VISION QUEST

Working toward a shared goal, homeowner and designer conjured a finished home from a blank canvas.

This newly constructed home in Paramus, New Jersey, was completed on the eve of lockdown in March 2020, which made its furnishing a “pure pandemic project,” says designer Larry O’Neil. Despite some supply-chain challenges, designer and client achieved the exact look they envisioned, without compromises, through Safavieh.

Paramus, New Jersey, is famous as a shopping destination: For half a century, the town has boasted four full-size malls. But there’s a lesser known side of Paramus, established neighborhoods of winding, tree-lined streets of well-kept homes.

The house you see here is new construction finished at an awkward time- March 2020, just as the nation went into pandemic lockdown. As soon as “non-essential” businesses reopened, the homeowner, a single wealth manager with a grown son in the military, met with Larry O’Neil, an interior designer based at Safavieh’s Livingston, New Jersey, flagship showroom. The two hit it off immediately.

The homeowner, a single wealth manager with a grown son in the military, wanted his new house to have contemporary décor with classic underpinnings. To realize that vision, O’Neil selected sleek new transitional furniture from Safavieh, while incorporating a few traditional pieces, including the center hall table, from his client’s collection. The elegant chandeliers—each different and all contemporary—are also from Safavieh.

"Whenever I start up with a new client," says O’Neil, "I devote a large part of our initial time discovering what outcome the client wants. This is a fun process unto itself. We compare and contrast different products. We explore mixing styles to create the client’s own unique look. I don’t do cookie-cutter interiors!"

In this case the client pictured contemporary décor with classic underpinnings. This vision called for new, transitional furniture, with a few traditional pieces from the client’s collection worked into the mix. "He understood what fine furniture is all about and also appreciated owning pieces of high value," notes O’Neil. "That made the process relatively easy, as he trusted that my aesthetic decisions would meet his expectations."

His trust was well placed. "Working together," says O’Neil, "we went from near-empty space to a home we’re both proud of."