Michael Bastian's unexpected dream house
Brooks Brothers' creative director on renovating his gorgeous new (old) home in the NJ countryside.
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“I’m one of those true New Yorkers who walks everywhere and has always rented. It was a big deal to buy a house, let alone renovate one!” Michael Bastian, creative director of Brooks Brothers, told me last week. “I didn’t even have a car until a few years ago.”
I’ve loved Michael Bastian’s work ever since I had a #menswear Tumblr over a decade ago1, when Bastian, fresh off a stint as the men’s fashion director at Bergdorf Goodman, was designing a hit collection for Gant2. Bastian was one of the key figures to the menswear craze of the early 2010s that renewed interest in heritage brands and Ivy League nostalgia. Needless to say, that was a very good time for me, a boy from the preppy suburbs of Boston whose first summer job was working on Newbury Street at Ralph Lauren.
Michael, who grew up in the Finger Lakes3, is also a lover of old houses, and when I saw that he and his husband Mike Vásquez purchased a gorgeous Federal brick country home in New Jersey, I needed to know more. How did this dedicated New Yorker—pictures of his dreamy Greenwich Village apartment often float around the internet—find this house, and how’s the top-to-bottom renovation going? He was kind enough to indulge me. Our conversation is below!
Tell me about the search! You’re in Hunterdon County, NJ. How did you land there?
What we wanted was an old house on five acres or less that wasn’t a total fixer upper, and I was spending a lot of time on Zillow. I put a 2 hr circle around New York—Connecticut and New York, yes, but also places in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. We are totally fine if we need to drive 30 mins to see friends, so we were more open to different locations.
What I wasn’t interested in was the Hamptons. I didn’t want to pay a premium to be by the beach. We’re not beach guys — we’re pool guys! So, having either the land to put a pool in or, even better, a pool already was more important.
Last Mother’s Day, Mike’s mom was in town and staying with his brother in New Jersey. I said to Mike “Let’s get into the habit of looking at properties anytime we leave the city, even if it’s just to drive by.” I went to my list of saved houses, and the closest one to us was actually the one we ended up buying!
It honestly wasn’t even that close. It was probably an hour away from Mike’s brother, and we hadn’t really explored New Jersey. It was a beautiful day, we were hopelessly charmed the moment we pulled up to the house. It has incredible curb appeal with the picket fence and slate roof and shutters, even if half of them are missing.
I understand that feeling! So the house was on the market and available?
Oh no—the opposite. It was listed, but our broker found out there were already three bids on the house, and one was already accepted. The house needed a lot. Basically everything. It hadn’t been touched in decades! It needed new septic, new electric, and we really had to go in with an open mind, especially since we initially wanted something that wasn’t so much work.
We offered the asking price with no contingencies, hoping that might set us apart from the competition. This house has had only about four owners since it was built in 1810. The owners were a married couple in their 90s who had lived there since 1972, and they were ready to move on. They still really loved the house, and we definitely made it clear when we made the offer how we would be good stewards, and that we plan to really take care of it.
The owners came back and said “Great. We’ll take it!”
Then reality set in, I bet.
Oh god, yes. We did have a full inspection, but it was more for our own knowledge, since we had already told them that we would take the house. It felt like being at the doctors praying they don’t find something wrong. Whatever they find, you own it! Luckily there wasn’t anything too bad. There was a lot of water damage from a previous leak, but thankfully the roof and foundation were okay.
You know those houses you find online that have a historic exterior and are obliterated inside? What’s wonderful is that this house, because it hasn’t been touched, really wasn’t ruined. What you see is the floorplan original to 1810, which I prefer over open-plan houses. I actually like defined rooms with real doors and walls—you don’t need to see me cooking eggs in the morning!
How did you tackle the renovation from NYC. Did you have local help?
I have never owned a house before—let alone renovate a historic home! I had no idea how any of this worked. Friends would say that I needed a good general contractor, and thankfully someone at work connected me with a woman named Tracy Mastrogiacomo who is in the business of renovating historic homes in our area of New Jersey.
I thought she would be more of a friend who could give advice, but what she has done is just incredible—we couldn’t have done this project this without her. She speaks the language of renovation and knows all the local workers. She gets things done, unlike if I went in green not knowing anything and trying to do this alone. That was one of the luckier breaks that we had.
What did you do with the kitchen and bathrooms?
I had a few architects come through at the beginning, because we didn’t even have a basic floorplan. We ended up using the local guy, who had worked on the house before, to help us since we are fully renovating the kitchen and adding a powder room on the first floor. It’s small—but it’ll be great. We found the original pine floors under the bad linoleum, and were able to patch a few missing areas with wood we found in the attic.
The floorplan is basically a center hall with four big rooms on each floor. We changed things slightly upstairs, since there was no real “primary suite.” We reconfigured things a bit to add an ensuite bath and walk-in closet, plus another full bathroom upstairs.
What has been the biggest splurge so far?
So far, everything feels like a splurge! But it’s the first time I’m doing it, so maybe that’s why. Friends have told me, though, that for what we’re doing, it’s not too wild.
We definitely splurged on painting throughout the house. Every room had wallpaper, and it’s really delicate to take down, because the walls are old plaster and lathe. Each room was really tricky for what the painters were doing. Honestly, some rooms we had to leave the wallpaper up, because it was in part what was holding the plaster all together. That ended up being a lot more than I thought it would be.
How did you handle heating and A/C?
This splits people right down the middle, the radiator vs HVAC conversation. Because, radiators kinda are the best I guess for the most steady heat. But this house had no air conditioning at all, and all of the radiators were in the most inconvenient locations, exactly where I wanted to place furniture.
Getting all of those removed—going from oil heat to propane—was a big deal. We split the HVAC system up into two: The basement has one kind of unit, and there’s another in the attic. Now there are gigantic silver tubes to hide in the basement or attic.
Do you intend to use the basement or attic?
Oh, yes! The attic is gorgeous—huge and wide open, but that has to be later. That’s going to need a professional to come in and show us how to use the space as best as possible.
How did you deal with the fireplaces?
There are 9 fireplaces in the house. None work, and anyone with an old house will tell you that chimneys are wildly expensive to fix4.
My project manager found a reputable chimney repairman, and to restore just one line of fireplaces would be about $20,000, and that was way out of budget — I could get my pool faster!
That got me asking about gas inserts, but that was also expensive to deal with installing gas pipes in brick walls. So, right now all the fireplaces are decorative, and that will also be a part of a later phase.
Is there an end in sight?
Probably a little after Easter! I was hoping to get as much done as I could to avoid having another renovation when already living there. There’s a side porch that I want to turn into a sunroom with a terrace since it’s right off the primary bedroom. That project may have to wait. I have to get through tax season, first! I’m just learning.
How are you sourcing furniture?
Once we got the house, I channeled my Zillow energy into Facebook Marketplace. It’s amazing. I’ve become this crazy Facebook Marketplace guy — We’ve gotten a bed, farm table, dining table, chairs, and the funny thing is that you kinda become friends with the sellers in a way, because you’re picking up at their house, and it’s a lot of people selling off their parents’ things, so every single item comes with a story. I found Federal sofa on Facebook Marketplace with a gigantic carved eagle, and I had it recovered. That got the ball rolling.
There’s a randomness to what you find, which gives character and interest to the furnishings as opposed to going to a showroom and getting everything brand new. Some of my favorite things in my NYC apartment were just found on the street!
What do you think about the town now that you’ve spent more time out there?
I don’t understand why more people aren’t out here, especially when friends of mine see the sort of houses you can find. There’s a bus that goes right to Clinton, the next town over. There’s a gorgeous little town with a cute downtown and a waterfall. I truly don’t know why this isn’t as much on New Yorkers’ radar. We’ve made the trip door to door in just about an hour — compare that to 4 hours out to the Hamptons on 4th of July weekend.
Sounds pretty ideal.
It really is wonderful—and the house just has such a great feeling! I was so worried that when I walked into the house, it would smell bad. Or feel ghost-y. Could you imagine? You find your dream house and you get a bad vibe. Thankfully, we had none of that! And I’ve had friends come through with me who are looking for a reason to not like it, and they come up empty. It just felt like the house is grateful someone is bringing it back to life.
A FEW FINAL THINGS
I love hearing about kitchen renovations. Carla Lalli Music just shared some great information on how she refreshed and organized her (beautiful) brownstone kitchen.
If you buy this absolutely adorable house in Ithaca, NY ($390K!), you are hereby forbidden from ripping out the original 1929 pink-and-green bathroom. OK?
The Philly flagship of Macy’s—in the Wanamaker building—closed last week, and the moving final performance of the historic organ drew incredible crowds. While the future of the building is uncertain, the owners say the organ will be preserved.
Give me ALL the magazine gossip! I can’t wait to read Graydon Carter’s new memoir When The Going Was Good.
ON DECK FOR NEXT WEEK: I’m talking to Thomas Little of Urbangreen Gardens, the mind behind the most striking container gardens outside some of the most iconic downtown restaurants, to learn how to bring a bit of that magic home.
Called Not Enough Hangers!
I miss Gant by Michael Bastian regularly.
Literally 10 minutes away from Geneva, NY where my partner and I have a house! Truly, the world is so small.
Yes. The rule of thumb is each fireplace and flue is approximately $10,000 to fix.
That attic window!!!!!
Love hearing about other ppl who are as obsessed with Facebook marketplace as I am. 🤣 This house is stunning and the interview was lovely!