Tour a Warm, Minimalist Hudson River Home Created by Married Designers

Christine Stucker and James Veal of Stewart-Schafer give a Hudson River home a fashionable upgrade.

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July 09, 2021

By: Kamron Sanders

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Photo By: Alice Gao

Husband and Wife Interior Design and Architecture Team Stewart-Schafer

Christine Stucker and James Veal began dating over a decade ago, subsequently traveling the world and expanding their design worldviews together. “This is when the idea of Stewart-Schafer was born,” notes Christine. Stewart-Schafer is the couple’s multidisciplinary architecture and interior design firm with an interesting history that sets it apart from other design studios. “The company was initially started to design fashion retail spaces. The company rapidly grew as we began working with some of the world’s most respected fashion brands, producing large-scale rollouts. We organically moved into residential design, which is now 60% of our business,” she adds.

Getting Rid of This Home's 80s Features Allows for a Fresh Renovation

Christine and James were commissioned to redesign the Nyack, New York, home by a couple who were soon expecting a baby, giving them an extremely tight turnaround time. Additionally, the interior needed a full rethink, something Christine notes was made much simpler once they had stripped away the old. “The home had great bones but was stuck in a 1980s time warp. Every surface needed to be resurfaced. The layout was great, and the natural light was a huge bonus. Once we cleared away the variety of eyesores, you could finally see the natural beauty the home possessed,” she explains.

Architectural Details of a Home Influence Design Decisions

Stewart-Schafer designs for such a wide variety of clients with differing needs, especially in the fashion retail space, that it makes you wonder where they look for their inspiration for residential properties like this. Christine notes, "We were inspired by the home’s open plan, the lines of the beams and the light entering the space." These key elements drove the design duo toward a simplistic Scandinavian-meets-Japanese interior with an emphasis on high-quality materials.

A Modern Twist Is Added to a Midcentury-Inspired Home

The architecture of the space is what really spoke to Christine and James, contributing to the laid-back, California-cool influence they chose. "This house felt very much like an Eichler home — it has that midcentury California vibe. We embraced that but added a modern twist," explains Christine.

Eicher homes, often referred to as "California Modern," are known for their bright, airy interiors and midcentury modern architecture. While the homes were innovative at the time, even receiving short-lived resistance from consumers, they live on today as a hallmark of Modernist architecture.

Custom Window Design in This Home Makes for a Dynamic Decor Piece

Expansive, untreated windows give way to a gorgeous vista, making the interior feel much larger than it actually is. Bright, white walls, simplistic finishes and minimalistic materials were chosen in order to allow the attractive architecture to remain the focal point. "It is all about the details. Materials play a huge role in our designs. When creating a minimal space you have to be thoughtful about every color, every texture and how they interact with one another. To bring in an additional layer of what we like to call 'soul,' we add various moments or vignettes for the eye to take in the space. We sprinkle in new and old found objects and furniture to create truly unique environments," says Christine.

Custom Oak Cabinetry Makes for a Soothing Visual in This Simplistic Interior

While nearly every part of the interior was reworked, the most notable installation is the custom cabinetry, which is visible throughout the space. The floor-to-ceiling cabinets impart a lovely warmth on the airy interior. A natural finish and streamlined design ensure they don't overwhelm or detract from the home's laid-back vibe.

White Oak Makes for Durable Yet Beautiful Kitchen Cabinetry

The unique cabinetry is constructed from gorgeous white oak that's been rift sawn, a milling technique that allows for a tighter grain pattern from board to board and results in a durable, modern finish. To maintain the integrity and appeal of the oak, Christine says, they used "a water-based finish from Germany that is insanely durable and looks and feels like raw wood. It's a trade secret." Going with a water-based finish allows the natural wood to shine whereas traditional oil finishes lend a yellowed look that worsens with age.

Custom Kitchen Cabinet Interiors Create Loads of Usable Storage Space

"We incorporated custom built-in storage solutions that saved a lot of space. We researched how our clients live and use their spaces. The interior of every cabinet was specifically designed for our clients’ needs," explains Christine. "We learned about our clients' lifestyle and the type of things they owned in their kitchen. For example, they love to entertain and they have a lot of large serving platters. They also have a baby and will have a lot of miscellaneous toys and child related items. Once we gathered enough information about their lifestyles, we had a better understanding of where and what type of storage we would need to incorporate in our millwork."

Natural Light Enhances Beauty of Luxurious Kitchen Finishes

The minimalist design of the kitchen is centered around maximalizing the impact of the chosen materials. The clean white backdrop allows the abundance of natural light to highlight the subtle details of the white oak cabinetry. Custom quartz countertops offer the beauty of marble with the functional durability of quartz. This white and wood theme is furthered with the display of dishes on the kitchen's open shelves.

Japanese Design Elements Contribute to a Kitchen's Refined Elegance

The home's Japanese undertones, as evident in the millwork and cabinetry, are what give it the refined, functional elegance that makes it so beautiful, yet livable. Japanese cabinetry is incredibly detailed, but never over-the-top. The focus remains on the materials and the craftsmanship, utilizing finishes and techniques that enhance the natural beauty. Christine adds, "The overall color palette of the space is very much influenced from Japanese design with the wood and concrete."

Hand-Carved Kitchen Drawer Pulls Impart Undertones of Japanese Design

So as not to distract from the cabinetry's organic beauty, Christine and James decided to forgo traditional hardware, opting for hand-carved white oak pulls built into the doors and drawer fronts. This attention to small, handcrafted design decisions plays into the Japanese undertones that are present throughout the space.

When Working With Wood on Different Surfaces, Stick With One Species

From the cabinetry and open shelving to the structural beams and flooring, Christine and James utilized wood repeatedly but judiciously throughout the interior. And Christine has some wisdom to offer about how to pull off this look. "We like to work all in the same species of wood. In this project, we chose oak, and when refinishing the floors, we actually used a product to whiten them since they read more on the warm side." Unfortunately, Christine adds that this whitening technique is a trade secret.

Custom Cabinetry Masks Unsightly HVAC Components

Stewart-Schafer's genius space-saving techniques, thoughtful storage solutions and overall creative design are found throughout the Nyack home. From adding hidden storage to the backside of the cabinets to hiding the home's HVAC return behind a row of slits in the paneling, their unique attention to detail is on full display.

An Integrated Range Creates a Clean Visual on a Kitchen Countertop

The kitchen’s gas range, located on the island, is an incredibly unique piece from PITT Cooking. And it’s not a design trick; the eyes and knobs of the range are actually integrated into the custom-cut quartz countertop, leaving the cleanest possible visual for this type of installation. Want to recreate the look? Christine informs, "This is the only brand that currently sells an integrated range top like this."

Skim-Coating a Fireplace With Concrete Offers Minimalist Beauty in This Kitchen-Living Space

The refined aesthetic is carried out of the kitchen and into the living room where cozy additions warm up the bright, open space. On the far wall is a fireplace that has been simplified and reclad in concrete to match the kitchen island, enhancing the space's modern feel. Christine gave the room an extra personal touch by painting a custom piece for the family. "All of the artwork in the home was made specifically for [the client] by me. I have a past life as a painter and printmaker," she says.

Vintage Yellow Eames Chairs Add Color to This Neutral Living Space

A vintage set of bright yellow Eames chairs, between the columns, offers a nice visual contrast in the neutral space.

Moody Blue Walls Frame Great Backyard Views From This Home's Large Windows

While the space is centered on neutral shades and balanced materials, the view from the kitchen offers a moodier visual. The bold blue beautified the space, but there was more to the dramatic design decision, as Christine explains, “On the walls and throughout the millwork in the family room, we chose to paint a deep shade from Farrow & Ball (Inchyra Blue). We wanted to bring the colors from the inside and really highlight the view you have from the large windows to their backyard.”

A Custom Wood Shelving Unit in This Living Room Creates Display Space for Cherished Objects

The wall-to-wall shelving unit in the bold, blue room is a custom piece designed by Stewart-Schafer specifically for the Nyack house. "We wanted to create some thoughtful storage solutions and give them an opportunity to display some of their cherished objects," notes Christine of the homeowners.

Styling Open Shelves in This Living Room Requires Planning

An artist, architect, interior designer and overall stylish person, Christine is the perfect person to offer tips for styling shelving. Her advice? "Organize objects, plants and books on the floor before you start to style the shelves. Start with larger items and then work in the other items around these. Try out different combinations and don't be afraid to play with color."

Choose a Sofa Without Cushions for a More Kid-Friendly Living Space

Christine says, "Furnishing the space was a breeze — I wanted to use child-friendly pieces that looked and felt elegant. For instance, the sofa I chose is completely upholstered, and there are no removable back cushions. This is ideal when you have kids. I hate having to adjust the cushions constantly to make the sofa look nice. Now they don’t have to worry about that."

Elevate the Minimalism by Knowing When to Put the Brush Down

To achieve this elevated minimalism in your own home, Christine advises, "Don’t be afraid to mix genres. We love to balance modern pieces with vintage finds. Less is more - learn when to stop and put the brush down."