You can visit this Spring Lake residence on June 2 as part of the Spring Lake Historical Society House Tour
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There aren't many people daring enough to go with red counter tops -- and that meant a better deal for Joan Repetti.
For her home renovation, the Spring Lake resident selected a sturdy engineered quartz with silvery metallic flecks to surround the sink in the pool-side changing area and bathroom, one of six in her home.
The brilliantly-colored surface reappears in the butler's pantry and on top of an island in the dressing area of her spa-like master bathroom. This bathroom, painted a pale blue that reflects its setting near the ocean and overlooking Lake Como, is a study in how red cooperates.
Red is Repetti's favorite color, and in this tranquil room with its large oval window and abundant white trim, the effect is energizing, like a field of red tulips blooming against the backdrop of a clouded sky.
Repetti, a lawyer, describes herself as decisive, and she is not afraid to use intense color to wake up the expected neutrals. Visitors to her home, one of six houses on the June 2 Spring Lake Historical Society House Tour, will see a powder room painted in high-gloss Hague Blue, the darkest blue in British paint maker Farrow and Ball's catalog.
In contrast, the walls below the paint are covered by white Walker Zanger tile with a raised geometric pattern. A wall niche to the right of the marble sink holds shelves for her Buddha figures. Above the sink, a mirror is framed by red Venetian glass. Flanking the mirror are wooden urn appliques that Repetti painted to match the blue walls.
The powder room is a microcosm of the house, a summary of Repetti's approach to decorating. She and her husband, Mark Greenquist, splurged on the fixtures and finishes that mattered most, enhancing them with personal touches and decorative objects collected over the years from numerous countries.
The renovation
The house needed to be restored after Hurricane Sandy ushered in 4 feet of sea, lake and sewerage.
"There were fish in the house," Repetti said, recalling a scene that was like having their possessions floating with seaweed in a giant washing machine.
The two-story house is now several feet taller, raised high and rebuilt to stand against flood waters that had previously crippled it. The renovated house is the result of what Repetti describes as "revenge building" in her own woman-versus-nature conflict.
"This is the place I love, and I wasn't going to let it get the better of me," said Repetti who had spent childhood summers in Spring Lake with her family. "I was very careful about building materials with that in mind."
The 5,500-square-foot house is rebuilt on its original footprint, raised three feet higher than the required flood elevation, expanded above the garage, and dressed in water-resistant red cedar shakes. The windows are a more durable storm grade, custom made by Andersen with diamond grilles. The first floor is fully tiled, and all the utility-related equipment is on platforms and enclosed.
"It's a completely different house," said Repetti. In the year it took for reconstruction to begin, she picked out tile in marble, ceramic, stone and glass for bathrooms, floors, fireplaces and other areas. She also selected surface materials, furnishings and decorations.
The custom woodwork has Federal influences that are the result of her research into the style, including a trip to Winterthur Museum, and books that produced literal tear sheets that helped combine her ideas. The staircase required seven different craftsmen for its various features. Near the staircase is a wardrobe cabinet with a Chinese fretwork pattern in leaded glass replicated from Thomas Chippendale's 1754 design guide, "The Gentleman & Cabinet-Maker's Director."
"I wanted a sort of old-fashioned looking, sort of craftsman's style," she said. "If you go into homes that were built at the turn of the century, a lot of them have architectural details that newer houses don't have."
Repetti's mother, after whom she is named, was active in the Spring Lake Historical Society, and both Joan and her twin sister Grace were history majors who still frequently travel together. "We love museums, we love architecture," Repetti said. "The house is a product of the places I've been, the things that I've seen and the books that I've read."
She will open the house for the historical society's annual house tour to help with fundraising. The tour, will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on June 2, and $35 admission tickets will be available at Spring Lake's train station from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. that day. (Several historic buildings are among the tour's 11 stops.)
Storm damage forced Repetti and her husband, a chief corporate financial officer, to renovate the house to a degree they probably wouldn't have otherwise, she said. They now have surroundings that please them with room for guests who can swim in the ocean or in the kidney bean-shaped, salt-water pool.
While Repetti knew what she wanted and consulted an interior designer for some decisions or purchases, she did have concerns about how everything would work together. "You don't really know until the bitter end if you've done things to scale," she said.
What they renovated
The entire home after flood damage from Hurricane Sandy
Who did the work
Architect, Tom Peterson, Howell; general contractor, Viscon Builders, Little Silver; project manager, Brian Heine, Spring Lake Heights; built-ins, Thomas Charles Cabinetry, Long Branch; Lawrence Mayer Wilson Interiors (Meghan Dobish), Brielle; landscape design, Heather Aran; tile, Imperial Tile, Shrewsbury; Antique Restoration, Ruding and Wood, Asbury Park; pool, Pool and Spa Doctor, Belmar
How long it took
Planning lasted from November 2012 until construction began in September of 2013. The project was completed in October 2014.
How much it cost
The couple would not disclose the total renovation cost, but they were reimbursed $250,000 through FEMA flood insurance for the structure and nearly $100,000 for the contents of their home.
Where they splurged
On materials such as siding, copper gutters, custom windows, tile, appliances, cabinetry and millwork.
Where they saved
"We saved money by retaining the same building footprint, using recessed lighting and limiting the square footage," said Joan Repetti. A significant amount of the interior design -- designing built-ins, selecting fabric, tile, appliances and fixtures was done by the homeowners.
What they like most
The built-ins and the windows
What they'd have done differently
"We likely would have demolished the structure and started from scratch," Repetti said. "Way less complicated."
Kimberly L. Jackson may be reached at home@starledger.com. Find NJ.com Entertainment on Facebook.