August 24, 2025Dana Bergman Falcione grew up on the Jersey shore, so designing in the dunes is in her wheelhouse. Indeed, her Gladwyne, Pennsylvania–based interiors firm, Bergman Vass, which she runs with creative partner Erica Vassalotti, has fashioned refined waterfront refuges up and down the eastern coastline. The pair recently crafted elegant interiors in a newly built nine-bedroom beach house owned by a large family in Longport, a quiet island community in southern New Jersey. “It’s not your typical beach-house aesthetic,” Bergman Falcione says. “My clients wanted something more special, more personal — a beach house that feels like their primary home rather than a second home.”
Singular touches that give a new house character are woven throughout the 8,000-square-foot home, which from the exterior nods to the stately shingled houses of Nantucket. Inside is a more modern, layered aesthetic. “It has a soulful feel,” says Vassalotti, who was a stylist for Anthropologie’s home catalogue before joining Bergman Falcione, five years ago. “We wanted to find unique furnishings that give age and interest, like they’ve been collected over the years.”
FOYER
The entry establishes the mood with its quiet backdrop — white-painted shiplap wood paneling and checkerboard marble flooring — and an edited mix of sculptural objects. The designers went to Rose Uniacke for the walnut console, which has an heirloom quality, and gave it a natural-stain finish for a light, beachier look. Both the artwork and the vintage Belgian chair, one of a trio in the house, were 1stDibs finds. “Everything here is interesting, there’s a lot of shape play,” Vassalotti says.
FAMILY ROOM
“This is the first room you see when you walk in the home, so we wanted to make a statement,” sats Bergman Falcione. The space feels both casual and elevated, thanks to its blend of rustic, natural materials that recall the seashore without looking kitschy. The designers boldly introduced an eye-catching oversize, woven-rattan, clamshell-shaped ceiling pendant by Soane above the bar, which holds vintage rattan table lamps found on 1stDibs, along with curvaceous armchairs and ottomans by the Italian firm Bonacina.
LIVING AREA
Because the ceilings were not especially high on the second floor because of zoning codes, the designers focused on the horizontal views and delineated the living, dining and kitchen areas within the open space with a carefully conceived furniture plan that doesn’t distract from the compelling oceanfront landscape. They covered the sofas and armchairs, all from Michael Dawkins, in white performance fabric by Schumacher and paired them with a generous custom-made lipped coffee table that recalls a vintage tray table. “We love a big coffee table and wanted it to reach all of the seating,” says Bergman Falcione. For real vintage, they found a wooden stool on 1stDibs.
KITCHEN
The homeowners like to cook meals with their grown children and required plenty of prep area in the white open kitchen. The generous island is topped with Danby marble, veined in muted shades reminiscent of the sea, and flanked by butcher-block ends. Adding nautical charm, Ann-Morris metal-and-glass pendants hang above rush-seat barstools by Design Frères from 1stDibs. “I like white kitchens at the beach, especially in an open plan,” Bergman Falcione says. “It blends in with the millwork and becomes part of the architecture.”
SUNROOM
This cozy corner feels more like a loggia, thanks to huge French doors that open to the dunes. The designers furnished the room with classical pieces, including a roll-arm sofa by Lee Jofa from Kravet, upholstered in a sand-colored Schumacher stripe, and wheeled chairs and ottomans, in a complementary Zimmer + Rohde leaf-pattern fabric. The husband loves color, so they hung a painting done in sunset hues. A turned-leg plant stand was found on 1stDibs.
PRIMARY BEDROOM
The designers wanted to keep the primary bedroom, which is situated on the house’s top floor, an oasis of calm, since it’s surrounded by dramatic ocean views. They chose a luxurious de Le Cuona fabric for the bed upholstery and covered the walls in a soothing Schumacher grass cloth. Flanking the bed are amply sized tables — “Everyone needs a big bedside table,” declares Bergman Falcione.
PRIMARY BATH
Tucked under the eaves of the house, the couple’s bathroom contains a tub and fixtures by Waterworks, striking iron-and-glass wall sconces and a ceiling pendant, all by Rose Uniacke, and a vintage wooden towel rack from 1stDibs.
HOME OFFICE
A sitting room in the primary suite doubles as a home office. “The task was to have a large desk, a lot of built-ins for storage and a cozy spot for them to read and have a cocktail at the end of the day,” Bergman Falcione says. Consider the task accomplished: A pair of comfy armchairs and ottomans are upholstered in a cheerful sunflower-patterned fabric by Rose Tarlow, a chair by Noir is pulled up to a walnut desk topped with a Rose Tarlow ceramic lamp, and 1960 Adrien Audoux and Frida Minet rope sconces from 1stDibs provide illumination.
