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A Family Tree Grows in Staten Island
Designer Williams Martinez and his Staten Island home go way, way back. Completed in 1967, it welcomed a clan that would build their lives there for the next half century. “My husband and his family moved in when it was finished, so it’s been in the family for over 56 years,” Williams says.
That said, his decision to write its next chapter was a plot twist. The property is a two-family home that comprises a second-floor unit and a first-floor-plus-finished-basement unit. “We were living in the second-floor unit while caring for the best mother-in-law I could have asked for,” Williams recalls. “After her passing, we talked about where we wanted to move. We considered all options, and I presented the idea of buying the house from the estate. My husband was very reluctant at first but in the end, we both thought it was the best decision since we both love the house and neighborhood so much.”
They knew that making the house their home would involve both sweeping changes and grounding personal touches that celebrate Williams’s childhood in Venezuela, his husband’s history in New York and the life they’ve built together. Come on in for an unforgettable introduction to their beautifully blended family.
