Photography by Talis Lin
The 38th Annual Kips Bay Decorator Show House is officially open to the public, and with the caliber of the work shown this year, any remote fan of design will want to check it out.
Below you will find a room by room tour of the $28.8 million dollar Upper East townhouse, shown not only with wide photos of the rooms, but also with photography of the tiny details that make interior design truly an art. You won’t find a more comprehensive view of the show house anywhere else. Enjoy.
1. Katie Ridder Design and Decoration
2. Brett Design / Volunteer Office
Brett Beldock of Brett Design Inc., creates eclectic and unexpexted interiors. She has her own line of wall coverings for Stark carpet which are also environmentally friendly. For the Kipsbay Showhouse she decorated the volunteer office in custom pink wallpaper.
http://brettdesign.com/
3. Jean Paul Gaultier / Entry Parlour
Jean Paul Gaultier teamed up with famous French powerhouse furniture company Roche Bobois to create a line of furniture uniquely Gaultier. In the entry parlour the couch from his collection invites visitors to lounge and sit a while.
4. Rod Winterrowd, Inc. / Grand Stair
Known for his updated classic and tailored looks, Rod Winterrowd and his team live up to their room name of the grand stair. Winterrowd uses texture and classic black and white to help with the effect. Rod updates the formal stairs with details, like photography, a trend seen in just about all recent magazines.
http://www.rodwinterrowd.com/
5. Eve Robinson Associates / Kitchen
Creating comfortable Modern interiors, Eve Robinson plays to her strengths of art and design. Her interiors blend natural materials for a clean modern luxe feel. The kitchen featured a tablescape, sputnik inspired chandelier, and papered ceiling and walls.
http://www.everobinson.net/
5A. Plant Specialists, LLC. / Back Garden
Established in the early 70s, Plant Specialists is a talented team of landscape architects, designers and horticulturists. They consult, design, install, and maintain indoor and outdoor gardens throughout the tri-state area. For the back garden they created a mini oasis of green and garden structure.
http://www.plantspecialists.com/
6. Vicente Wolf Associates, Inc. / Den
Vicente is known for his glamorous interiors and his custom furniture from VW Home, and his room did not disappoint. The pieces Vicente chose for the space were decidedly white, which was a perfect counterpoint to the dark wood paneling of the library.
7. Cullman & Kravis, Inc. / Formal Dining
Art (and food as celebration) is coming back in a big way, as seen by the dining room completed by Cullman & Kravis. Pictures of celebrity chefs, a pop art ice pop, and bright pictures of an Oreo and slice of pizza help transform the otherwise formal space into a place that would be comfortable for anyone with a taste for art.
9. McMillen Plus / Sitting Room
Designer Elizabeth Pyn brought a decidedly younger vibe from the venerable design firm McMillen. The wall to wall use of gold and aqua, whether in the fabrics over the couch or on the linen wallpaper, created an all encompassing mood for the space. Contemporary art helped tie everything together.
10. 2Michaels / Contemplation Room
A zen-like atmosphere was bestowed on the space designed by Joan and Jayne Michaels, of 2Michaels. They brilliantly used a mix of vintage and antique furniture, art, and custom pieces such as the Ecosmart bio-ethanol fireplace created by Brooklyn artist Stephen Antonson and the custom bird’s nest light fixture created by Lindsey Adelman.
11. Sculpt Du Fleur By Nina Helms / 3rd Floor Hall
12 & 12A. Darren Henault Interiors / Mens and Ladies Changing Rooms
By far the most expensive room of the Show House, Darren Henault used over $1 million worth of antiques and art for his “His” and “Her” Dressing rooms. Pieces include a Flemish 17th century gilt bronze ebony cabinet on stand for $175,000 available through Carlton Hobbs, a $175,000 Leleu Vanity from Maison Gerard, and art from Alex Prager, a young artist currently featured in “New Photography 2010″ at the MOMA.
Darren tells us, “Dressing rooms are personal hideaways, places of retreat, temples to enshrine the client’s passions for beauty, art, sensuality and, yes, let’s admit, sexuality. It can be calming and electrifying all at once.”
13. The Jeffery Design Group / Bedroom
Unlike some of his other colleagues in the show house, Noel Jeffrey forewent the bright and pop art themes and played to the Upper East side location of the show house by creating a space old school glamorous.
14. Robert Verdi and Deirdre D’Elia Interior Design / 4th Floor Landing Respite
Robert Verdi and Deirdre D’Elia clearly have younger sensibilities than their other fellow show house designers, as seen in their use of black wall coverings with nailheads and “steampunk” sconces created by Lindsey Adelman.
15 & 15A. Coffinier Ku Design, Ltd. / Living Room & Bathroom
Architect and interior designer duo, Etienne Coffinier and Ed Ku of Coffinier Ku Design, created a wonderfully custom space. When I state custom, I really mean custom. That L-shaped sectional, coffee and side tables, and wood wall coverings, were conceived and created for this particular space…in 5 weeks. Buying a pre-designed, pre-built chair from Pottery Barn will take you 13 weeks for delivery. 5 weeks for the quality of these furnishings? Amazing.
16. Sherrill Canet Interiors, LTD. / Living Room
Sherrill Canet’s love for antiques and fine details came through in spades in her design for the show house. An eclectic mix of old and new, the space was quite comfortable and livable.
17. Nancy Boszhardt, Inc. / 5th Floor Landing
Nancy Boszhardt’s design for the 5th floor landing is classic, but what makes it stand apart is its use of embossed wood paneling. I seriously could not stop staring at and touching the walls. So refined, they were art in and of themselves.
18. Aman & Carson Interiors / Living Room and Closet
This room was designed for the true art collector. The room featured custom furniture, a Louise Nevelson-like sculpture, “Damien Hirst” print, greek busts, and a small mannequin dressed by Maggie Norris Couture.
19 & 20 & 21. Jennifer Post Design / Home Resort and Spa
Now this is a space that I could call home. Modern, sophisticated, and a touch of African art helped make this space feel worldly. Plus, imagine getting massages enough that you need a his and hers massage table in your home. I aspire to have a space like this.
http://www.jenniferpostdesign.com/
Kips Bay Decorator Show House
106 East 71st St
New York
Hours:
Monday through Saturday: 11 am – 5pm
Tuesday and Thursday evenings until 8pm
Sunday: noon – 5pm
Admission is $30
