How Zooey Deschanel and Jonathan Scott made their Manhattan duplex feel vintage-luxury
Zooey Deschanel and Jonathan Scott took a raw, not-so-cute Manhattan duplex and turned it into a layered, old-world home with wallpaper, millwork, Murano glass, and terraces where you can sneak outside for air. Designer Young Huh helped them push pattern and detail without losing comfort, and the result is maximalist but controlled. Here’s how to borrow the approach without turning your house into a prop room.
Choose a period lens
Their place is “Georgian-inflected” with French and English notes—so moldings, treillage, and a strong millwork game tie the rooms together. Pick a lens for your own home: Arts-and-Crafts, 1920s apartment, or cottage core. Then make three choices that speak that language—like crown plus picture molding, a classic lantern, and a paneled half wall. You’re stacking signals so your eye reads “cohesive,” not “collection.”
Use wallpaper like architecture
They wrapped rooms in scenic murals, Pierre Frey embroidery, and House of Hackney florals. Wallpaper became the backdrop that makes ordinary furniture feel intentional. If a whole room is too much, start with the entry or a powder room. Choose one pattern you love and let it run floor to ceiling. Pair it with calm textiles so the space breathes.
Layer lighting the old-school way
There’s a “no recessed lights” rule in that home, and it’s why rooms glow instead of glare. They used pendants, sconces, and table lamps with real shades. Copy the hierarchy: one central pendant, two wall sconces for height, then lamps at sitting level. Stick to warm bulbs and don’t be afraid of bigger fixtures; scale is half of the luxury feel.
Let one custom piece set the tone
The living room revolves around a custom sectional upholstered in velvet and floral chintz, trimmed within an inch of its life—but it still functions as a family sofa. In your house, pick one “hero” you’ll actually use: an extra-deep sofa, a dining table you can crowd, or a headboard with presence. Build everything else to support that lead.
Mix pattern with rules, not fear
Young Huh’s trick is scale and repetition—large mural, medium stripe, small floral—plus a consistent palette. Keep three variables in check: tone (all warm or all cool), contrast (don’t make every fabric high-contrast), and sheen (mix matte linen with one silk or velvet). If two patterns argue, change the scale rather than ditching the idea.
Hide the tech, keep the charm
They tucked media screens and storage into millwork so the romance isn’t interrupted by black rectangles everywhere. If your living room fights the TV, give it a cabinet, a frame-style screen, or a gallery wall that visually absorbs it. You’re not pretending screens don’t exist—you’re refusing to let them be the star.
Put the garden back in the city
Their duplex includes terraces with treillage and a fountain, which make an urban apartment feel like a little house. Even a small balcony can carry the mood: trellis panels, one evergreen topiary, a bistro table, and an outdoor sconce on a timer. If you’re working with a window, add a box and keep herbs alive. It’s about texture and ritual.
Know where to splurge
They chose marble, custom millwork, and a few vintage lights with character. In a normal budget, pick one: stone counters you’ll love for a decade, a proper range hood, or moldings that upgrade the bones. The craftsmanship is what makes the maximalism feel grown-up, not theme-y.
Like Fix It Homestead’s content? Be sure to follow us.
Here’s more from us:
8 upgrades that look like you spent thousands (but didn’t)
9 small changes that instantly make a house feel high-end
*This article was developed with AI-powered tools and has been carefully reviewed by our editors.
