A lounge, be it a buzzy speakeasy or one in a high-end hotel, naturally conjures a crowd. However, when New York-based design firm Dunnam Zerbini Design was tasked with designing this inherently socialable space for the 2026 Kips Bay Decorator Show House New York, principal Kelly Zerbini wanted to lean into the subtleties.
“I imagined the room as a place with a quiet magnetism that continually draws people back and encourages them to stay,” she says. “I like to tell visitors that the room rewards lingering and the more time you spend in it, the more you begin to see.”
At Kips Bay Decorator Show House, there is no client, which means Zerbini was able to follow her creative curiosities. “You get to step into the role of muse and create a world entirely your own, and I took that challenge very seriously.” the designer explains. “I took that challenge very seriously.”
For the lounge, which she lovingly named Velvet Hour, Zerbini zeroed in on the intimacy that happens when day turns into night: That feeling when the pace begins to soften, everyone settles in, and the conversations begin to deepen.
Zerbini wanted to draw people in, and knew thoughtful architecture and materiality would be her secret weapons. “For me, simply using new products wasn’t taking it far enough,” she explains. “I wanted to build the room around ideas rather than existing products, which meant commissioning pieces, developing custom materials, and asking artists and makers to create things that didn’t exist yet.”
With the homeowner’s permission, Zerbini reimagined the room’s fireplace wall, which once featured an 8-foot-wide, 18-foot-tall stainless-steel fireplace and TV niche that “completely dominated the space.” She added a 4-foot dropped soffit and finished the new gas fireplace with a honed fossilized stone surround, as well as a nearly 10-foot-tall fireplace sculpture with an inset mirror, the latter designed by Scott Strickstein of Scott Daniel Design.
“Those architectural interventions really became the foundation for everything that followed,” she shares. “They brought the room back to a human scale and gave me the intimacy I wanted despite its enormous volume.”
From there, it was all about intentionally layering the space. Touches like a pair of chairs upholstered in Karin Sajo fringe, custom rug from Edward Fields Carpet Makers, Roméo Mivekannin’s monumental hanging canvas, and sunset-inspired wallcovering from Fromental work together to create a beautiful place that beckons you to unwind. Because, just like the best lounges, Velvet Hour beautifully sits at the intersection of classy, comforting, and convivial.
“I hope people leave with the idea that living with highly curated interiors, collectible design, and serious art doesn’t have to feel precious or stuffy,” she says. “You can surround yourself with things that matter to you, pieces that tell stories and spark conversation, and still create an atmosphere where people want to put their feet up and stay awhile.”
The 2026 Kips Bay Decorator Show House New York is on view through October 13, 2026. For more projects from Dunnam Zerbini Design, be sure to pick up a copy of aspire design and home’s fall 2026 issue.
Photography by Joshua McHugh
Styling by Anthony Amiano
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