The Guide: Interior Designers in the Somerset Hills, NJ
How We Selected These Designers
This guide covers five towns: Basking Ridge, Bernardsville, Bedminster, Far Hills and Peapack-Gladstone.
A design studio appears here if it is a working interior design practice with completed residential projects and a studio, showroom or office in one of those towns.
Both halves of that are things you can check yourself. The premises is the address the firm publishes. The practice is the work shown on its own website.
That is a test, not a judgment, and it is the only route onto this page. Twelve studios meet it. They are listed alphabetically.
Firms based outside these towns were left out even where they advertise work here.
About This Guide
This guide is produced by Garden State Circle. Designers appear here because they meet the criteria described above — a working design practice with completed residential projects and premises in the towns this guide covers. That is a test, not a judgment, and it is the only route onto this page. No designer can pay to be included in this guide, to be listed higher, or to change what the comparison table says about it. Designers are listed alphabetically, and every detail in the table was verified against each firm’s own website, or against documentation the firm supplied, in September 2026.
Everything under the heading that begins this guide is governed by the rules above, on every guide we publish. Where a sponsor’s message appears above that heading, it is paid for and labelled, and it buys nothing in the guide. Garden State Circle is supported by the businesses that participate in it. Participation pays for our ongoing work: keeping a business’s entry accurate, re-checking its record, and publishing a page of its own details that the business maintains. There is no paid placement in this guide. Participation does not buy a place here, a position here, or anything the comparison table says.
Garden State Circle is published locally in New Jersey by Jake Slowinski and covers Basking Ridge, Bernardsville, Bedminster, Far Hills and Peapack-Gladstone. Contact the publisher at jake@gardenstatecircle.com.
The Studios, Compared
| Designer | Business and town | Credentials, as published | Known for | Showroom | Consultation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abby Jochnowitz | DesignAnts, Bernardsville | Not published | Residential and exterior design; new construction | Office, Bernardsville | Not published |
| Arlene Reilly | Bernards Decorating, Bernardsville | Allied Member of the ASID; two 2024 Design Excellence Awards, New Jersey chapter ASID | Residential design, fabrics and furnishings | Yes, Bernardsville | No charge |
| Denise Jones | J2 Design Studio, Bedminster | NCIDQ certified 1994; Certified Interior Designer, State of New Jersey, since 2008; NJASID Gold Award, Commercial, 2018; NJASID Bronze Award, Residential Kitchen, 2018; Metropolitan Builders & Contractors Association of NJ Award of Excellence, Commercial Renovation, 2025; Bachelor of Fine Arts, New York School of Interior Design | Pre-construction master planning; kitchen and bath | Yes, Bedminster | Complimentary showroom consultation |
| Dana Silbert | Joy of Living Interior Design, Basking Ridge | Not published | Residential design and home furnishings | Yes, Basking Ridge | Not published |
| Elizabeth Ruffalo | Pheasant Lane Designs, Peapack-Gladstone | Contractor License #13VH13721800; Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering, Villanova University; Interior Design, Parsons The New School for Design | Interior design and construction management | Office, Gladstone | Not published |
| Gail Whiting | Design Consultants, Bedminster | Certified by both the NCIDQ and State of NJ; past president of NJ ASID; New Jersey Monthly Designer of the Year 1988; NJASID Silver Award 2002; NJASID Bronze Awards 2000, 2006, 2007 | Full-service residential and commercial | Yes, Bedminster | Not published |
| Kristin Ashley Badolato | Kristin Ashley Interiors, Bernardsville | Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Architecture and Design, Kean University; Mansion in May Tulip Award 2025 | Full-service residential | Not published | Not published |
| Lori Levine | Lori Levine Interiors, Basking Ridge | Associate ASID | Full-service residential | Office, Basking Ridge | Fee charged, amount not published |
| Nancy Fisher | Nancy Scott Kitchen Interiors, Bernardsville | Long time member of the National Kitchen and Bath Association | Kitchen and bath design; cabinetry | Yes, Bernardsville | Complimentary first meeting |
| Hillary Cohen | HCO Interiors, Basking Ridge | Not published | Structural planning and custom detail | Office, Basking Ridge | Not published |
| Not published | Lily and the Rose Design, Bernardsville | Not published | Kitchen and bath design; cabinetry and refinishing | Yes, Bernardsville. New location opening | Not published |
| Not published | ROOST + CO, Bernardsville | Not published | Retail showroom and design studio | Yes, Bernardsville | Not published |
Details verified against each firm’s own website in September 2026. Designers are listed alphabetically.
The Studios
Bernards Decorating, Bernardsville
Bernards Decorating has operated from Quimby Lane in downtown Bernardsville since 1969, when it was founded by Iris Paulik. Owner Arlene Reilly is an Allied Member of the ASID and received two 2024 Design Excellence Awards from the New Jersey chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers.
The firm keeps a fabric archive and a home furnishings showroom, and there is no charge for a first appointment.
Design Consultants, Bedminster
Gail Whiting established Design Consultants in Bedminster in 1982 and is certified by both the NCIDQ and the State of New Jersey, and is a past president of the New Jersey chapter of ASID.
Her published awards include New Jersey Monthly’s Designer of the Year in 1988, an NJASID Silver Award in 2002, and NJASID Bronze Awards in 2000, 2006 and 2007. The practice covers residential and commercial work, including basements, bathrooms, cabinetry and commercial design.
DesignAnts, Bernardsville
DesignAnts works from Prospect Street in Bernardsville and is led by Abby Jochnowitz. The studio covers both interior and exterior design, with a stated emphasis on new construction homes and renovations.
The firm does not publish credentials or a consultation fee.
HCO Interiors, Basking Ridge
HCO Interiors works from South Finley Avenue in Basking Ridge on full-service residential projects, with an emphasis on structural planning and custom detail rather than furnishing alone.
The firm’s published work has appeared in national shelter magazines. It does not publish credentials or a consultation fee.
J2 Design Studio, Bedminster
J2 Design Studio develops multiple renovation options at different price points before permit drawings are filed, led by second-generation designer Denise Jones from the studio’s showroom at 262 Somerville Rd., Rear Showroom, Bedminster.
Jones passed the NCIDQ examination in 1994 and has been a Certified Interior Designer in New Jersey since 2008. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the New York School of Interior Design and has run the practice since 2011. Her awards include a 2018 NJASID Gold Award for commercial spaces and a 2018 NJASID Bronze Award for a large residential kitchen. In 2025 the studio won an Award of Excellence for Best Architectural Design, Commercial Renovation, from the Metropolitan Builders and Contractors Association of New Jersey. An initial consultation at the showroom is complimentary.
Joy of Living Interior Design, Basking Ridge
Joy of Living Interior Design works from the Riverwalk Village Center on Martinsville Road in Basking Ridge and combines a design practice with a home furnishings showroom customers can walk into.
The firm lists six designers on its team, led by senior designer Dana Silbert. It does not publish credentials or a consultation fee.
Kristin Ashley Interiors, Bernardsville
Kristin Ashley Badolato founded Kristin Ashley Interiors in Bernardsville in 2012 and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Architecture and Design from Kean University.
Her dining room at Mansion in May 2025 won the Tulip Award, which is chosen by visitor ballot. The studio handles full-service residential projects including 3D floor plans and bespoke furnishings.
Lily and the Rose Design, Bernardsville
Lily and the Rose Design is a kitchen and bath design studio in Bernardsville that also supplies cabinetry and runs a refinishing showroom, serving homeowners across Somerset and Morris counties.
The showroom is relocating to a new downtown Bernardsville space, announced on the firm’s own listing. Anyone planning a visit should confirm the current address by phone first. The firm does not publish designer names, credentials or a consultation fee.
Lori Levine Interiors, Basking Ridge
Lori Levine works from Bernard Drive in Basking Ridge and is an Associate ASID with more than twenty years in the field, having completed design coursework at Parsons School of Design in New York.
The firm charges a fee for a first meet-and-greet consultation, and does not publish the amount.
Nancy Scott Kitchen Interiors, Bernardsville
Nancy Scott Kitchen Interiors runs a kitchen and bath design studio on Roundtop Road in Bernardsville that also supplies cabinetry and handles furniture refinishing.
Owner Nancy Fisher is a long time member of the National Kitchen and Bath Association. The first introductory meeting at the studio is complimentary.
Pheasant Lane Designs, Peapack-Gladstone
Pheasant Lane Designs works from Lackawanna Avenue in Gladstone and is led by founder Elizabeth Ruffalo, who describes the practice as interior design and construction management rather than design alone.
Ruffalo holds a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Villanova University and a second degree in Interior Design from Parsons The New School for Design. The firm publishes a New Jersey home improvement contractor registration, number 13VH13721800, which is checkable on the state registry.
ROOST + CO, Bernardsville
ROOST + CO is a retail showroom and design studio in downtown Bernardsville, combining furnishings and accessories with design services.
The firm does not publish the names of its designers, credentials, or a consultation fee.
Common Questions
What is the difference between an interior designer and a decorator in New Jersey?
New Jersey certifies interior designers. It does not license them. A designer who has passed the NCIDQ examination and registered with the state may use the title Certified Interior Designer, or CID. The certification is voluntary, and many experienced designers in this market do not hold it, so its absence is not a mark against a firm. What it tells you is that a designer has passed a national examination covering building systems, codes and construction documents.
The distinction between certification and licensure matters more in some states than others. New Jersey protects the title. A handful of states, Georgia among them, go further and license interior designers to sign and seal drawings for permitting, which is a different level of authority than New Jersey grants.
Do I call a builder, an interior designer, or an architect first?
It depends on what the project changes. Work that moves load bearing walls, adds structure or changes the footprint of the house usually starts with an architect, though the strongest outcomes tend to come from projects where a designer and an architect are involved together from the beginning rather than in sequence.
Non load bearing or cosmetic work, and kitchen or bath renovations, more often start with a designer, because the decisions that drive the cost are made in the planning, not on site. A contractor prices a plan more accurately than a conversation, which is the argument for planning first either way.
What does an interior designer charge?
Designers in this market work on flat fees, hourly rates, a percentage of the construction budget, or cost-plus on furnishings, and most do not publish their rates. The comparison table above shows which firms publish a consultation fee and which do not. Ask for the fee structure in the first phone call. It is a fair question and any designer will answer it.
One designer in this guide has put real figures on the record. What a kitchen renovation actually costs in the Somerset Hills sets out cabinetry ranges, the rule of thumb for estimating a finished project, and what a cabinet quote leaves out.
Should I tell a designer my budget?
Yes. A designer who does not know the budget is guessing, and the expensive corrections happen later, once orders are placed and drawings are filed. Naming a real number early is what lets a designer show you options at that number instead of above it.
Do I need to visit a showroom?
Not necessarily, but it changes the conversation. Several firms in this guide keep a showroom you can walk into, which is noted in the table. Bringing plans to a first showroom visit is the fastest way to find out whether a designer is the right fit for the project.
Where a firm does not publish something, this guide says so rather than guessing.
Details in this guide were verified in September 2026.
Something Out of Date?
This guide is maintained. If anything here is wrong or has changed — a name, an address, hours, or whether a business has closed — tell us and we will check it. Businesses listed here are welcome to write in directly.
admin@gardenstatecircle.com
This is not a ranking.
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- What a kitchen renovation costs in the Somerset Hills
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Every guide we publish is listed at Garden State Circle Guides.
