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When Studio DB founders Britt and Damian Zunino sat down with their client to discuss renovating her two-bedroom Manhattan apartment, she presented the designers mostly with reference images of hotels. Between her busy job in crisis management and love of travel, she ends up spending more days in hotels than at home, so when prompted to picture her dream space, the chic Soho House locations in London and New York’s glamorous Nine Orchard came to mind first. Studio DB took it as a sign to turn her Chelsea space into a homey getaway.
To start, the designers tweaked the layout ever so slightly, opening up the narrow entry hall and galley kitchen to the main living area, allowing for a storage-packed peninsula. Sure, the front door is technically in the kitchen, but the Zuninos maintained a foyer-like feel with a wall-mounted table where their client can drop her keys. You barely even notice there’s a cooktop a few feet away (the small induction burners are integrated into the stone). At the other end of the room, a built-in planter marks the beginning of the extra-long dining banquette, turning the corner into the type of cozy, private nook you’d expect to find at a five-star stay.
While Studio DB expanded the primary bathroom a smidge, the real focus was the guest space. Carving out pocket doors allowed them to prioritize the area—and its stellar views of the Empire State Building—as an office, while a pull-out sofa ensures friends can still spend the night.
Ahead, in their own words, the designers take us on a tour of the city retreat.
The small space-friendly appliance:
Britt: We had never used a little integrated stovetop before and it turned out really great. It’s very clean looking and I think it’s a great idea for small apartments (especially if you don’t cook a lot).
The gathering spot:
Britt: Her idea of entertaining is having friends over for cocktails and then maybe ordering in, it’s relaxed and sort of loungey. So we created a banquette that is actually quite deep. Even though the fabric is a plush chenille, it’s more of a durable contract-grade [textile] because she was concerned about the wear.
Damian: We limewashed all the surfaces (ceiling and walls) so it had this Old World kind of texture.
The seating that makes you look twice:
Britt: She was totally starting from scratch with furniture. Part of the reason we chose this sofa is that it’s sort of split in the middle. The back of the couch is very prominent when you walk into the apartment, so we wanted you to be able to see through it a little bit. One of the first things she liked was the resin table. That was one of those things where we were like, Ok, if she’s into this, we can do some fun things.
Damian: We covered the radiator and air conditioning in the corner underneath the living room window so it felt like part of the millwork, like a banquette.
The cohesive detail:
Damian: One of the things she liked when she purchased [the apartment] was that there were a couple of radius corners. We wanted to emphasize that more. The corner of the peninsula, for instance, allows for a flow to the outdoor space and the dining table.
Britt: We integrated those rounded details throughout the rest of the apartment, like on the door handles and the cabinetry. You see that curving silhouette throughout.
Damian: We made a custom pull for the office door that reflects the arch at the top and has these little holes for finger pulls. It just brought this edgy element to it.
The moody work space:
Damian: She wanted to be able to work and look out the window, so we made an inlaid leather desk. Just to the left of the desk is functional storage that holds her printer. We wanted to keep the space open and clean. It was very much about the view.
Britt: The studded detailing around the office was inspired by vintage chesterfield sofas; it felt a bit British, but with a modern spin. The ceiling wallpaper from Calico has all of these watercolor blobs that look like flowers and was made in partnership with Roll & Hill.
The secret shoe storage:
Damian: Almost every piece serves more than one purpose. The peninsula doubles as an entertaining sideboard with integrated wine storage. The banquette can act as a daybed and has storage underneath and a planter built-in. And then there is a lot storage in the hallway leading to the primary bedroom. It’s a bookshelf on top and below that are all these shoe drawers behind cabinets.
The tranquil wallpaper:
Britt: The wallpaper [in the primary bedroom] is so soothing in person, it has a bit of iridescence to it. The apartment is pretty high, so you almost feel like you’re in the clouds.
The bold bathroom addition:
Britt: We worked with Chelsea Arts Tile and Stone to pick a range of marbles that we liked for the bathroom floor. They cut them down for us to 4x8s (a little bit larger than a standard subway). While [the client] was very excited about the floor tile, I do think that sometimes people are a little bit more resistant to something that’s so bold. In general, she wanted to create an apartment that had great bones, but she also wanted it to be hers. She wanted a really cool bathroom floor and she didn’t really care if anyone else didn’t like it. That felt liberating.