Stephanie Barbara developed her extensive creative background while working in New York City’s high-end design showroom industry. Her impressive resume includes AFNY, a designer plumbing showroom in the Flatiron District serving architects, designers, and trade professionals, as well as Artistic Tile, which is known for its natural stone and intricate mosaics.

“To this day, tile is probably my favorite starting point for design inspiration,” she says. “To me, it’s like creating permanent artwork. I love pairing color, texture, pattern, and natural materials and coming up with combinations that are a little unexpected. That’s become a big part of my design style — it’s unexpected, but it works.”

She’s very proud of her background because she was able to take all of that knowledge and bring it into her own company, Lily and the Rose Design, LLC, which she founded in 2017. “I wanted to name the company after my daughter, Lily, and lilies and roses happen to be my two favorite flowers,” she says. “A year after starting the business, my son Vincent was born with beautiful rosy, red hair — now blond — which gave the “Rose” an extra-special family connection.”

Originally started in her home, it has evolved over the years into a kitchen and bath design, cabinetry, and refinishing studio. Its new storefront in the heart of Bernardsville (right next to The Coffee Shop) was previously owned by another designer, so the space is the perfect fit.

“It feels wonderful to continue that creative history,” says Stephanie. “It will be part showroom, part working design studio, with cabinetry, exclusive vanities, tile, quartz, hardware and materials clients can see and touch while we design together.”

What truly makes Lily and the Rose Design unique, she says, is that it gives equal importance to new cabinetry and professional refinishing. “Sometimes a completely new layout and cabinetry are the right solution; other times beautiful existing cabinetry deserves to be preserved and refreshed. We can transform it with refinishing, countertops, tile, hardware and other updates. Major construction isn’t always the answer, and I love having both options available.”

Another standout quality Stephanie has from being in the industry is that she understands the specifications behind the products, not just how they look. She can personally work through cabinetry, tile, plumbing and the other details that make a kitchen or bathroom function properly without having to depend on another showroom to make those selections or specifications for her.

Unlike big-box stores, Stephanie loves to personalize every project for each client and enjoys incorporating her own style into clients’ design preferences. “I want to see your Pinterest boards and inspiration, but I don’t want to replicate them,” she says. “I take what you love and add my creative spin through unexpected combinations of cabinetry, tile, stone, color, texture and hardware. The result should feel unmistakably yours — with a ‘wow’ factor you won’t find by copying something online.”

There are two levels of service: The Mini Quick Service Package provides complete professional design while clients choose and manage the contractor of their choosing. With the Grand Design Package, she works alongside one of her own carefully chosen contractors and remains involved from design to construction and installation.

A huge part of her business is thanks to word-of-mouth from clients, contractors, and trade professionals, and she considers these referrals to be one of the greatest compliments she can receive.

Whether you’re starting completely new or transforming what you already have, her goal is the same: a beautiful, functional space that feels personal and special. “Come visit Lily and the Rose Design at 22 Olcott Square in Bernardsville, and let’s see what we can create together!”