Neutral Party

For a pair of high-octane clients, designer Michelle R. Smith fashions a Manhattan oasis that's as luxurious as it is cool.

- Max Berlinger

During that strange and surreal pandemic spring of 2020, Simon Huck and Phil Riportella needed to move. The reason will be familiar ) to many couples who suddenly found themselves working at home during that time: Zoom. "We moved because of his Zoom voice," says Huck, a quippy public relations and marketing guru who famously works with the Kardashians and is a familiar presence on their TV show and social media feeds.

From across the room, Riportella, cofounder of the fragrance and candle line Snif, issues a protest and then laughs. "I am loud," he admits. The gregarious couple met seven years ago on Tinder and were married last November at the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles in front of a guest list filled with names like Chrissy Teigen, Hailey Bieber, and Kim and Kourtney. But on a recent summer's day they were at home in New York, showing off their renovation.

When they started their hunt for a new place, Riportella scoured Zillow, leaving no stone unturned. SoHo, TriBeCa, the Upper East Side, Chelsea-you name the Manhattan neighborhood, they looked. For Huck, having room to spread out (and rooms with doors) was key. When Riportella finally found the solution, it was where they least expected it: right in their own backyard, in the same Greenwich Village building where they already lived.