The Modern Collectors Home: A Harmonious Fusion of Art, Innovation, and Brownstone Charm

Perched atop a classic Hoboken brownstone, this 1,300-square-foot apartment is more than a place to live; it is an experience carefully curated. Designed for a worldly couple with a passion for contemporary art, smart technology, and fine aesthetics, this home is masterclass in balance. Marie Burgos Design was commissioned to take the top floor and transform it into a luxurious retreat that blended super-modern with heritage, precision with poetry.


With light coming in from all sides and art marking every room, this space is equally a gallery and a home—an elegant confluence of character, innovation, and architectural beauty.

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A Vision in Duality: Design That Bridges Worlds

The key challenge of this renovation was to satisfy two opposing yet complementary sets of desires. One of the partners envisioned clean lines that combined cutting-edge convenience with austere minimalism. The other was the sentiment of a collector: get a home that graciously displays art from around the world, and yet retain a feeling of warm embrace.

The design journey was approached through the idea that a solution is a balance rather than a compromise. Cool, modern elements-whether shell white lac or crisp marble sit firmly alongside tactile walnut laneway, mosaic textures, and artisanal textiles. The result is a space where technology takes a backseat and the arts are allowed to step forward, supported by their architectural flow.

An Entryway of Intention and Identity

On entering, the house unfolds onto a tranquil corridor washed in muted tones, instantly stimulating calmventing the threshold from the mere functional into the expressive. The entryway sets the tone for what is to come, offering the first hint of the artistic identity of the owners and the deliberately spare interiors. The entryway itself becomes a gallery of sorts, where the thoughtfully placed artworks beckon one to pause and muse.

Living Room: Where Art Becomes Atmosphere

The living room, with an elegant marble fireplace at its heart, is where form meets feeling-a perfect combination of two kinds of beauty. The masses, then, are formed for aesthetic grandeur and informal utilization. The warmly hued walnut floors create a base for the room, with the sculptural pieces of furniture mimicking shapes and gestures present in the artwork all around.

While neutral colors form the background that extracts all the attention for the artwork, some focused lighting plays the role of an exhibit-like showcase. Smart controls for temperature, sound, and light are hidden away within the architecture, so a concerted existence in the room becomes paramount. With the knowledge that a great day or season epitomizes quiet appreciation, the whole space can keep the craving for social interaction.

Kitchen: Precision and Poetry in Motion

If ever a home had a heart, the kitchen would be it, and here, it beats fast and loud with clarity and innovation. Clean, uninterrupted lines and a monochrome palette impart modern luxury to the space, never letting it feel cold. The dramatic waterfall island stimulates the eye and acts as both an artistic statement and a functional element. Warm undertones and organic textures graft back into human scale, amidst those pristine slick surfaces and integrated appliances of the space.

Dining Room: An Elegant Convergence

The dining area is made to entertain, connect, and impress, all while playing a dual role of intimacy and theatrics. Sitting under dramatic lighting, a custom leather banquette makes its home in the room, where sculptural furniture lends an air of quiet drama. There is room here for rich textures and layered materials-they never become the problem of overuse-as curated objects and living greenery maintain a lively air in this refined milieu. Art here is not accessory—it’s integral to the dining experience, creating a backdrop of sophistication and personal narrative.

Office: A Modern Sanctuary of Focus

The home office strikes a balance between calmness and productivity. Soothing and gentle lighting, with an impressive scale and custom wood detailing, creates an anchor for the space, setting the mood for deep thought or inspired creation. An interplay of art and design governs the space: the clear and the textured, stimulating the intellect and uplifted spirit. As in the rest of the home, design meets function.

Guest Spaces: Hospitality with a Collector’s Eye

The guest bedroom is an oasis of clean calm, made with textural qualities and understated luxury. All details from the custom window treatments to the carefully selected pieces of decor combine to create a space that feels exceptionally elegant yet quite welcoming. In the adjacent bath, performance-driven fixtures and serene surfaces simulate an impression of a boutique spa—just perfectly functional but elegantly so.

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These spaces may not be used every day, but their design reflects the same intentionality and care found throughout the home. They are ready to welcome, reflect, and recharge.

Primary Suite: Artful Intimacy and Sensory Stillness

In the main bedroom, restraint speaks the language of elegance. The colors are soft and soothing, with pale blues enveloping the room in light. A sculptural chaise lounge, custom-designed nightstands, and textured linen create a setting for peaceful retreat. The story continues in the en-suite bath, featuring luxurious surfaces, walk-in convenience, and ambient lighting that supports all forms of self-care and daily enjoyment.

Technology as Invisible Luxury

Advanced smart systems in the home maintain lighting, climate, audio, and water temperature, all with control put into the hands of the homeowners through their smartphone.None or very few of these systems demand any thought or attention. Instead, they slowly fade away as life unfolds effortlessly, unencumbered by any distractions to beauty. Technology can assist in such a manner that it does not interfere; it is the utmost tranquility, exerting its presence.

A Collector’s Dream, A Designer’s Triumph

This home stands not simply as a renovation but as a redefinition of what brownstone living may become. Marie Burgos Design treated every square foot intentionally, knitting together art with architecture, innovation with intimacy. The Modern Collector's Home symbolizes, on the one hand, an intimate expression of its owners and, on the other, an assertion of how design can shape our being and living into connection.

It honors the past, embraces the present, and invites the future in.