Getting the most out of your bachelor pad.
From their workshop in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn, Jason Horvath and Bill Hilgendorf have spent the past decade crafting furniture (free-form walnut headboards and neon-legged side tables use wood reclaimed from boardwalks and WWII battleships) for their brand Uhuru. Their work is everywhere, from New York City’s New Museum café to the home of Facebook cofounder Chris Hughes. Here, some interiors insight.
Most beloved piece of furniture
Bill: My bed. It has a metal frame with drawers that float off the ground—it’s a great way to stash stuff—and a white-oak head- and footboard. I saved a lot making it myself, so I splurged on a Hästens mattress. Sleep’s important.
The piece worth investing in
Jason: A really good-quality, really comfortable couch. My favorite is the Ligne Roset Togo. It’s the most used and interacted-with piece of furniture in any home.
The No. 1 decorating mistake
Bill: Too much stuff . . . or too little. It’s a balance, keeping a space warm, inviting—yet open, calm. This is especially hard with children, but it can be done, I’m told.
top decorating tip
Jason: Find great, really cheap mid-century and antique pieces with finish damage and paint them with super-bright satin house paint or, even better, flat black.
Architecture that rocks
Jason: The St. Louis Arch. Eero Saarinen’s masterpiece left a huge impression on me as a child.
Bill: I love the adaptive reuse of spaces. It tells a story—like Pioneer Works in Red Hook, a Civil War–era manufacturing facility turned into a center for art and innovation. It’s an amazing space.
