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The best of both worlds

His firm has designed some of Rockland's most recognizablebuildings, including Union State Bank Cancer Center at NyackHospital, Reform Temple of Suffern, and the Pearl River Hiltonhotel. So in 2005, when he decided to undertake a major renovationof his own, he had no difficulties turning his Nyack investmentproperty into a cozy, romantic, upstairs space for himself andAlison.

    Today, the rambling, 4,300-square-foot house is plenty big enoughfor both Jan and Alison to work at home and stay completely out ofeach other's hair. His architectural firm still fits comfortablyinto the first floor and basement of the house, with plenty ofspace remaining for Alison's studio, where she paints, designs, andmakes jewelry and pieces of fused glass, as well as prepares forthe jewelry-making classes she teaches at Rockland Center for theArts.

    In the studio, an easel holds an in-process abstractacrylic-painting, and others can be found on several walls in theupstairs apartment. "This is my cave down here," she says. "Idisappear for hours. [It's so separate that] we don't even see eachother during the day." But by mid- to late afternoon, on most days,Giga (as in Gigabyte), their 12-year-old Akita, reliably rounds upher charges for a walk outside.

    For many years, Alison worked in Manhattan as a creative directorin advertising, fashion and magazine publishing (Esquire andWorking Woman, to name just two). "I've since learned that, if youcan make it in that environment, you can do anything creative," shesays. Two years ago, she decided to branch out on her own. With thehelp of her son, actor Erich Bergen, she launched craftcast.com, amedia company and Web site, aimed at the global artistic community,of which she is a member.

    Of late, she's also discovered garden design - and looks for waysto transform their typically tiny, Nyack postage-stamp of abackyard into a garden paradise. I can't help but notice theexuberant clippings from garden magazines, pasted across the wallthat faces out to the backyard, a former jungle of bamboo andpoison ivy. We joke about how often we like to move plants around,until we get them just right. "I can see my plants cringing whenthey see me coming out the door," she says, with a laugh.

    As they both say, it really can be a curse to have two designersliving under the same roof. Some home-design decisions (likepicking that living room rug) come easily, while others (likecreating the wall of family photos in the stairwell that leads fromthe front door to their second-floor apartment) take weeks ofnegotiations, measurements and blueprints. Whatever the process mayhave been, the final lineup of framed photos (the Wall of Infamy,they call it) looks wonderfully casual and stylish at the sametime.

    The big renovation that launched their new space began in June 2005and was over and done with less than six months later, an amazinglyshort amount of time, by the measure of anyone who's endured theendless delays and setbacks typical in the gut-renovation of an oldhouse. As Jan says, "The architect worked downstairs, and thearchitect didn't have a home, so that doubled the incentive to getit done quickly."

    Fortunately, Jan was able to retain many of the architecturaldetails in the renovation, such as original archways, alcoves andmoldings, and the spacious, nine-foot ceilings (10-foot on thefirst floor). Throughout the apartment, original - yet drafty -windows have been replaced with new, double-hung ones that arefully insulated. They are nearly a perfect match to the old ones.

    The renovation brought a few surprises, too. Under a sea ofyellowed linoleum in the kitchen, they found wonderful, oldoak-floorboards, in surprisingly good condition; they stained thema warm honey color, to keep the room light and bright. And, behinda plain-Jane plaster wall in the living room, they uncovered acharming, old, brick fireplace.

    They also discovered that a key load-bearing wall between two ofthe old bedrooms had been mistakenly pulled down in an earlierrenovation. For who knows how long, the third floor and roof hadbeen supported by nothing but "floorboards, wood lath, and thegrace of God," Jan says.

    He was also able to knock down a few walls (not load-bearing) andrearrange some awkward closets, to create a space more like a greatroom. The newly configured, open kitchen and living room have awonderful flow, perfect for a dinner party or just a casual nightin for the two of them.

    A gorgeous, wooden wall unit, designed by Jan - a rich mix ofcherry, stained in red-mahogany, and figured anigre, stainedlight-blush - dominates the long wall of the living room. Thishandsome clutter-buster provides lots of storage and hides avariety of media. A similar cabinet, also by Jan, shares space witha large, saltwater fish-tank in the expansive hallway between theliving room and master bedroom suite. Original, wide-plank pineflooring with old flathead nails softens the entry into the newbedroom.

    You can really see their taste for mixing old materials with newdesign in the master bath, which is separated from the bedroom by ahuge walk-in closet (Jan calls it their "dress-in closet"). Thebathroom holds a teak washstand, designed by Jan, a glass basinfrom Italy, frameless, glass-doored shower and a modern, deepporcelain tub.

    One of my favorite parts of the new apartment is the second-floorwooden deck overlooking the backyard; it has dual access - from thedining area in the back of the kitchen and the master bedroom. Whenthe surrounding tall trees leaf out in late spring, they lose theirkiller views of the Hudson, but then the deck becomes the perfectspot for quiet dinners in the evening or a relaxing afternoon inthe chaise lounge with a good book.

    It's hard not to love the new kitchen, too. As we stand and talk, Ilearn that this room in particular has been imbued with countlesshours of combined know-how and design brainpower. Instead ofgranite (ugh, too much like a tombstone, Alison says), they chose arich and beautiful, light-green onyx from Afghanistan for thecountertops.

    "Look at how gorgeous it is," Alison says, running her hand acrossthe smooth, shiny surface. Onyx is softer and more brittle thanmost materials and experts warned them against it, but so far it'sworn beautifully. "It's older than the ages," Jan says. "You justlook right through the depth of it."

    In the kitchen, Jan designed a clever unit, with maple and cherrycabinets facing into the kitchen and darker ones facing out to theliving room.

    In many ways, the couple's Nyack apartment feels like it belongs inManhattan. And that's part of the appeal for Alison, who'sfinishing up her second year in the suburbs. She loves that theirvery corner of South Broadway has a stop for a bus that can takeher into the city at any time.

    She and Jan also love the walkable feel of Nyack. They love thatthey can decide to go out for dinner at the last minute and head upBroadway to either LuShane's or Hudson House. Clearly, they havefound - and nurtured - the best of two worlds: a charming old houseof their own, right in the middle of an urban worldliness.

    This designing duo blend separate tastes into one nearly perfectNyack home