This mid-century modern home is a design love letter to 1970s chic

Do you ever wonder what the pinnacle of mid-century modern architecture and design may look like? Those looking for an excellent example of a mid-century modern home can stop looking now, for Malyev Schafer’s creation has it all.

Yana Schafer, the co-founder of Malyev Schafer, brought the family home by exploring a reverence for 70s architecture and decor, with equal care given to maintaining and re-imagining its history.

Yana, her husband, and their three children all call the mansion created by architect Lawrence Stern their home. She respected the home’s history even as she updated its look.

“We saw the home posted before we were really serious about buying and fell in love with its West Coast mid-century aesthetic, especially with its Richard Neutra-esque central glass atrium,” recalls Yana.

The home itself was the determining factor in the decision to relocate to the suburbs since we were aware that properties of this caliber rarely appeared on the East Coast market.

Short Hills, New Jersey’s home is a suburb of New York City (just over half an hour from NYC). The neighborhood’s parks, reservations, and wooded environment have earned it a reputation for natural beauty.

Lawrence Stern, a prominent architect in the area, designed the home for his clients in the mid-century modern style in 1974.

The home has two chic modern living rooms, an underground lounging space, an abstract art gallery, and other created design objects associated with the mid-century movement.

LIVING ROOMS

An elegant and welcoming foyer is created by placing a magnificent sunken seating area next to the door.

The primary picture at the top shows a formal living room with a magnificent onyx table as its centerpiece.

“The grey-tinted wood flooring emphasizes some of the cooler tones in the rubble and mortar of the fireplace wall,” explains Yana. The wood was chosen for its warm undertone, which complements the room’s focal point—a massive blush onyx cocktail table from the 1970s.

KITCHEN

There is a lot of natural light in the kitchen, highlighting the marble-like quartzite backsplash and the gleaming brass appliances and fittings.

Quartzite was chosen for the kitchen’s worktops, backsplash, and floors. The arching cypress tree outside the window above the sink in the kitchen is one of my favorite features of this room. Continuing the twisted branches of the stone frames, the backsplash’s expressive green veining adds visual interest.

DINING ROOM

Mirrored wall, brass Murano pendant light, Milo Baughman table, and tapestry-upholstered Directional chairs bring 1970s dining flair into the dining room.

“The day we came to look at the property for the first time, I noticed that the original dining room coupled a Paul Evans dining table with a set of 70s chairs from Directional,” explains Yana.

I had bought a set of these walnut upholstered dining chairs for our dining area a year before but had upholstered them in a different fabric.

To me, this was a clear indication that this home was meant to be mine and my husband’s. Because of its sentimental significance, this room was treated during its redesign as a “time capsule of the home’s original essence.”

SNUG

The cozy has open storage, a big wooden coffee table, and a statement white table lamp.

PRIMARY BEDROOM

The main bedroom, adds Yana, “is suspended in surrounding foliage like a treehouse,” and the subdued earth tones of the couch, dresser, and rugs further the feeling of peace and harmony with nature.

CHILDREN’S BEDROOM

Their children, ages 11, 7, and 3, live with their home, Yana Schafer, and her husband, David Schafer, a sports media mogul.

One of the kid’s rooms has chic modern rustic grey-toned bunk beds and lovely botanical wallpaper.

BACKYARD

There’s a gorgeous pool and stylish loungers outside, so spending time there is just as much fun as swimming time inside.

Outside terraces, accessed via the exterior’s black wood cladding, look out over the swimming pool and beyond.