Welcome to Room Receipts, where we get real about the costs behind one well-designed room. From big-budget spenders to thrifty thinkers, we’re talking to people from different worlds about their worth-it splurges, budget hacks, and purchase regrets. We’re always on the hunt for cool homes with a unique story, so if you’re interested in being featured tell us more about your space here.
When Daphna Barzilay moved back to New York City from Tel Aviv in 2022, she missed spending time with friends in private outdoor spaces. “Everyone was always hanging out on their balconies, listening to music, and snacking,” she recalls. Many residences in the city had some kind of outdoor area, and if yours didn’t, a friend’s house surely did. “There was a whole social scene with your balcony,” she adds. A new job opportunity brought her back to Manhattan, but upon returning to the States, the communications professional was eager to recreate this same experience.
While searching for apartments, Barzilay came across her current unit in the buzzy “Dimes Square” area at the intersection of New York’s Chinatown and Lower East Side, which is also home to favorites like Coming Soon, Susan Alexandra, Beverly’s, and more. But the apartment’s most notable feature? A 270-square-foot outdoor patio. “It’s huge and almost the same size as the indoors,” she says. “After eight months of living in the unit, I decided to really start working on making over the outdoor area.” Here, Barzilay shares how she brought the vision to life, her most important purchases, and the challenges of sourcing outdoor furniture.
Architectural Digest: Did you have a budget when working on the project?
Daphna Barzilay: I didn’t. I wanted to do it justice, but wasn’t going to go super crazy—partly because it’s a rental—but I mostly went piece-by-piece and considered each cost like that.
Did the fact that the outdoor space is roughly the same size as your interior motivate you when it came to making financial decisions?