The Upper East Side apartment of documentary film superstars Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin— a space of about 3,000 square feet in a Park Avenue building from 1913 that hadn’t been touched in decades—had many appealing features, but it was also a little sedate for adventurers who had built their careers on following thrill seekers to the ends of the earth. Another challenge was that Chai and Jimmy don’t always agree on matters of interior design; she adores fashion and whimsy, while he is more of a minimalist. It was actually a perfect job for Studio DB, especially because they reminded us a lot of ourselves. We restored and expanded upon the apartment’s original details, including the coffered ceilings, crown molding, and chair railing, while adding in new elements of such heft that they look like they might have always been there. The new foyer floor is terrazzo—but it’s not terrazzo as you usually see it. In Chai and Jimmy’s apartment, we made it with massive chunks of stone slabs and slices of a few choice rocks Jimmy collected while climbing mountains. We also brought in the color and pattern Chai craved, but in targeted blasts that make sense to both of them. Everyone who steps through the door gets the message loud and clear: this is anything but a staid traditional home.