What happens when a design philosophy that is “totally raw and stripped-down” meets two people who have this inherent impulse to constantly improve?
During their first walk-through of the Manhattan duplex, Zooey Deschanel and Jonathan Scott found themselves in front of an area that was more akin to an empty commercial space than that of a dwelling. Scott later described the area as “totally raw and stripped down, like an abandoned 1980s office building,” which is as true today as it was at the time, given the extent of the finished interior decoration that has taken place in the dwelling. The dwelling has developed into a sophisticated East Coast HQ that serves as both a dwelling and a design workshop, seeking to make maximalism unobtrusive.
The underlying premise, “the overriding path is about customization rather than decoration,” is supported by customized features such as the L-shaped sofa made to measure for the room, the marble mantelpiece created not as a focal point but as something that complements the architecture, as well as other features like the customized bed, kitchen hood, terrace, and lamp shades. The importance of control as part of successful maximalist design is emphasized in the quote from Deschanel regarding Scott’s work ethic: “He won’t stop until everything is perfect,” she says, “and anything I can imagine, he can do.”
This project was led by designer Young Huh, remembering the directive of their client: “Nothing modern. We want a sense of history and we love color.” This mindset is in accordance with the duplex’s traditional structural design, complete with pilasters, crown molding, and ceilings that are high enough to support a sense of visual density without losing a sense of proportion. Antique furniture further enhances the look of the place, including chairs that date back to the George III era but were reupholstered in a rich shade of purple velvet, emphasizing character over decoration through pattern and color.
Floral patterns serve as the binding elements in the design. Starting from the floral motifs of hollyhock paper in the elevator vestibule and moving through chintz-clad spaces and wallcoverings embroidered in silk and striped curtains, floral motifs express repetition as a means of addressing perceived disorder in busy spaces. Within this home, repetition appears not only as a design principle but rather as “a garden language” that transcends space and material, including textiles and marble.
This can be seen as a reaction to the interior design trend of using botanical prints in order to recreate the outdoors in urban environments, where outdoor space might only consist of a small balcony rather than a garden. The terraces symbolize much more than a superficial aspect of the New York apartment, as the terraces carry the color story of the duplex outward, making this dwelling unit a true family center, rather than a carefully staged representation of choices. The interior design combines necessary functionality with design statements, like the recessed shelves on either side of the pistachio-colored family room fireplace or the children’s zone with custom-design bunkbeds for Deschanel’s two children.
The hidden karaoke machine is a tribute to the power couple’s 2019 Carpool Karaoke appearance, demonstrating that personalization goes beyond textiles. The success of the duplex lies in its ability to make maximalism a carefully honed discipline. The injection of bold patterns, as well as the quest for ‘more,’ has permeated mainstream design, reflecting the resurgence of maximalist design, as well as the desire for spaces that have ‘history, personality, or a certain patina.’ The space shows how this philosophy can be translated into practical design, stating, “Repeating motifs, heritage-inspired forms, and bespoke details allow jewel tones, pastels, stripes, and florals, as well as the mix of traditional details with modern construction quality.”
