Words to Design by British Aficionados in New Jersey. 

Aptly situated on a secluded, wooded peninsula, this suburban New Jersey property is indeed its own British Isle, a personalized hamlet that is--this above all--true to the passions of its owners; devout Anglophiles willing to scale Shakespearean heights for drama and authenticity.  After a painstaking design process that spanned nearly two decades, their home is an English country wonderland; precisely the three-dimensional work of art they had imagined. Yes, ‘twas much ado, but clearly about nothing less than the stuff that midsummer night’s dreams are made of.   

On board since the house was still in the framing stages, designers J. Wesley Goldthorpe and Anne Edwards have meticulously interpreted and developed their clients’ very specific vision, one exquisite, totally customized design element at a time. “We’d get one room done then take a break before starting another because there would be tons of shopping to do,” recalls Goldthorpe. “We have literally scoured the world to find exactly what we wanted for this house. It’s been a real opportunity to push the creative envelope and use materials and products that are really over the top.”

Creativity is definitely over the top--much of it quite literally--in the extraordinarily crafted ceilings that are essential components of each room’s unique concept: the traditional gothic trefoil design capping the entry hall, 1700 square feet of antique quarter-sawn oak beams crisscrossing the family room, the dining room’s intricate custom plaster work, complete with tiny monk’s heads on the molding.  They are, says Goldthorpe “the gem encrusted lids to each individual jewel box.”  The metaphor perfectly defines this design duo’s cubic approach. “A room is not complete unless all surfaces are involved,” explains Goldthorpe. “We work with the whole shell--the floor, the ceiling and then the walls.  Furniture has a key role, but the surfaces tell their own story.”

When dining room furniture was removed to facilitate a recent wedding reception, Goldthorpe’s assertion was confirmed as guests dubbed the empty space “a mini royal ballroom.” The overall effect of the Gracie hand-painted wallpaper panels, herringbone floor with custom banding, and that artistic ceiling outlined by gold leafed tea paper is undeniably palatial.  Also castle worthy: The room’s sophisticated window treatment – six sumptuous layers of silk taffeta and miles of trim.  It is but one gem of the home’s treasure trove of details designed to dazzle. “We love the drama of the details. It’s what drives us,” exclaims Goldthorpe.  “We like everything to drip, to have motion. Fortunately we have a seamstress who is a former couturier, so she can keep up with our insanity.”  With the hyperbole that is the trademark of both his style and speech, Goldthorpe notes that conceiving and creating just the textiles for this project was a Herculean effort. “Organizing the hundreds of custom made accent pillows was an exercise that required rocket science,” he quips.

In Goldthorpe and Edward’s hands, English country is a breezy balance of the historically correct and the lighthearted eclectic--a smidge steak and kidney pie, a dash frothy English trifle.  The latter is ethereally expressed in what the family calls the Brighton Pavilion, the middle section of a three-story turret, with built-in banquettes, a center confidante and its piéce de rèsistance, the billowy fabric tented ceiling.  “We always like to infuse homes with glamour and at least a touch of whimsy,” says Goldthorpe. “Our client’s entire garden club can sit comfortably in here and have serious conversations while enjoying this colorful, upbeat space.”

Conversely, the Gothic family room is strictly Church of England, down to the oak and grape crenellated--indented with battlements--frieze.  Paneling salvaged from an actual 18th century Gothic church adorns walls and bookcases, surrounding a host of period antiques. The aforementioned graceful latticework of centuries-old oak beams is overhead. Starting with the bare drywall, this room was three years in the execution.  “I would say this room was as challenging as some entire homes,” recalls Goldthorpe.  “It is truly done to the nines.” 

Adhering to the family room’s ultra specific focus, walls between the paneling and the ceiling are faux finished with Gothic-style stenciling, cut and painted by Goldthorpe and Edwards, design pros who bring new meaning to the term “hands on.”  As this mega undertaking winds to a close, they are still painting, putting the finishing touches on new custom cabinets in the kitchen. “We’re adding mini English garden scenes in the door panels,” says Goldthorpe who jokes that this project has seen parts of two centuries; time enough for him to acquire a new painting tool--bifocals. 

Of the home’s many and varied painted elements his favorite is the recently completed master bedroom mural, a six-month collaboration with Edwards that transformed the upper level turret into a charming garden gazebo. “We were inspired by the space to create a separate little environment within the master bedroom,” explains Edwards, a fine artist by background. "By the way," adds the droll designer, "not all of our work takes this long. We promise."

By the same token, not all projects come with clients who know exactly what they want, and, by Jove, are steadfastly committed to getting it, no matter how long it takes.  “These are dream clients.  Working with them for all these years has been our greatest pleasure,” agrees Goldthorpe, who is not packing up his specs just yet. “There is still the guest house being built across the pond,” he smiles, his mind already back at the drawing board.