In 2020, Stacy Shoemaker Rauen, who has roots in Monmouth County’s Two River region, moved from Brooklyn to Rumson with her husband, Jon, and their three boys to be closer to family. “There is something special about the area that keeps drawing you back,” she says. They fell for a 19th-century house on a Hamptons-like street. It had a large backyard overlooking a river cove and was close to local beaches. “It was 100-plus years old and needed work, but we loved the bones,” she says.
With decades of experience in the hospitality-design industry, Shoemaker Rauen teamed with two New York firms—Workshop/APD, led by founding principal Matt Berman, and Mazzarini & Co., led by principal and creative director Dan Mazzarini—to reimagine the home. “Matt, Dan and their teams definitely didn’t disappoint,” she says. Renovations can pose challenges—especially when you open up walls, she explains—“but the collaboration created something really special.”
The gabled family room addition blends style and comfort while flowing seamlessly to the outdoors. “Instead of going traditional, we went with a more modern dark finish,” says designer Dan Mazzarini of the shiplap fireplace façade, painted in Onyx by Benjamin Moore. Photo: Adam Kane Macchia
The scope was substantial: an architectural refresh and updates throughout, lifting the house to meet current FEMA regulations, plus a modern gabled addition to accommodate a family room with sweeping backyard and water views, says Brook Quach, design director and senior associate at Workshop/APD. Conscious of what to retain and what to redefine, “there was a shared understanding that the home’s historic charm didn’t need to be stripped away to feel current.”
Interior layouts that once felt choppy were reorganized for improved flow, function, and connection to the outdoors, while traditional details were refined into a cleaner, classic aesthetic. “I realized my taste was more classic as we went through the process,” Shoemaker Rauen says. “I wanted it to feel timeless, modern, but comfortable. I love to have people over, so I wanted it to be a place where we, as a family, could lounge and host our friends and family.”
A generous island separates the kitchen from the family room and seats all five family members, creating a relaxed, practical space for dining and entertaining. Photo: Adam Kane Macchia
That vision guided the main floor’s transition into an open-concept kitchen and living area, where a palette of soft whites, powder blues and light wood tones converges in a sunlit space with water views, Mazzarini says. Classic inset panel cabinetry and marble countertops nod to the home’s history, while a glossy blue-tile backsplash draws its hues from the water beyond. “The goal was not to create a beach house, but a forever home that reflects the sky and coastline.”
The link between the dining room and the outdoors was enhanced with a wall of divided‑light windows—a “small move architecturally that completely changes how the house lives,” says Brook Quach of Workshop/APD. The custom mirrored chandelier from Yellow Goat Design is “fun, kinetic, and sculptural,” adds Mazzarini. Photo: Adam Kane Macchia
Quach highlights the strengthened indoor-outdoor relationship. “One of my favorite moments is the connection between the dining room and the outdoors, where modern divided-light windows frame a spectacular view of the yard and outdoor living spaces,” he says. Sliding black metal-and-glass doors off the family room and den open to new rear decks, making outdoor living integral to everyday use.
At the back of the house, new terraced decks and large glass openings dissolve the boundary from house to landscape. Photo: Adam Kane Macchia
Drawing on the polished aesthetics and durability of hospitality design, Shoemaker Rauen sourced most furnishings from hospitality suppliers, including pieces from their residential lines. “I’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly,” she says, “so I knew what I wanted.” Several pieces were customized for scale—most notably, an expansive oak dining table sourced from 1stDibs and a statement mirrored chandelier from Yellow Goat Design.
“A white, hotel‑style bed is always the best way to go,” says Mazzarini. In the primary bedroom, he layered “light and lovely” whites with black accents to evoke the feel of a five‑star retreat. Photo: Adam Kane Macchia
The upper floors were reconfigured to create a new primary suite, while the attic was converted into a third-floor guest suite and play area. The primary bedroom evokes a five-star retreat, with Mazzarini & Co.’s signature mix of “light and lovely” whites offset by black accents. “The timeless combination yields a serene, pared-down escape,” Mazzarini says, providing respite from the couple’s active lives while balancing understated elegance with inviting coziness.
Ultimately, the project preserves the home’s historic spirit while adapting it for contemporary family living and entertaining. Framed by river views and grounded in timeless details, it’s a place where the couple can do what they love most: throw the doors open and welcome friends and family in.
