WRITER DENISE DIFULCO

PHOTOGRAPHER MARCO RICCA

DESIGNER ELIZABETH VIZZONE

Simply StylishWhen designing a room, start by removing

what isn’t necessary or what you no longer love, Elizabeth Vizzone advises

Opposite: A simple butwelcoming entryway leads intothis vestibule, where designerElizabeth Vizzone and herguests can get their bearingsand attend to their belongingsbefore making their way inside.

Left: The home’s overallaesthetic of streamlinedelegance never deviates fromthe first steps into the foyer.

Below: When Vizzonepurchased her home, theshutters were missing from thefirst-floor windows. In addition,the French doors leading to theliving room had lanterns onboth sides, appearing to signalthe main entrance, which isactually on the right of thehouse at the top of thedriveway. Vizzone restored theexterior to its grandeur bycommissioning new shuttersand removing the lighting fromthe French doors.

That’s the mantra of Elizabeth Vizzone, owner ofElizabeth Vizzone Interiors, a home staging andredesign business based in Montclair. “My approach isthat anyone can do what I do,” says Vizzone, who hasbuilt a lifestyle philosophy around her love of design.“It’s just a formula, and it’s about simplifying.”Vizzone, who is also a licensed Realtor, kept things

astoundingly simple when moving from a modernhome in Essex Fells to her current colonial-stylehome, reusing nearly all of the furniture from herprevious residence. How do you take furnishings designated for a par-

ticular style of house and make them work in anentirely different setting? Magic might be one expla-

Interior design need not be intimidating. Left: Vizzone keeps her home’s color palette uniform, withlots of black and white and rare pops of color. The effect isvisually restful. It also gives her lots of flexibility whenrearranging furnishings.

Right: Many of the home’s furnishings were repurposed fromthe family’s previous residence in Essex Fells, a modernstructure. To make them work in a traditional setting, Vizzonewhitewashed the home’s walls and trims and refinished floorsin a dark stain. “Just because you have contemporary tastes,doesn’t mean you can’t have a traditional home,” she says.

nation. But Vizzone, who formerly worked for PoloRalph Lauren and Calvin Klein, says style is muchmore than what you buy and use to fill a space. “Youjust have to have an eye for it and put it together theway your instincts tell you,” she says.Granted, Vizzone’s eye has been trained through-

out the years, especially in her home-staging work.She often is hired to go into a house and mix upthe furnishings in a fashion that will appeal to

potential buyers. Many satisfied sellers have told herthey would have stayed in their home had theyknown it could look so good. “I’m good at it,” shesays, “but everyone can be.”

CONSIDER THE SPACEIt all begins with a respect and appreciation for thebones of whatever space you have, she says. Doingso forces you to be more creative with your solu-tions. In fact, Vizzone was drawn to her home in

Montclair precisely because of its quirkiness. “Thereare lots of surprises in it,” she says. “I like that it’sdeceiving. People are surprised at how spacious it isonce you get inside.” She was able to translate her modern tastes into

the traditional space with a few adjustments. First,she whitewashed all the walls and trim. She also hadthe floors refinished in a dark stain that is consistentthroughout the house. Doing so allowed those sur-faces to visually recede. “I want the pieces in the

Left top: The elegance of the family roombelies its practicality. The Kartell tables aredurable and a cinch to clean. And whiteleather holds up better than black withproper care, Vizzone says. The floor lamplooks almost like photographer’s equipment;its top can be rotated to cast light anywhere.

Left bottom: A small breakfast area has a bigretro-modern personality with Knoll chairs,Fornasetti pillows and a George Nelsonclock. Just beyond lies a traditional butler’spantry. Vizzone married the disparate styleswith consis tency in the walls and floors.

Above: The dining room table is large, withany potential starkness offset by theundulating outlines of the chairs.

your furnishings. Vizzone suggests sitting in differentplaces within a room and taking a closer look atwhat’s there. “After you’ve walked into a space for solong, it’s almost like you don’t see things anymore.”In existing homes, she likes to start with the basics.

Accessories are easily affordable and can be changedseasonally— a cotton throw on the sofa in the sum-mer, a wool throw for the winter. She also believes inheavy editing, which she says is crucial to mainte-

nance. Remove whatever isn’t necessary or what youno longer love. And if you truly can’t bear to partwith something, store it. You never know where youcan work it back in. “Everything in your surround-ings should feel good,” she says.

DESIGN “TRUTHS” VS. REALITYAs for the notion that you can’t have beautiful thingsjust because you have kids, Vizzone doesn’t buy into it.

room to speak for the room,” she says. “I almostwant the walls to disappear.”Indeed, those pieces speak loudly. Her choice in

furniture and accessories is often stark and bold. Butin every room, she softened the look with a skillfulmix of textures— plush carpets, mottled skins, shim-mering crystals, gleaming steel.“I like textures,” she says. “They would look like

different colors even if they aren’t.”

TAKE YOUR TIMEVizzone eventually wants to share her decorating andlifestyle tips in a book she has drafted. Her first bit ofadvice for achieving an effortlessly stylish home is tolive in it before making any major purchases. “Ialways say, ‘Just go slow.’ You live in a house andrespect the space before deciding what to put into it.”If you’ve already owned a home or rented an apart-

ment for years, it helps to get a new perspective on

Clean lines and cool furnishings in the master bedroom get some visualbalance from an ultra-plush flokati rug. It also feels great under foot.

The sitting room outside of themaster bedroom came togetheraround artist Donald Baechler’sFlowers prints.

She points to her own living room as proof. Herwhite leather DWR Warehouse sofa is easier to cleanand maintain than black leather, she says. The Kartelltables look expensive and chic, but they’re alsodurable and spill-friendly. “I hate when I go to some-one’s house and you can tell no one sits in the livingroom,” she says. “I have three kids ... I don’t wantany room to be off-limits.”

She also rejects the idea that you need to spend alot of money to have great style. In her home sheuses Ikea silver floor lamps she purchased for about$50 each. They are nearly identical to Ralph Laurenlamps that cost thousands, she says.Where color is concerned Vizzone is conservative,

and she tends to keep things simple, uniform andfluid. It’s restful to the eye, suits her modern tastes

Opposite top: Vizzoneallowed each of herchildren to personalizetheir bedrooms. Shemaintained visualharmony and tranquilitywith consistent flooringand also by hanging thesame window treatmentsin each room. Thedaughter’s room includesa paisley wall covering.

Opposite bottom: All ofthe children’s bedroomswere designed to growwith them. Vizzone’sson’s room reflects hislove of sports through asophisticated use of colorand materials.

Left: The office is tuckedaway in a far corner onthe ground floor with ananteroom that overlooksthe backyard. Its smallsize meant Vizzoneneeded to economize onfurnishings.

and also makes it easier to rearrange fur-nishings— a plus for a busy mom. In fact, she’s endlessly and unapologetical-

ly restyling her own space, as one mightexpect. “If it’s done, you should move,” she

insists. “You should never feel like you’vedone all you can do.”

Denise DiFulco, a regular contributor toDesign NJ, is a Cranford-based writer.

SOURCES Overall: interior design, Elizabeth Viz-zone Interiors in Montclair; landscaping, Carlos In-teriano in Hopatcong; exterior painting andshutters, Wilber’s Painting in Maplewood.Vestibule: chandelier, Ballard Designs in WestChester, Ohio; mirror, custom by Sky Frame Inc. inNew York City; large vase, Fornasetti; table and X-benches, Jonathan Adler in New York City; skinrug, Amazon.com; chair, Design Within Reach inSecaucus. Living Room: chandeliers, RestorationHardware; art over fireplace, Jose Camacho inMontclair; white leather sofa and chaise, DesignWithin Reach; piano, Steinway; rugs, A&S Carpetsin Newark; black leather chaise, B&B Italia in NewYork City; coffee table, Jonathan Adler; slingchairs, Le Corbusier through Design Within Reach;

silver task lamps, Ikea; window treatments, MarkDahan of A&M Window Fashions in New York City.Family Room: sofa, Design Within Reach; pillows,Fornasetti and Ikea; stacking tables, Kartell in NewYork City; rug, A&S Carpets; window treatments,A&M Window Fashions; lighting fixture, Fortunythrough Design Within Reach; task lamps, Ikea.Dining Room: chandelier and table, RestorationHardware; chairs, CB2; rug, A&S Carpets; art, JoseCamacho; storage cabinets, White on White inNew York City. Breakfast Area and Butler’s Pantry:table and chairs, Knoll in New York City; pillows,Fornasetti; light fixture, All Modern; clock, GeorgeNelson; art, Portobello Road in Edgartown, Mass a - chusetts. Master Bedroom: bed, Design WithinReach; bedding, Calvin Klein Home in New YorkCity; chair and footstool, Knoll; night tables, Pot-tery Barn; lamps, Kartell; reading lamps, Ikea; rug,Amazon.com. Master Bedroom Sitting Area: sofa,chair, Le Corbusier chaise, George Nelson stool andArco floor lamp, all through Design Within Reach;coffee table and task lamp, Ikea; skin on floor,Amazon.com; art, Donald Baechler in New YorkCity. Daughter’s Bedroom: bed and furniture,Room and Board; bedding, Calvin Klein Home; art,Art.com; night table lamp, Target; rug, A&S Car-pets; stool, Calypso in Short Hills; wallpaper, RalphLauren Home. Son’s Bedroom: bed, night table,bookshelf and art, Restoration Hardware; tasklamp, Ikea; chair, Knoll.

DNJ

As Featured in October/November 2016 of