Sunny and her husband Ryan became homeowners just shy of a year ago. The longtime Williamsburg, Brooklyn, residents needed a change in anticipation of birth of their son Leo. And moving a few miles south to Bedford Stuyvesant offered the growing family more space and freedom in how they style their home.

The townhouse is filled with richly hued rugs, artwork by friends, and family photographs. Ryan plays his guitar while Sunny and baby Leo laugh and listen. The space overall feels relaxed and stylish, much like the residents.

My Style: I like things to be cohesive, clean, and organized. The goal is to have beautiful aesthetic with a practical purpose, especially now that we have a seven month old and it’s the only way we’ll stay above water. Within that framework my decor influences range from my Iranian roots to mid-century modern with a bit of pop. I was raised in California so plant life is also very important. My husband carries a strong love for the “country,” he’s also obsessed with rugs which is part of the reason we have so many. We don’t own a TV but we have a large projector which feels like you’re at the movies. We try to live more minimally because we both admire that style, but I think at our core we are a little eccentric and nostalgic so we end up with more.

Inspiration: Conversation pits, great outdoor spaces, natural light, clean beautiful design, purpose, the ’60s…

Favorite Element: Personal touches, be that artwork from friends, one-of-a-kind ceramics, things found during travels or family photographs.

Biggest Challenge: Being patient enough to find the perfect item.

What Friends Say: They feel at home.

Biggest Embarrassment: In New York, bad house flippers run rampant so we had a pretty long punch list once we moved in—I wish we had been more stern on our end about getting our punch list done before closing. Also we both can’t stand the AC/heater units; it reminds us of being in a fro-yo shop every time we look at them. We can’t wait to possibly change that out sometime in the future.

Proudest DIY: We have a couple of these—I designed the stairwell closet that stores all of our STUFF. Very happy about how it turned out; we couldn’t have managed without it. Also, since we get great light in the office, we decided to replace the office door with a door with windows and put a window transom above; now our upstairs hallway gets better natural light. We’re planning on replacing the roof door with something similar.

Biggest Indulgence: Well, the stairwell closet wasn’t cheap to build. That as well as the custom medicine cabinet in our upstairs bathroom. There was no storage when we moved in so we had to get creative and think of where to put things like linens, blankets, exercise stuff etc. We also had the container store come install a elfa closet system on one of the walls in our bedroom (because there was no closet which is very typical of NYC).

Best Advice: You have to feel good in your home, so do what you can do to feel that way.

Dream Sources: T mag, Franco Magnani, Living Interiors Japan 1989-1985, Gerard Grandval, Niemeyer.

ENTRY
Woven wood bench vintage
PAX custom closet
Iranian rug
Photograph by Jill Friedman, art by Sofia Arreguin

LIVING ROOM
Crosby couch — West Elm
Custom velvet bench — West Elm
Woven cushions — CB2
Cushions — Iranian bazaars
Oval marble table and side marble table — eBay
Console from Urban Outfitters home
Record player — U turn
Large mirror — Vintage
BEL candle holder — 3rd Ritual
Cassie Griffin vase, Helen Levi pot
Vintage Iranian rug
Photographs by Daniel Arnold, Michal Chelbin, and Sunny Shokrae
Drawing by Mark Whalen

DINING ROOM
Dining table — West Elm
Marcel Bruer cane chairs
Painting from Bali
Brass candle holders vintage incense holder — by Judi Rosen

KITCHEN
Island stools — IKEA
Vintage Iranian runner

BEDROOM
Vintage brass bed frame
Side table — West Elm
Mirror side table — Vintage
Bedside lamps — Target
Dresser — Niji Design
Stool — Vintage
Elfa closet — Container Store
Artwork by Kalen Hollomon, Melissa Carroll, Dave Singley, Rikky Walsh, Meriem Bennani, Rob Nelson

NURSERY
Crib — Oeuf
Babyletto dresser
Wardrobe — IKEA
Toy bin — Pottery Barn Kids
Cloud lamp — Pottery Barn Kids
Stuffed animals — Maileg
Elephant laundry hamper and wood crates — Home Depot
Iranian rug
Painting by Genevieve Allen
Drawings by Stacey Rozich
Art by Dave Singley
Mask from Mexico City

OFFICE
Desk — trestles from IKEA with a wood door on top from home depot
Bookshelf — IKEA
File cabinet — IKEA
Camera shelf — CB2

BATHROOM
Bath mat — cold picnic
Bathing beauty milk glass dish — Mosser Glass
Art by Dave Singley
Photograph by Daniel Arnold

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