Melissa Gorga moves into her spectacular new Franklin Lakes, NJ home

I want so badly not to care about where Melissa Gorga of Real Housewives of New Jersey lives. But at the same time, I can’t help it.

For so many reasons, those ladies are so darn insane that you just can’t turn away. But in Gorga’s case, she actually is probably the classiest and the most “normal“ of the bunch.

That’s why I was so happy for her when she sold her palatial Montville monstrosity, unloaded a couple of Toms River homes, and finally built her dream house and, according to jerseydigs.com, finally moved in.

Melissa Gorga’s new house is located in Franklin Lakes, a borough that has historically housed many other cast members during the run of The Real Housewives of New Jersey. Jacqueline Laurita, Kathy Wakile, and Caroline Manzo have all called Franklin Lakes home during their time on the show, which will enter its 13th season later this year.

People thought Melissa was downsizing when they heard that her new home was only a $950,000 house, relatively modest by Franklin Lakes standards.

But, the JerseyDigs article quotes The New York Post report saying the couple took out a $500,000 loan to finance the build-out of their new abode, which was designed and reconstructed by Joe Gorga through his home-building company.

The new home is not modest, but it is gorgeous. Melissa Gorga shared a sneak peek at the house with her 2.7 million Instagram followers when the family officially moved into the residence.

Exit the mega-mansion phase and enter the tasteful home era.

The home is located in the tony West Gate Urban Farms community situated along a leafy section of Bergen County, and spans about an acre and a half and has been a construction site since January 2022. But no more.

I’m a fan of the more modern-looking house, the sleeker lines and the lack of ornate twists and curvy architecture that plagued the mega-mansions that were so prevalent on RHONJ.

Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s still a mansion. And it still sits on a huge plot of land in a high net-worth neighborhood. But there doesn’t appear to be excess and that’s what I love. Some of her earlier homes, including her Montville mansion appeared to be simply a celebration of spending.

The home features a sleek black-and-white exterior and is a bit larger than the previous home on the lot.

And, while modern design today in homes usually means stark boxes, cold spaces and sparsely furnished rooms, Melissa opted for a decidedly modern design but also included some classic design elements from the past. For instance, Melissa has showcased a home office on her social media as well as a Roaring 20s-inspired bedroom complete with her “dream closet,” a built-in fireplace, and a fluted wall design.

The kitchen at the Gorga’s new home features two oversized islands and a barstool seating counter, while a variety of impressive chandeliers can be spotted on the @melissagorga Instagram account.

Let’s see if any of the other real housewives will take a cue from Melissa, and chill out a little on the excesses. But then again, would anybody watch?

In case you were wondering, other celebrities have homes in NJ as well.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco only.

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