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Even by the standards of Britt and Damian Zunino, the problem-solving husband-and-wife team behind Studio DB (he’s an architect, she oversees interior design), the Brooklyn carriage house project was a tough nut to crack. First, there were the permits (renovating a home in the borough’s historic district necessitated lots of paperwork), then a change of ownership (the new clients, smartly, kept the Zuninos onboard), and even the surprise discovery of bones during the excavation phase (luckily, they were of the equine variety, not uncommon for these former stables).
Hidden behind faux-cabinet doors, this walk-in pantry strikes the perfect mix of utility and charm. Unlacquered brass door pulls by Rejuvenation and shelf hardware by HRL Brass will develop patina with time. The walls are coated in a soft limewash by JH Wall Paints.
MATTHEW WILLIAMS
A wall-spanning mirror creates the sense of an additional window above the dining area, which is outfitted with vintage-inspired lighting (including a McGee & Co. pendant and Robert Gordon Interiors ceramic sconces) and leggy seating (the chairs are by Matter and the bench is from Good Colony). The Heather Taylor Home tablecloth is from Nickey Kehoe.
MATTHEW WILLIAMSThe Zuninos, ever optimists, took it all in stride. “This house wanted to be charming and beautiful, with its exposed beams and old fireplaces— we knew it could be incredibly warm,” recalls Britt. “But it also wanted central AC and all the modern amenities in a tiny space. We’d just stop and ask ourselves, ‘Where is this all going to go?’”
The answer required some creative workarounds, especially when it came to the dark, low-ceilinged ground floor that holds the combined kitchen-dining-living room. The timber ceiling made it near impossible to conceal pipes and mechanicals, and soffits were out of the question—they’d kill the mood. So the Zuninos designed a multitasking addition, bumping the kitchen wall out seven feet to provide more square footage, a much-needed wall of windows, and a separate walk-in pantry with a drop ceiling where ductwork could be tucked out of sight. The remaining mechanicals were moved to the cellar, which reclaimed an extra foot of ceiling height after Damian removed decades’ worth of concrete poured to address the sagging floor.
The rear garden sets a verdant tone for the kitchen-slash-dining area, anchored by an island painted in Farrow & Ball’s Green Smoke. Damian and Britt preserved the space’s original wood beams and were even able to salvage additional matching ones from a neighboring house also undergoing a gut renovation. Counter stools, CB2; faucet, Waterworks.
MATTHEW WILLIAMSThe pantry, hidden behind what appears to be a tall cabinet to the right of the stove, also provides storage for kitchen-cluttering items like countertop appliances and tools. “Functionally, it allows the main kitchen to remain more open and tidy, but we also liked that it created this play of scale and a fun element of discovery,” says Damian. The kitchen’s lack of upper cabinets meant that under-counter storage had to be especially hardworking, too. In the main room, drawers are fitted out with peg systems to hold dishes and glassware; in the pantry, a skirt hides lower-level clutter.
Aesthetically, Britt balanced cozy, old-fashioned materiality with a sense of lightness. “Because it has this great view of the backyard, we didn’t want anything to feel too heavy,” she says, pointing to the leggy seating, vintage-feel lighting, and colors drawn from the garden. With its sun-dappled limewash walls, cushy window seat, and herbs growing by the pantry sill, it all looks so serene, you’d never guess the folks behind it were put through their paces.
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In the primary bedroom, a clawfoot soaking tub by Victoria + Albert (with Riobel wall-mounted hardware) evokes the feeling of a stylish boutique hotel suite. Book-filled shelves, a West Elm drinks table, and Nickey Kehoe armchair ramp up the charm.
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Rather than fight the room’s low ceiling height, Britt and Damian leaned into the cozy factor, choosing tactile materials like limewash by JH Wall Paints, heavy Pottery Barn linen curtains, and a mohair blanket by Quarters.
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Giraffes Stroll Wallpaper by Tess Callervik for Rebel Walls wraps the kids' bedroom.
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Damian and Britt Zunino of Studio DB.
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THIS ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED IN VOLUME 19 OF FREDERIC MAGAZINE. CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE!
