When designers Ben Kicic and Emilio Halperin first toured this 500-square-foot studio in Brooklyn’s Bed Stuy neighborhood, one of the windows fell out of its socket and onto the floor. Lucky for the broker trying to close the deal, the window was just one of the 33 that wrap around the space. And through them Ben and Emilio caught sight of a pretty spectacular view of Manhattan’s skyline. “That was enough,” Emilio says, looking out at that same vista two years later. “It’s so cool.”

Unlike the view, the unit itself wasn’t a showstopper. “It wasn’t nice enough to be called a blank slate,” recalls Emilio. The concrete floors needed patching, and virtually every surface called for a fresh coat of paint. But as designers tend to do, Emilio and Ben got whisked away daydreaming. “There was a lot of potential,” says Emilio.

The 28-year-old furniture designer had recently stepped out on his own after years of working for brands like Norman Copenhagen, Billy Cotton, and West Elm, where he met Ben, 32, back in 2018. They were searching for a space to grow their own practices, and they realized that, with a little prep work, the fifth-floor studio would fit the bill.

It had room for two desks—easy enough—but it also had tall, open walls perfect for storing material samples, and space for a small lounge area and kitchenette. The bank of windows would also provide the perfect light for a photo wall—an important consideration for anyone selling original products. So, they signed on the dotted line.

“Let’s just make the architecture as nice as possible,” Ben recalls saying as they started the retrofit. With $100, the duo patched up any noticeable craters in the concrete floor and covered it in a coat of white garage paint. “Once we painted the floors it was a different space,” Emilio says. Next came the walls, which the pair covered in $280 worth of Farrow & Ball’s Blackened hue.

$280 Wall Finishes	$100 Flooring	$300 Kitchen Metalwork
$700 Aluminum Kitchen Shelving	$2,500 Lighting	$1,200 Blu Dot Cabinetry
$800 USM Desks	$400 Rakks Shelves	$350 Radiator Covers
$900 USM Cabinet	$1,900 Beni Rug	$15,000 Additional Furnishings & Decor
Grand Total: $24,430

Perhaps the most impressive intervention—in terms of cost and effect—is the white shelving Ben and Emilio came up with to hide a rusty, misshapen radiator that does a lap around the space. Made from medium-density fiberboard (MDF) coated in the same wall paint, the $350 radiator cover added not only additional storage but also a sense of architectural interest to the unit, which was finally surpassing blank-slate status.

It might seem curious for two young designers to spend $9,430—plus $2,000 monthly in rent and utilities—on renovating a space neither owns. But for each of them, having a studio that represents their style and inspires their work is central to their practices. It also provides a place to collaborate as they transition into independent careers.

“That summarizes our relationship,” says Ben. “We have so many touch points and a shared aesthetic, so having a shared space makes sense.” Emilio agrees, saying “we don’t want to make anything in a vacuum—from the design process to the actual making.” At their neighboring desks in the far corner, the two strike a balance between independent projects and joint collaborations like their new aluminum Library Lamp.

If that well-lit corner is the studio’s “back of house,” as Ben describes it, then the front of house is the seating area and kitchenette that the duo constructed to host prospective clients. “Because I sell furniture, people are often like, ‘Can I come see it? Can I come sit in it?’” Ben explains. “I don’t necessarily want someone to come to my apartment on a Saturday morning, so it made more sense to have a show space.”

“The space itself is our work, to showcase our abilities,” Emilio adds. “We were treating this space as a project, in and of itself.”

It costs money to make money. Spending nearly $10K, plus about $15K on decor and furniture, wasn’t the duo’s initial aim, but they claim that the approach has paid off. “Once we realized this is helping us get more work, the purse strings were a little looser,” Ben says. His Provost Cabinet, which starts at $7,580, holds court on one of the walls near a $450 Akari 70F pendant by Isamu Noguchi. “I want to match the language that the pieces are in,” Ben says. “That means spending a little bit more money.”

Today, nearly every surface of the studio is embellished with the designers’ collection of artworks and objects, making it far more personal than the blank slate they once aspired to have—and they’re far from finished. When I ask Ben and Emilio what’s next for the space, they explain—beyond wishing for more room (don’t we all!)—that it’s forever a work in progress. “The renovation will never be over,” Ben says with a laugh. “Unfortunately not,” adds Emilio. “You’ll have to bury us first.”

More Budget Breakdown stories:

With $184K, a Brooklyn Couple Say Out With the Asbestos

A Bay Area Warehouse Becomes a Live/Work Space for $124K

A DIY Extraordinaire Builds the Tiny Home of Her Dreams With $12K

Project Credits:

Interior Design: Ben Kicic and Emilio Halperin / @ben.kicic and @emiliohalperin

Cabinetry Design & Installation: Ben Kicic and Emilio Halperin

Video: Adam Golfer / @adamgolfer

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Budget Breakdown: Two Furniture Designers Set Up Shop in Brooklyn for $25K—Plus Rent