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A painting by artist Michael Morrill inspired the orange sectional in the living room of Dr. Stanley and Nikol Marks in Squirrel Hill.
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The House Next Door: Nikol and Dr. Stanley Marks' cozy contemporary in Squirrel Hill

Pam Panchak/Post-Gazette

The House Next Door: Nikol and Dr. Stanley Marks' cozy contemporary in Squirrel Hill

While Dr. Stanley Marks is known for his work restoring his patients to health at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, his wife, Nikol, resuscitated an old home in Squirrel Hill.

With the help of Kris Senko of Renovation Consultants and interior designer Lauren Levant, she has achieved the holy grail of contemporary design —  stunning yet cozy.

“It took a little over a year to do and we finished about two months ago,” she said.

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The house near Chatham University has chic sophistication, a neutral palette and a magnificent marble entry with a winding staircase. Yet it’s comfortable.   

“Once we moved in and got settled, we noticed it is all really usable space and we live in every area of this house,” said Mrs. Marks. 

The living room gets a big pop of color from a large custom sectional in burnt orange. The bright hue was inspired by an oversized painting by Michael Morrill, a former University of Pittsburgh professor.

One of the first things the owners did was to flip the dining room to the original living room space and turn the old dining room into what they call the warming room. It looks like an intimate hotel bar with a beautiful marble and glass wet bar along one side and sleek seating on the other.  On one wall is a treasure from one of Dr. Marks’ patients, a photo of Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger. 

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“This may be one of our favorite rooms in the house,” she noted. 

One reason for the room flip was the size of the custom-made dining table by Tadao Arimoto. Flanking the original marble fireplace in the dining room are two colored pencil drawings by local artist Chuck Biddle that show signs at Kelly’s Bar and Lounge in East Liberty and Harry Watts Pet O' Mine Shop in Omaha, Neb.

“Although they look like photos, they are not,” said Mrs. Marks.  “It took him about a year to do the Kelly’s sign for us.”

Sliding doors lead from the dining room to the patio, which has cabana curtains and a built-in grilling area. When they entertain, the party flows from drinks on the patio to dinner by the fireplace.

“I wanted the indoor/outdoor feel for the dining room,” she said.

The newer portion of the house includes the living room and kitchen with a master bedroom suite on the second floor. The couple loved the bones of the master bedroom with its gorgeous coffered ceiling. But not its dark wood.

“We were a little nervous about it,” Mrs. Marks said. “But we painted the whole thing white as well as the master bath, which really opened up the space and made it so much lighter and brighter.”

They wanted the master suite to be muted, quiet and zen-like. “One of the things Kris did when he did the house is a lot of beautiful marble throughout the foyer and the bathrooms.

“Everything we were lacking in our old house this house had,” Mrs. Marks said. “As soon as we pulled up into this beautiful driveway to this big home with a yard that we wanted for our dog, I said, ‘This is our house.’”

They still have a few more projects to finish.

“We will be adding a gym/spa to the basement and I have a small office space upstairs that I want to do a family photograph wall,” she said.

Patricia Sheridan: psheridan@post-gazette.com. 

First Published: May 20, 2022, 10:00 a.m.

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A painting by artist Michael Morrill inspired the orange sectional in the living room of Dr. Stanley and Nikol Marks in Squirrel Hill.  (Pam Panchak/Post-Gazette)
Nikol Marks helped choose the marble in the foyer of the home she shares with her husband near Chatham University.  (Pam Panchak/Post-Gazette)
The kitchen and dining area.  (Pam Panchak/Post-Gazette)
The dining room leads to a zen-like patio fir easy entertaining.  (Pam Panchak/Post-Gazette)
The dining room features two drawings of signs by local artist Chuck Biddle -- Kelly’s Bar and Lounge in East Liberty and Harry Watts Pet O' Mine Shop in Omaha, Neb.  (Pam Panchak/Post-Gazette)
One of many Buddha statues in the Squirrel Hill home of Dr. Stanley and Nikol Marks.  (Pam Panchak/Post-Gazette)
The dining and kitchen open to the living room in the back of the house.  (Pam Panchak/Post-Gazette)
A photo of Mick Jagger hangs by the bar in the warming room. The Rolling Stones front man was one of Dr. Stanley Marks' patients.  (Pam Panchak/Post-Gazette)
The new dining room is large enough to accommodate a table made by Tadao Arimoto.  (Pam Panchak/Post-Gazette)
A sheltered seating area on the back patio off the dining room,  (Pam Panchak/Post-Gazette)
The entryway features white marble and artwork.  (Pam Panchak/Post-Gazette)
Pam Panchak/Post-Gazette
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