Doors will soon be open to the 49th edition of the Kips Bay Decorator Show House New York, where the work of 24 top designers and architects is on marvelous display tomorrow through May 28. This year, the show house inhabits a 12,000-square-foot, 1904 neo-Georgian town house located at 125 East 65th Street. The particularly lovely—and unusually wide—building was designed by architect Charles A. Platt, whose clients included Astors and Roosevelts.
The ticketed event is among the premier design events of the year and a fundraiser for the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club, whose mission is to provide educational and developmental programs to more than 10,000 children. The show houses have raised over $30 million to date, and it’s made possible thanks to a number of generous sponsors—namely, for 2024, Artistic Tile, Benjamin Moore, Bokara, Christopher William, Cosentino, Dedar Milano, E. Braun & Co, François & Co., JennAir, I&G Construction Group, Kohler, Kravet Inc, Made Goods, Marc Phillips, New York Design Center, Phillip Jeffries, Pooky Lighting, Rug & Kilim Showroom, Sanderson, Silver Lining, Susan’s Jewelry, the Shade Store, and Vaughan.
For participating designers of the Kips Bay Decorator Show House New York, the carte blanche assignment is a chance to express their current musings. “Show house interiors are meant to be liveable and a reflection of your work, but they’re also meant to have a bit of fantasy,” says Karen Williams of St. Charles New York, who designed the home’s copper-infused kitchen.
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In classic show house fashion, that sense of whimsy and fantasy comes to major fruition in the home’s jewel-box-size spaces—stairwells, hallways, and other pass-throughs go all-out in star treatment. Coming through the front door of the Kips Bay Decorator Show House New York, guests are greeted by Bennett Leifer Interiors’ “Reframed Foyer,” a completely carpeted space, in collaboration with Edward Fields Carpet Makers. Not only are the walls, floors, and ceiling carpeted—so are a niche and door casings. Swati Goorha Designs wraps the home’s main stairwell in a galactic world that transitions from dark to light as guests work their way upstairs, and on the top floor is a moody, water-inspired hallway by Huma Sulaiman called “Dream Machine.” A custom Phillip Jeffries wall covering reminiscent of the midnight sky and clouds wraps the room, giving just enough shimmer to reflect the space’s star players: two sculptural pendant lights by Jeremy Anderson.
The dark and dreamy spaces make way to light, bright, breathable takes throughout the home. Upon reaching the second-floor landing, guests are greeted by two stunning artworks by Raphaela Vogel, a set of ethereal resin urn shapes cast from architectural details on a building in Berlin. The works are part of Lucinda Loya Interiors’ “Enchanted Roots” foyer, which is covered in a neutral wallpaper drafted from 80 images of 18th-century etchings that were combined to form the scenic view of upstate New York. The design is a collaboration with Flavor Paper—and it took over six weeks of digital work to achieve. Elsewhere, the “Le Fumoir Féminin” lounge by show house first-timer Workshop/APD evokes a sense of calm, courtesy of plaster-coated waved foam panels, and Jeremiah Brent Design offers a quiet moment for work and respite in his study, an ode to Hathor, the Egyptian goddess of beauty.
But this year, it was the show house’s bedrooms that stole our hearts. In Patrick Mele’s “On a Clear Day” bedroom, crisp white architectural surrounds developed with Bories & Shearron draw attention to the wall-to-wall floral carpet by Mele for Aronson’s (now available to shop) and the canopy bed fabricated in a corresponding floral print by Schumacher. “My hope is for the room to feel strong, glamorous, fresh, clear, and vibrant: timeless, yet of this time,” says Mele, who dedicated the incredibly chic space to the inspiring women in his life. The femme influences continue in Shawn Henderson’s “Steel Sanctuary,” designed with Yves Saint Laurent muse Betty Catroux in mind. Sculptural steel furnishings—statement case goods by Paul Evans and the Campana Brothers among them—are seductively sophisticated against the soft pink walls and upholstered ceiling, trimmed with a fringe crown detailing. And nearby, in the “Cotswolds Retreat” by Mikel Welch Designs, limewash-inspired walls crafted with Benjamin Moore’s Rainy Afternoon and Intrigue (and a TikTok tutorial) grounds the cozy retreat complete with unicorn tapestry and a vintage hand-carved Wretling sofa by Lawton Mull.
Elsewhere, color and pattern pack a punch. In “A Dining Room of One’s Own” by Kit Kemp Design Studio, walls are covered by an ornate tapestry, designed by Kemp for G P & J Baker. Something pulls you in at every turn, including hand-embroidered flower “faces” on the back of wing chairs, a children’s clock by Maarten Baas, and a series of contemporary pieces sourced from Maison Gerard. In the “Wine Lounge + Garden Level Corridor” by Beth Diana Smith Interior Design, a textural wall covering from Kravet serves as a buzzy backdrop to a series of bright, contemporary artworks and wine bottles. A knockout area rug by Stark Carpet and fixtures by Vaughan Lighting also punctuate the space.
And, finally, there’s nothing like a bathroom in full glam mode. Kohler’s new Heritage Green plumbing fixtures make a statement in bathrooms throughout the home. The centerpiece of Vanessa Deleon’s “Smoke & Mirrors” setting is a clawfoot Kohler bathtub in a decadent green, further enhanced with Artistic Tile mosaic flooring in a geometric pattern that summons the spirit of Art Deco. And in Benjamin Vandiver’s bathroom, the minty Aspen Green fixtures fit right in with the interior’s collected aesthetic, dotted with artworks, pottery, and antique pieces from Vandiver’s personal collection.
