Living With His Own Furniture Designs in Greenpoint

“The rug was designed by my husband Michael’s grandmother, Barbara Worsek, with Edward Fields in the ’80s,” says Silberberg. The leather Antonio Citterio for B&B Italia chairs were found at auction. The floor lamp to the left of the sofa belonged to Silberberg’s paternal great-grandmother. Photo: Sean Davidson

When the pandemic hit in 2020, Jeremy Silberberg and his husband, Michael Worsek, were living in Park Slope, and their lives were about to change. That year, Silberberg, who had been working full-time for Sachs Lindores, quit his job and started his own design firm, Studio S II, with a friend from his undergraduate years at RISD, Erica Sellers. She was fresh off competing in season one of Ellen DeGeneres’s design competition show, Ellen’s Next Great Designer. “I was part of a double elimination before the final episode. I guess that technically put me in third place?” Sellers says.

When Silberberg and Worsek found an apartment in Greenpoint on Craigslist in 2021, they moved out of Park Slope. The need to decorate this new place gave Silberberg and Sellers the perfect opportunity to experiment. “Ever since we started our business,” Silberberg says, “we have been digging for reasons to fund our own work!”

And so they designed several pieces, including the surreal-looking Artiodactyl Floor Lamp in the bedroom made of two cylindrical metal loops covered in illuminated (fake) fur. The Monolith Wardrobe of brushed stainless steel was designed out of necessity, as there were no closets in the bedroom. “I opted for something stark and monolithic,” Silberberg says. “There’s something so cinematic about a rectangular prism. It gives me a Kubrick vibe.” He paired that with “the most opulent mirror I could find,” a Louis XVI giltwood mirror, because he thought, “What would look crazy with a minimalist metal monolith?” The bedroom palette, Silberberg notes, “was inspired by a view of the horizon of the prairie grasslands from an airplane when I landed at the Denver Airport. It had just rained, and the clouds were this tempestuous gray.”

He created the custom-made gold silk-velvet throw and Viso mohair blanket in complementary tones. Then there are family heirlooms, like the vibrant patterned rug in the living room designed by Worsek’s grandmother, who was an interior designer in Chicago. “She designed it with Edward Fields in the ’80s, and was obviously fearlessly bold.” There are also quirky surprises, as in the pastel above the sofa that was originally taped to the floor of the couple’s former Park Slope apartment. “It became a sort of map for everyone who traversed our hallway,” Silberberg says.

“The timing aligned” for the move and the new business, noted Silberberg.

“We took the opportunity to build something new,” says Sellers.

For the foam ottomans in front of the fireplace, “We took our Coupled Salt and Pepper Mills and blew them up to make a pair of ottomans,” Silberberg says. The Double Vision Chair is a Studio S II design made of walnut and chrome. Photo: Sean Davidson

Studio S II designed the Osto Occasional side tables made of interlocking parts. “They are pieces that complete a puzzle,” Silberberg says. “Without one of the pieces, they would collapse.” The Mingling Lamps were custom-made by friends at Sticky Glass, with bases of Studio S II’s design. The chairs in front of the bed are leather monk chairs designed by Afra and Tobia Scarpa. “I spent a long time looking for this tone of leather. I wanted them to look like a continuation of the mohair spread,” Silberberg says. Photo: Sean Davidson

Studio S II designed the Sapele two-toned desk. “The design is inspired by Italian modernism,” Silberberg says, “but we wanted to add a shock of color, so fashioned a Holland & Sherry raspberry wool top.” Photo: Sean Davidson

The double doors leading into the living room. Photo: Sean Davidson

“The Artio Floor Lamp features two standing cylindrical loops of illuminated fur,” says Silberberg. “They glow from the inside of their contours, creating symmetrical pockets of light. The lamp is inspired by the curvature of animal horns and celebrates the unbridled, sometimes humorous nature of the wild. An artiodactyl, where this name comes from, is an order of mammals to which many horned creatures belong.” Photo: Sean Davidson