Pre-coronavirus, when gathering was still a thing, interior designer Carrie Fusella tackled a common space at Leisure Knoll, in Manchester, NJ, in the winter of 2018/2019. Her design in the space works in today's social distancing environment as well, with comfortable seating that can be rearranged, a more streamlined design and clean, open spaces.
Read on for inspiration and to see before and after pictures!
This clubhouse in the heart of the many 55 and over communities in Ocean county was extremely dated and had not been renovated in more than 30 years.
The glass windows still had chicken wire as the old means of fire rating. This looked like an old school. The fireplace was underwhelming.
We upscaled the wall with two elements: custom wood panels made by Dovetail Designs to match the furniture and cultured stone from MSI Stone, which added texture.
The 67-inch satin nickel light fixtures were long and elegant, and added style to the new fireplace wall. We made the choice not to change the size or shape of the existing opening of the fireplace, but added elegance around it.
We removed all the old brick veneer floor tiles and installed beautiful vinyl click floors from ASPECTA floors in a walnut wood finish. We completed the look with a carpet drop-in insert by Nasland carpet. The furniture came from Fairfield Chair and features beautiful Mayer Krypton durable fabrics for wear and functionality in this public clubhouse.
The additional wainscoting adds dimension to the walls and was a nice finishing touch. Full drapery panels with wood rods also added an elegant feature to add sophistication to what was a tired and outdated room before. The drapery fabric came from Fabricut and Carole fabrics.
The transformation of this space went from old and dreary to bright and inviting without changing the space, but rather the elements that make it function as it should.
