A pair of double-faced silk portieres fabricated by the ladies at RoseHyll Studio separate Michael Herold’s patrician entry from Dan Fink’s deco-inflected ground floor landing at this year’s Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse. And yet the spaces flow together to set the tone for another banner year at this time-honored charity event on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
At 36 feet wide, the mansion at 110 East 76th street currently for sale through Douglas Elliman, affords this year’s participating designers the ultimate New York luxury: abundant space. And everyone seized the opportunity to revel in it.
Case-in-point: Juan Montoya turned what was a meandering series of lower level rooms into a game room/television room/sitting room/garden unified by a study in geometric shapes and a crisp high-contrast palette. The effect is so much like an ocean liner you can almost smell the salt air.
Just exactly how wide is 36′ in Manhattan real estate? Clive Christian’s kitchen (with 2 islands) sits adjacent to David Netto’s sitting room, behind which is the garden designed by Nievera Williams – which could easily host a party for 75 guests.
One flight up, Wesley Moon – in his freshman year at Kips Bay – tackles an awkward space with style, while Bunny Williams and her business partner Elizabeth Swartz created what was one of my favorite rooms. A pale blue ceiling, a magnolia-motif chandelier, faux-bois walls with gold knots, and subdued upholstered pieces are the perfect mix.
Across the house Barbara Ostrom took her inspiration from a re-envisioned a Frank Stella work which she chose for the ceiling.
Also in her freshman debut at Kips Bay, Sasha Bikoff tackled 3 flights of the grande staircase with a nod to the Memphis Design movement. Jamie Drake and Caleb Anderson also made bold choices in an ochre sitting room and burnished amber bar.
Trompe l’oeil ‘curtained’ walls in Alexa Hampton’s ‘Olympia Folly’ sitting room are actually wallpaper, while a painted ceiling completes an enveloping ‘tent’.
The responsibility for decorating the master bedroom in the 15,000 square foot mansion fell to Chicago-based Alessandra Branca. And the resulting feeling is one of a sublime, calming, light-filled, and eclectic respite.
Two equally beautiful bedrooms by Brian del Toro in soft shades of tan and green, and Mark D. Sikes in shades of blue mixed with green and ivory, feel perfect for the Upper East Side.
Finally, BA Torrey created a dramatic bar/lounge punctuated with contemporary art, while Charles Pavarini decorated a rooftop aerie and garden.
If you find yourself in New York City between May 1st and May 31st, make a plan to see this event in person. The proceeds from ticket sales benefit the Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club. Follow this link for more details.
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Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse, 110 East 76th Street, New York, New York