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DESIGNER: JUDI SCHWARZ INTERIORS LOCATION: PARK AVENUE, NYC BY VICTORIA KEENAN • PHOTOS BY BEN WINKLER A s in all of Judi Schwarz's work, the client's happiness comes first. In this case, Schwarz, owner of Judi Schwarz Interiors in Livingston, NJ, transformed this Park Avenue apartment from nails and studs into the beautiful home it is today. Having worked with the homeowners on previous projects, including their Hamptons vacation home (featured in VUE's 2017 Art Issue), the design was close to her heart. Schwarz jokingly admitted that she'd felt as though she lived with her clients for the few years she had worked on their various homes. But as she learned in this project, there are sometimes a few different paths to get on the road to happiness. Schwarz and the homeowners worked together 25 years ago on their family home in Short Hills, NJ, so it was to her delight when she was called upon by them again. "[The client's] last daughter was going to college and said they were moving to the city, where her husband's business was," Schwarz explained. The homeowners were downsizing and bought an apartment on the West Side that was gutted to the studs. Once completed, the apartment came together beautifully, but the homeowners realized it was just too small. "They made a mistake with the size, and the kids always come back," Schwarz said. "It didn't work, and it sold in one day. I took every single thing that she had and I added to it [to the new space] because this was much bigger." V U E N J . C O M 46 VUE ON DESIGN & REAL ESTATE

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