The Insider: Neutral Classics Rule in Newly Furnished Heights Condo

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When interior designer Claire Hung got a call to help furnish a couple’s newly purchased condo in a recently built, amenity-laden tower, she ran right over. “I was pleasantly surprised with a lot of the details” the developer had provided, said Hung, whose full-service interior design studio, Claire Hung Design, is based in Brooklyn. Among them were a stone door surround in the space between the entry foyer and living room, and an upscale kitchen and baths that needed nothing but accessorizing.

“When clients move into a new residence, they don’t necessarily want additional expenses,” Hung pointed out, “but we were able to make our mark on some of the rooms.” That included painting the entry foyer a warm taupe and lime washing the walls in the primary bedroom only. “Most of my clients love the idea of lime wash and then find out how much it costs,” Hung said.

Most of the budget went toward new furniture and rugs, as the clients brought only a couple of items with them, including the circular Superloon floor lamp from Flos (top photo). The homeowners are “very minimalistic,” said Hung, who was hired on the basis of her own background in Scandinavian and Japanese design. “The pieces you see are the ones they decided to invest in.”

The furnishings are simple and classic, conforming to a neutral palette, with a few more playful items in the mix, including a bubble chandelier in the dining room and art commissioned by the clients. “They didn’t want a wild face-off of pattern,” Hung said. Textural rugs add softness underfoot.

When it came to the young son’s room and bath, though, cool restraint gave way to whimsy, with forest-themed wallpaper and an abundance of color.

New paint (Renwick Beige by Sherwin Williams), along with a round mirror from CB2 and a bench from Crate and Barrel, personalize the entry foyer.

The marble door jamb is one of the elevated details provided by the developer.

The living room sofa was ordered from Croft House. “You can customize everything — the base, the upholstery, the legs, the leather straps,” the designer said.

The clients decided to forgo a coffee table to give their young child more expansive play space, using side tables instead. The Arc armchair was sourced from TRNK, the tambour credenza from EQ3, a Canadian brand.

Hung and her clients chose Bo Concept versions of classic Hans Wegner Wishbone chairs for the dining room, customized with creamy faux leather seats. The softly rounded oak pedestal table came from Kathy Kuo Home.

The bubble chandelier from The Light Factory is “playful and sculptural,” Hung said. “The client chose it, and we worked on getting the scale and color right.”

The mixed-media artwork was commissioned by the clients from Jolina Anthony, a German artist.

An Arrow pendant from Apparatus solved a problem over the kitchen counter. “The junction box was not centered over the peninsula, surprisingly,” Hung said. “An asymmetrical light there was ideal for making it look intentional.”

A vintage Italian pendant light from Chairish sets a light-hearted tone in the lime-washed primary bedroom. The plush rug is from Nordic Knots, a company Hung said she uses “any time I get a chance” for its quality and price point.

The existing primary bath needed nothing but rugs and art.

Fauna wallpaper from Hovia, a British maker, in the young son’s room, is “not babyish,” Hung said, and will continue to suit as he matures.

Prints purchased on Etsy “made a huge difference” in the secondary bath, Hung said, not just to add color. The existing narrow medicine cabinet and sconce were off center. “The art brought appropriate scale to the room.”

[Photos by Joshua Simpson]

The Insider is Brownstoner’s weekly in-depth look at a notable interior design/renovation project, by design journalist Cara Greenberg. Find it here every Thursday morning.

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