Interior Motives
Why Maximalism is Having a Moment
After years of minimalist dominance—neutral palettes, sparse decor, Scandinavian simplicity—it was only a matter of time before people started craving the opposite.
Interior Motives
Interior Motives
Home Décor Selection with Thomas Matthew Designs
Walking into a home designed by Thomas Matthew Designs isn’t just about seeing beautiful interiors—it’s about experiencing a carefully crafted environment where every detail matters. Founded by Matthew Wetzel and Donald Thomas, the firm has earned a reputation for creating interiors that reflect the personalities and lifestyles of the homeowners […]
Interior Motives
A Coastal Refresh at Montreal Beach Resort
Nestled along the serene shore of Cape May, the Montreal Beach Resort has been a beloved destination for generations of beachgoers. Its reputation for classic seaside charm has anchored its place in this coastal community for over 55 years. Now, under new ownership, the resort is undergoing a transformation—one that […]
Interior Motives
The Heart of Kitchen Design
They say the kitchen is the heart of the home, a place where families gather, meals are shared, and memories are made. But at Colmar Kitchen Studios, it’s the people behind the designs that are the true heart of the operation. Tom Collins, president of Colmar Kitchen Studios, along with […]
Interior Motives
The Design Team Behind Cape Collection
Once upon a time, wife and husband Kelly Lavorgna and Andrew Bares had careers on Wall Street. As the current owners of Evan James Interiors, a design team that’s appeared on HGTV’s Flea Market Flip, those finance days—of which they spent nearly a collective five decades—are long behind them. These […]
Interior Motives
The Re-emergence of Wallpaper
Like most trends, things in the interior design world tend to be cyclical. From paint colors and building materials, things fall in—and out—of favor only to come back around a few decades later. And while wallpaper itself isn’t anything new, the way we use it, the way we make it, […]
Interior Motives
Why Open Floor Plans Still Reign Supreme at the Shore
We all know the look. You walk into a new home and instead of multiple closed-off spaces, we see a communal living space, often consisting of a kitchen, dining area, and living room, with plenty of openness. For years, the concept was hailed as the epitome of modern living, fostering […]
Interior Motives
Old Charm in a New World
For those of us who’ve lived through the advent and normalization of all things internet, we may think of “smart homes” as stark, futuristic environments not completely unlike Stanley Kubrick’s cinematic masterpiece, 2001: A Space Odyssey, in which an AI persona named Hal goes dangerously haywire. We would, of course, […]
Interior Motives
Design to Make You Happy
Here’s some regrettable news: according to fashion sources like Vogue and InStyle, skinny jeans are making a comeback. If that news has you bracing yourself for the inevitable and recurring shimmy that’s required when wearing skin-skimming jeans, we have better news for you: you don’t have to follow this or […]
Interior Motives
The Heart of the Home: Kitchen Interior Design Style
When you’re inspired by interior design, it can be hard not to get swept up in every potential project out there. Whether it’s creating a tranquil bathroom, emulating the design of a boutique hotel, installing built-in cabinetry, or extending your living space with an outdoor oasis, options for well-designed home […]
Interior Motives
Redesigning an Icon
As one of the most photographed houses in Cape May, the John B. McCreary House—known far and wide as The Abbey—has been a stunning property since it was first constructed in 1869. The historic gem is unique not just for its longevity, but for its architecture and design; with a […]
Interior Motives
Designing Outside
We’ve all seen them: glorious outside spaces that are both inspiring and utilitarian, with plenty of options for cooking, gathering, and entertaining. They’re the spaces we dream about, that we see in magazines, and that we wish—and sometimes manage—to have in our own backyards. And whether your version includes a […]
Interior Motives
Built-Ins for Form & Function
Allison Valtri, of Valtri Interiors, has been in the design business a long time, and she goes deeper than simple interior design. She makes sure that the lifestyle of her clients is addressed before going into a project, and that includes permanent pieces like built-in features. “I’m the second generation […]
Interior Motives
Designing with Dompierre
Just over a decade ago, passersby driving on Roosevelt Boulevard in Upper Township wouldn’t even glance twice at the large former home that sat facing the busy road. It wasn’t an eyesore, exactly, but it wasn’t anything that might catch your attention—until 2015, when Victor Dompierre and Jack Griffin opened […]
Interior Motives
Creating Tranquility in Your Bathroom
Now that the hustle and bustle—and stress and overwhelm—of the holiday season is behind us, we can get to the really important stuff: relaxation. Ah, Calgon, take us away. Calgon, or at least their famous bubble bath commercials from the 70s and 80s, had the right idea. Amid our chaotic […]
Interior Motives
Designing from Scratch
While it doesn’t rank in the top five of stressful life events, designing a house from scratch is chock full of trying and wearisome decisions that can have even the calmest and most design-savvy homeowners overwhelmed in no time. From small but persistent details like choosing outlets and light plates […]
Interior Motives
Light it Up
There are so many things that go into design that it can be intimidating for the faint of heart. From creating a space that flows to selecting the wall plates, design—especially for a new build—is fraught with decisions. And while many of us naturally gravitate towards the fun stuff—the colors! […]
Interior Motives
Distinguished Design at The Hugh
As a National Historic Landmark, the City of Cape May is steeped in the Victorian era, with a preponderance of period homes featuring gabled roofs, intricate woodwork, and plenty of towers, turrets, and dormers. And that’s just the exteriors. Inside, many of these homes—particularly bed and breakfasts or small inns—feature […]
Interior Motives
How to Include Art
Art, much like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. One man’s collected masterpiece may evoke nothing but ennui in another. Art is notoriously subjective, and people are often quite opinionated about it, offering plenty of criticism as well as praise where their neighbors and friends may feel completely […]
Home & Garden, Interior Motives
Interior Motives
Color It Pretty Color is all around us. From the moody blue greens of the Atlantic Ocean and the green-to-gold dune grasses on our beaches to bright red stop signs and bold striped awnings, color brightens our surroundings and catches our eye, transforming bleak landscapes to ones that excite and […]
Interior Motives
Going Gray
Once upon a time, in the not-so-distant past, people thought the color gray was pretty depressing. We wanted nothing to do with it, as a paint color or a hair color. Gray, in fact, literally seemed to represent the exact opposite of what we wanted in our lives: where we […]