It was love at first sight for Stacey Kalins: “An abandoned, dirty, disgusting building in bad shape.” About five years ago she was driving along Newark Avenue-in the shadow of the Jersey Turnpike extension-when it caught her eye. “There was a ‘For Sale” sign in the window,” she says. “The building looked very cool. When I walked in, the freight elevator really got me. It was super original, and I loved the wood floors, exposed brick and high ceilings.”
She also loved the fact that the building, which stood between a gas station and auto repair shop, was nearly gutted. “It’s great to start with a clean palate and put walls where you want them,” she says. “I wanted everything to be natural and warm with materials like stone, wood, and brick. I brought a lot of slate into it, and water-waterfalls, a pond, and a pool.”
Kalins comes naturally to this kind of transformative experience. She studied interior design at Drexel University in Philadelphia, where she renovated two row houses. When she moved to New Jersey, she renovated and sold a Victorian in Weehawken and another Jersey City house. “I love to see things become beautiful,” she says.
Which is the operative word for her current home. Kalins’ love for “tiers” is evident. On the top floor is a 1,000-square-foot master bedroom, 23-by-14-foot bathroom and deck with a wrought-iron stairway leading to the roof. The third floor features another deck with a swimming pool in addition to the kitchen, dining room, and living room. The second level, which houses the guest rooms, is split, showcasing a sunken entertainment area with two waterfalls and a pond-which are a work in progress.
At press time, the house was on the market. A serial renovator, Kalins is itching for a new project.-Kate Rounds