hoboken—to reimagine it.
“They wanted the majority of the home to function better for their family and for entertaining,” Samaan says, so the project became a near gut renovation. Her mission: infuse the 1990s house with warmth and character, layered with modern touches and subtle European details.
The kitchen blends traditional warmth with modern simplicity. “It was built around the balance of dark and light,” Samaan explains. Some existing espresso-tone cabinets have been repurposed and paired with new oak cabinets in a warm finish, both rendered in a clean-lined Shaker style. A custom range hood—dark-stained wood with white marble inlays—echoes the stone accents and the espresso cabinets. “When you’re in the space, you experience the small details,” says Samaan. “We love that as a company.”
Cabinetry hardware from Modern Matter—tortoiseshell and brass—are the “jewels of the kitchen,” Samaan says. “They add a layer of visual interest that ties in with all the colors at play.” Matte-white appliances lend a fresh look; all stainless steel, she felt, would have been overwhelming. “We opted to stick to the color palette we created: espresso, white and warm oak.”
Existing hardwood on the entire first floor and part of the second was refinished, restained and extended where needed. To warm the space and reflect the client’s love of Spanish Revival, they chose a dark espresso finish that complements selected artwork, tones and textures throughout.
Elevate Your Home and the Way You Live
Sign up for the Design NJ newsletter for monthly home design inspiration, trends and expert insights to help you create a more beautiful home and elevate your everyday living in New Jersey.
After reworking the kitchen layout and extending it a few feet, the team fulfilled two homeowner requests: a large, storage-packed island to replace an awkward peninsula; and a dedicated coffee bar. Island and perimeter countertops are honed white quartz, while the coffee-bar shelving and countertop use dramatic Viola porcelain, a natural stone look that’s stain resistant and low maintenance.
The adjacent step-down living room was enhanced with a custom dry bar—complete with storage and display space—and floor-to-ceiling white-oak panels around the fireplace for added depth and character.
In a home with young children and a dog, durability guided material choices without sacrificing beauty. “You can have both,” Samaan says. The fabric on the living room sofa is Krypton, a durable, stain-resistant textile that holds up to family life. High-performance fabrics also cover earth-toned velvet swivel chairs in the living area and a curvilinear cognac sofa in the moody home office—proof that practical textiles can still feel luxe and inviting. For Samaan, that harmony of function and feeling isn’t just a design choice; it’s a guiding wellness principle.
“I’m passionate about wellness in design,” says Samaan, who gravitates toward rounded shapes, curvy forms and organic elements that foster a calming atmosphere. “From a neuroscience standpoint, curvilinear pieces allow our nervous system to rest.”
In the office, a faceted coffee table from Four Hands reads like an organic cut stone, while sculptural lighting—a multilinear ceiling fixture and a globe pendant over the kitchen island— adds softness, fluidity and warm brass glow.
Upstairs, the design team restructured the layout to create a custom walk-in closet in the primary suite, as well as a steam/wet room clad in reeded, bamboo-like tile.
The primary bedroom is sophisticated and serene in high-contrast black and white: wall panels inset with textured Phillip Jeffries wallpaper, a CB2 metal bed frame customized with an upholstered headboard, and organic accents that temper the palette.
“For me, everything is about balance,” says Samaan.
