Sarah Zames, founder of New York-based interior design firm General Assembly, envisions serene and inviting homes for her clients, filled with meticulously crafted woodwork and custom furniture. However, creating such a home for her own family was not easy.
Ms Zames, 47, explained that focusing on her home, which she shares with husband Jonathan Zames, was always the last thing on her to-do list.
But as daughter Ava grew older, the 816-square-foot apartment the family shared on the edge of Carroll Gardens in Brooklyn became too small. With my apartment bursting at the seams, I couldn’t resist the lure of a 1,080-square-foot unit in the same building that was on the market in early 2024. They decided to buy it and do a complete renovation.
Rebuilding the apartment was an opportunity for Ms. James to use her favorite materials, furniture and accessories, which she and her business partner Colin Stiff had discovered during their years of working on client projects at General Assembly. It was also an opportunity to make the most of family heirlooms.
“We wanted it to be a really cozy, warm store,” said Zams, who also runs the hardware store assembly line with Stief. “My apartment has low wood ceilings, so I wanted to lean into it with contemporary details and references to things I remember from my childhood.”
These are some of her choices.
easy upgrade
Spiral Coaster Set, $75 for 4, Sophie Lou Jacobsen
Coasters can have the unintended consequence of making the seating area feel almost uninviting, especially if the homeowner needs to encourage guests to use the coasters. A set of cheap coasters can also look out of place and detract from a beautiful coffee table.
A great solution to these problems, Zams says, is to use coasters that double as a bit of functional art, like this set from Sophie Lou Jacobsen. “If you’re going to keep the coaster around so people can actually use it, you want it to look nice,” says Zems. “These are simple, cool ideas, but sophisticated.”
The sand-cast aluminum spiral plated with a nickel finish has a reflective shine that also acts as a contrast to wooden furniture and panels. “It looks really nice to have a little something shiny in the space to balance out all the wood,” Zems said.
splurge
Néad sofa, from $12,400 at Orior
“This is my first real sofa,” Zems said. Of course, she’s owned other sofas in the past, but this is the first sofa she considered as an investment. “I thought I was at a place in my life where I could have a sofa that I could use for a long time, and that I could reupholster if I needed it in the future.”
It didn’t take long to decide which sofa to buy. “Oriole is one of our favorite brands at General Assembly,” Ms. James said. That’s because she and Steef love the modern yet classic lines of pieces that are handcrafted in Ireland. “Their quality is very good and they are thoughtful designers,” she said. “This sofa is a favorite piece of work we’ve done on three different projects over the last year.”
A ball-shaped cushion is included for added functional fun. “I thought it was just a decorative item, but it’s essential for fine-tuning your comfort level,” says Zems. “It’s like a travel armrest.”
Alexander Calder Circus Lithograph
This set of lithographs depicting circus performers by Alexander Calder previously belonged to Mr. James’s mother-in-law, who discovered it by chance while living in Boston. “She would go to little junk shops and vintage stores and hang out,” Zems said. “And she found a folio Calder lithograph.”
Her mother-in-law framed and displayed a few of the dozen or so works in her collection, but kept the rest. A few years after her death in 2005, Mr. and Mr. Seems found the photos in a folder. “It was a real joy. She had a great eye for art and small things,” Zems said.
Since then, Sams has mounted all of her pieces in simple oak frames and displayed them throughout her new home.
She and Mr. Zems took their now 7-year-old daughter to see “High Wire,” a recent exhibition celebrating the 100th anniversary of Calder’s Circus at the Whitney Museum of American Art. “It was magical,” Zems said, as Eva grew up watching circus footage almost every day.
“No matter where we live, we always have a place for our families,” she added, referring to the family connections that the lithographs now represent.
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