Interior designer Damon Liss and his wife, Lisa, first spied their current TriBeCa home in January 2007 — but back then, it belonged to someone else. The couple — partners in the interiors firm Damon Liss Design, as well as Liss Real Estate Group — and their two daughters were living just around the corner, renting at 101 Warren St., when they did some work on a second-floor apartment on Duane Street. They fell in love with its soaring ceilings and big windows with Duane Park views.
When they heard the 2,400-square-foot condo in a historic 19th-century loft building was for sale, they leapt at the chance, purchasing it in October 2012 for several million. They spent eight months renovating the space and moved in last May.
For Damon, who established his interior design firm in 2002, it was a dream project. It was the kind of work his company is known for — a gut renovation and design incorporating a great mix of vintage and contemporary pieces. The renovation on the three-bedroom duplex loft — excluding furnishings — ended up costing about $1 million.
Of great importance to Liss was designing with his family in mind. At the entrance, there was only a small closet that couldn’t accommodate coats and other items that he, Lisa and their daughters, Lillian, 6, and Charlotte, 8, needed. “It was a tiny closet for the whole apartment, about 3 feet wide,” says Liss, who ripped it out and widened the opening to create storage.
The large living space is carved into three discrete areas divided by furniture: There’s the main family “room,” a library nook and a parent “hangout” that is anchored by two chairs fronting a woodburning fireplace. “To us, it is consistent with loft living. You need to define the spaces and need separation, but you don’t want individual rooms,” explains Liss.
The main living area is furnished with an original 1930s Danish chair in gray leather, an Italian floor lamp by Stilnovo from Donzella, a 1960s Martin Eisler chair and a coffee table by Scapinelli from Espasso, a shop on North Moore that specializes in vintage Brazilian furniture. A German chess set from the 1960s sits atop an oak slab table by BDDW, a New York-based furniture company with which the designers often collaborate to create custom pieces.
The library features a custom millwork bookshelf by Manhattan’s Best & Company that is lined with cut pile mohair in a textured zigzag pattern. A pair of Cento Tre wall lights illuminate the books, and there is a Swedish-designed Big Adam armchair by Kerstin Hörlin Holmquist and a Pierre Jeanneret teak conference chair from Chandigarh, India, for reading. “We don’t want our design to feel like everything is newly purchased, so we incorporate pieces with patina, age and richness,” says Liss. “We love vintage pieces, and natural wood, like the slab tables.”
Liss works with Pettit Art Partners, a New York-based art consultant, and has recently started collecting; there are drawings by Brooklyn-based artist Keltie Ferris in the library and a work by Adolph Gottlieb near the fireplace.
Most of the family’s time is spent at the oak-slab dining room table, the first of its kind that BDDW has made. It’s where the girls like to do homework and art projects. The eight teak and leather dining chairs are by Knud Faerch from Jackson Design AB in Stockholm. “The chairs are super-comfortable to sit in. We appreciate the beauty of things, but needed them to be extremely comfortable, too,” says Lisa.
The couple decided on a homey-feeling kitchen, in a gray palette they say has a more traditional feel to it — thanks to the choice of hardware, a farmhouse sink and white subway tiles. There is also a chalkboard-paint door for doodling.
Rather than place the sleeping quarters above, the Liss home has stairs lead down to the lower-level bedrooms, as well as a “hangout” room where the kids play and watch television. Lillian’s pink bedroom has a pair of circular sconces by Sergio Mazza from Donzella 20th Century gallery and original artwork by Judy Ledgerwood; Charlotte’s is violet and teal with a mid-century porcelain “GIRL” sign hanging on the wall.
“We wanted to make the rooms extremely kid-friendly, bright, cheerful and exciting, but at the same time be sophisticated and interesting,” says Liss.
An open-shelved bar area next to the dining table and near the kitchen extends to the ceiling — to balance the library at the opposite end, notes Damon.
Rather than place the sleeping quarters above, the Liss home has stairs leading down to the lower-level bedrooms, as well as a “hangout” room where the kids play and watch television. Lillian’s pink bedroom has a pair of circular sconces by Sergio Mazza from Donzella 20th Century gallery and original artwork by Judy Ledgerwood; Charlotte’s is violet and teal with a mid-century porcelain “GIRL” sign hanging on the wall.
“We wanted to make the rooms extremely kid-friendly, bright, cheerful and exciting, but at the same time be sophisticated and interesting,” says Liss.
In the master bedroom, there are custom millwork closets with upholstered panels, a bespoke upholstered BDDW bed and Chinese silk rugs from Fort Street Studio in the Flatiron District. “When you walk on [the rugs], there is a powdery texture to them like suede. These rugs will age well, rather than wear out, since they are a heavier kind of silk,” says Liss.
The master bathroom also received an overhaul. “We ripped out the entire bathroom and tub and made a giant double shower,” says Liss. The shower features a slab of gray and white striatto vision stone, and there are custom purple- and gray-limed rift-oak vanities and cabinets with Kallista fixtures.
A 110-square-foot balcony is off the bedroom, and they plan to do some landscaping when the weather warms up. “That’s stage two! Putting a tree in the natural sunlight so we will be able to look out at it,” says Lisa.
She loves that she can view Duane Park from the living room, and the girls can look out the room’s windows and see their dad’s office, just to the right.
“I love that all the buildings here are landmarked, and for the most part, six stories, so there is naturally a limitation to the density,” says Liss. “Even with all the new construction, the heart of TriBeCa is less congested than the rest of the city. And we love that we know everyone in the neighborhood.”
Liss-look Buying Guide
Espasso
TriBeCa-based Espasso was founded as America’s first showroom dedicated to contemporary Brazilian furniture and design. Espasso’s talents are both heavyweight and historic: Tropical-modernist master Isay Weinfeld; Bauhaus-inspired architect Arthur Casas; rare-woods expert Etel Carmona. “We use their contemporary pieces for a pop of color, their vintage pieces for one of a kind sculptural elements, and their outdoor furniture for our beach projects,” Liss says.
BDDW
Founded by artist Tyler Hays, SoHo-based BDDW is committed to the art of timeless, well-crafted design. Best known for their tables, chairs and storage pieces, each BDDW piece is crafted at Hays’ studio-workshop in Philadelphia, PA, from almost heirloom-like wooden slabs hand-rubbed before finishing. “We have worked with [BDDW] for over 10 years,” Liss says. “From their incredible tables, their leather-wrapped credenzas, and beautiful clocks, each piece is as special than the next.”
Donzella
You can’t go wrong at this sprawling TriBeCa repository offering everything you need to create the perfect midcentury-styled home. Founded back in 1990, Donzella traditionally focused on American designers such as Edward Wormley and George Nakashima, but also offers a great selection of seminal European talents including Gio Ponte and ceramicist Marcello Fantoni. “Donzella is an incredible resource for vintage and contemporary Italian furniture and lighting,” Liss says. “When I need that special pair of sconces or a one-of-a-kind chandelier, Donzella is my first stop.”