Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 4414 March Home&Garden Matters 2017 The house came with an impressive pedigree. It was designed and built by Edward C. Balch, who was responsible for many of the beautiful homes along Ridgewood Road, for Helen Thompson Durand, widow of Dr. Frederick Durand and the daughter-in-law of Asher B. Durand (1796-1886), a landscape artist and one of the founders of the Hudson River School. Helen had been a nurse to Frederick’s sister Caroline before marrying him in 1902. He died three years later. Before work began on the house in 1911, Helen had lived with Frederick across the street in Asher’s mansion, which was torn down in the 1920s by subsequent owners; a plaque honoring the painter remains there today. Back to Amy and Dan. Both Canadian-born, they came to Maplewood in 2002 via Washington, DC, where Dan had attended law school in the late ‘90s. Amy is a former social worker who specialized in the geriatric population. Buying 540 Ridgewood Road was easy compared with figuring out what to do with it and how to get it done. Amy’s mom, Fran, proved to be a great resource. She had worked for years as a home stager in Canada and bought and sold numerous homes after fixing them up. Touring the house, she came up with the suggestion of flipping the interior, making the former living room, with its inviting window seat and fireplace, into the new kitchen while turning the old kitchen into the living room and office area – a brilliant idea, especially since Amy loves to bake and entertain. They again tapped John James to design the new space and oversee the job of preserving every architectural detail possible, including the large-scale molding throughout the interior and Right: This pocket door mimics the leaded glass windows opposite the staircase. Below: The family room got a structural overhaul and now features beautiful windows that brighten up the space.