The couple resolutely made the decision to build a life together, but they were quickly overwhelmed by the daunting selection of dozens of fixtures and finishes. So Avril enlisted the help of interior designer Chloe Warner of San Francisco’s Redmond Aldrich Design, and once again, the vision for the apartment evolved. Warner paneled the built-in closets with custom hot pink wallpaper. The bedside storage compartments have mother-of-pearl wallpaper and recessed lights for an added—and attractive—convenience. “If I could have included a little spigot in there for getting water in the middle of the night, that would have been perfect,” she says.

In September 2011, as the home neared completion, Avril and Gelfand threw one last curveball to their design team: The family was gaining one more member, baby Hugo, in May. Thus began phase three of renovations, during which Warner turned an office into a nursery and the couple created more living space on their roof deck. The week before Avril’s due date, contractors were still putting up walls and Warner was installing a dresser in the baby’s room. When a vintage Finn Juhl dresser turned out to be too small for a proper changing table in Hugo’s room, Avril found a substitute on etsy.com. Warner then refurbished the piece and finished it with brass campaign pulls. “There’s nothing like a nine-months-pregnant woman walking around to light a fire under everybody,” Avril says.