At a recent open house on a warm, breezy Monday night in Brooklyn Heights, Britt Zunino is leading a tour of the palatial townhouse she’s just completed with her husband, Damian, and their joint design firm, Studio DB. But she’s having trouble finishing her sentences, as the guests milling through the house can’t help but stop and gush as they pass by: “Stunning!” “Magnificent!” “Pitch perfect!” “Breathtaking at every level!” It’s a success story 16 months of construction in the making. When Mr. and Mrs. Zunino bought the 1837 property, it had been configured as a two-family house that needed to be completely gutted. They converted it to its single-family origins, added steel beams to the frame, put in an elevator and relocated (and redesigned) a show-stopping spiral staircase that winds up three floors from the parlor entry. Gazing up from below at this work of art, you feel like you’re in a Parisian apartment building—one that’s freshly painted and has more light.
The Design Duo Behind Studio DB Restores a Brooklyn Heights Townhouse
