Innovation and Exploration at Kips Bay
“Eye on Design” Archive from Mann Report (Article By Gail Green)
Get ready for some creative fun at the 31st annual Kips Bay Decorator Show House. April 21st marks the opening of the country’s premiere interior design event of the year. This show, located at 18 East 74th Street between Madison and Fifth Avenues, has become an institution for design cognoscenti, a forum for prestigious designers to display works of great imagination and creativity.
At the 2002 show house, Jamie Drake’s sinuous tangerine wall created a provoking yet dreamy third floor landing. In Barbara Ostrom’s ‘Art of the Deal’ library, the clever use of both ceiling and wall cabinetry subtly enlarges a small room. In T. Keller Donovan’s “Places I’d Rather Be,” an unusually vivid color palette of purple and white brought life and glamour through its creative use of color.
For a preview of this year’s innovative ideas in design, we interviewed the designer’s themselves. Here are a few teasers of what this magnificent Show House holds in store:
Norman Michaeloff’s “THE STUDY:” Norman Michaeloff ‘s study depicts a timeless quality of space that combines the elegance of bygone times with ultra modern trappings. A high-end collection of contemporary furnishings coupled with an understated color palette of browns, grape, lavender and green define the luxury of this European-inspired room.
Michael Simon’s “SMALL STUDY:” Michael Simon has transformed a former Maid’s Room and Corridor into a Small Study. Known for his “before” and “after” transformations, Simon designed custom parquet-de-Versailles floors, Louis XV-style boiseries, and textiles for his jewel-like room.
Southport Design’s “SLEEK SALON:” The crisp clean lines of 1930s French Art Deco paired with the sensuous searing upholstered in Wedgwood, pebble and steel create a sleek salon for the contemporary city dweller.
Charlotte Moss’s “A ROOM FOR CONVERSATION:” Charlotte Moss for Easton-Moss & Co. has designed a room for conversation after dinner, inspired by the glamour of the 1940’s with color inspired by Goya and fashion maverick Bonnie Cashin including bronze, deep pinks, champagne and turquoise.
James Rixner’s “RECEIVING SALON:” Rixner envisions a welcoming setting that will announce optimism and the advent of spring in color and tone, incorporating an Icelandic-influenced palette. “The room will evoke a more glamorous era, incorporating luxurious finishes, fine antiques and couture craftsmanship throughout.”
Larry Laslo’s “DINNER AT 8:” Think sugar power, frosted white moldings with raspberry glazed walls called ‘Elsa Pink.’ The room is called Dinner at 8 and is a melange of Larry Laslo’s curious, but fabulous mix of Art Deco, Georgian and Russian. The colors are pink, mocha and chocolate. Think pink, think food, think dinner at eight.
Monica Rich Kosann’s “THE FINE ART OF FAMILY, FOR THE HOME:” Ms. Kosann directs her camera towards one goal: the black and white, fine art photography of children, adults and family. Ms. Kosann’s focus runs to the children of the Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club.
Alan Carroll of Red Branch Painting Studio’s “TROMPE L’OEIL MURAL:” The compositional idea for Alan Carroll’s mural was loosely based on Paolo Veronese’s light-hearted secular frescoes at a famous Italian Villa built by the great Italian architect Andrea Palladio, to which he has borrowed techniques of grisaille painted ornament as well as making reference to trompe l’oeil classics at Versailles.
Etienne Coffinier’s “THE ROOFTOP SUITE:” Tucked away on the top of the Show House is a small suite of rooms which blends the boundaries between the in and out of doors. The baroque feeling of this suite is reflected in tl1e use of an unusual combination of silks, velvets, leaves, berries, iron and bronze.
Richard Mishaan’s “HOMER’S STUDY.” Homer’s Study by Richard Michaan is playful, elegant, and rich in texture and patterns. He adds a classic modern touch to influences that range from Chanel, Jean Michel Frank and the French ‘40s style to the American Fifties and Sixties.
Charles Pavarini III’s “CABIN 17:” Cabin 17 features Albino Mahogany and fluted stainless-steel paneled walls. Decorated with period French Art Deco furnishings and various custom furnishings, the room takes on a worldly, sleek, and timeless style.
Gail Green’s “THE NEW SERENITY: A MODERNIST BATH:” Gail Green’s Modernist bath illustrates a move towards simple elegance where rich materials of classic design are set against modernist and graceful backgrounds. This modernist bath demonstrates an innovative open plan for his and her accommodation to create an aesthetically stimulating bath.
With attendance well over 25,000, the show house attracts sophisticated consumers who have a keen interest in seeing the best of high quality design. Admission is $25, which includes the journal and sourcebook, an invaluable tool to the consumer, which lists every vendor and service provider used by each of the designers. For tickers and information, please call 718.893.8600.
*Note – Article adapted from print. Images reflect reduced quality.
Click here to view original print article.
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