When interior designer Sebastian Zuchowiecki began working with a client on a New York City home, the starting point was the living room. “Especially in New York City apartments, I feel like the concept of the living room has always been the soul of the space and that it trickles down,” he says.
Compared to the client's traditional summerhouse in Rhode Island, the three-bedroom West Chelsea apartment he currently shares with his two children (and their cat) is a modern home with a sophisticated aesthetic. It's a sanctuary. Zuchowiecki spent a year slowly remodeling his 3,000-square-foot condo, room by room, until the bedroom, his dining room, and his newly created private library were completely completed. I went.
“My favorite detail is that there is texture everywhere you look,” says Zuchowicki. “There's texture literally everywhere you look. There aren't any white walls anywhere, so it feels special to me. It doesn't feel heavy, which was really important. Something that's lightweight but very textured. ” —Sydney Gore
Boston townhouse with lounge space
“My husband loves the top floor with the pool table,” says Nelson Rice. The house was the first time the couple had designed it with children in mind, and Hassin said: “She wasn't worried about being a mother or a wife. She wanted to be Robin. She put all these little touches here and there that corresponded to her personality.'' When the matriarch buys art, her criteria is: “Does it love me and do I love it back?'' is. Her three flags, made from the backs of Walter Robin Hamilton albums, are a personal favorite because they embody the power of music. The sunny game room also has a playful She Vibia chandelier and a Moses Nadel ottoman.
Photo: Trent Bell
A client who literally refuses to take “no” for an answer may sound less than ideal, but for the team at Hacin + Associates in Boston, one such energetic and creative collaborator is… The approach brought aesthetic magic and joy. “Really, I would describe her as everyone's dream client,” says Matthew Woodward, principal interior designer. “I have never had so much fun working on a project in my life.”
When Robin Nelson Rice and her husband, Derika Rice, decided to move from suburban Indiana to Boston, both their real estate agent and general contractor hired H+A, located at 1881 Back Bay. We felt it was the perfect fit to reimagine a six-story townhouse. However, the founder's representative and creative director, David Heisin, found himself extremely busy at the time. “Robin looked me straight in the eye and said, 'You don't understand. You will be doing this project. And I really liked it,” says Hassin. She said, “As she was talking, we clicked and connected and that was it for her. She wanted to continue the process.”
“We made a decision wholeheartedly based on seeing this space as a gallery for contemporary Black artists,” Woodward says. “Robin was really happy to do that. Early on, we were conscious of showing restraint in the material palette to allow the art to stand out.” The dining room in particular was designed by Russell Young's Barracks. The design is centered around a portrait of Obama, which Nelson-Rice says is “an eloquent statement of peace, hope, and positivity.” —Kathryn Romijn