What designer isn’t a little house-proud? Michelle Gerson calls her own home in New Jersey “a jumble of loveliness,” but this dining room, while indeed lovely, is most definitely not a jumble. Like an orchestral score, the room brings order to a rich range of voices, from Moroccan pottery and vintage chairs sourced on 1stDibs to Apparatus Studio Lariat pendant lights and a lyrical six-panel screen. The last, a Japanese antique, was a gift from her mother, a piece Gerson had always admired growing up. “One day, I told her it would look a lot better in my house — and she said, ‘You’re right,’ and gave it to me!” Reason to be house-proud, for sure.
“I fell in love with the pottery on a trip to Morocco and had it all shipped back home. When the package arrived, every item was broken into little pieces. so I basically took out the Super Glue and got to work. Now, everyone who comes to my house comments on how much they love my pottery collection.”
Design philosophy?
“This room has been built with memories of my mother, memories of a trip to Morocco, chairs that I collected over eight years from two different sources before using them — or even knowing when I was going to use them. I really do believe that when you fill a space with things that you truly love, you feel it when you’re in that space. It’s meaningful.”
