SURFACE AREA: WHAT'S ON THE TABLE AT KIPS BAY SHOWHOUSE

Using the surface areas of tables and shelves to achieve both creative and beautiful results, interior designers at this year's Kips Bay Showhouse showed their creative mettle with how they style surfaces. Taking a plain, unadulterated blank canvas and adding decorative objects, lighting, books, barware and personal objects to it to create a beautiful statement is not easy.  Art directing their surfaces, and probably re-working them several times to get it just right, this arranging knack is an art form. Below, take a look at how these designers go from nothing to creating quiet something. I have just scratched the surface... The KB showhouse is open until June 14th, so make your way to the West Side to see it soon!

Todd Romano paired white Christopher Spitzmiller lamps with bright green porcelain for a pop of color against the black marble surface.

Brian J. McCarthy, Bunny Williams and David Kleinberg added antique objects with a spare spatial direction on the coffee table and side tables in their living room space.

A bar on a chest, in the designer trio room with Venetian glassware and party basics.

Jamie Drake had a large bookcase in his library with books and 1930's flower ceramics in his library.

David Scott created a bar shelf on the sculpted bronze Paul Evans etagere in his gentleman's study, amidst stacks of boxes and smaller sculptures.

There is something really cool and new agey that the illuminated obelisk sculpture adds to the art filled shelves.

Spare and clean, each desk accessory stands on it's own because of it's unique material and shape.

A minimalist console from Maison Gerard outside Raji Radhakrishnan's room holds tea service. The juxtaposition of the console and bright Larry Zox painting from the 1970's is great. The clean shapes tell the story.

A low Laverne bar cabinet is a charming scale, the perfect surface to add a bar, light source and vase of flowers. I was totally smitten with the fruit - shaped glass decanter on a petal shaped tray.

Her private office was that of an art curator, in the midst of doing extensive research.

How cool is this skewed Sebastian Ezzaruiz Tilt Bookcase?

In Brian Del Toro's study, a German 1930's Art Deco table from HM Luther holds a rare few accessories to showcase the decorative surface.

The subtle curve and small scale of the Jacques Adnet Rosewood Desk fits so well in this spot by the window. Fitted with a 1950's Longchamp Desk set it is more a place for light work.

Brass etageres hold small, tight stacks of books and spare decorative trays, boxes and artwork.

Her love of the Grand Tour plays in Alexa Hampton's bedroom tablescape.

A nightstand holds the prerequisites for a relaxing bedroom. Fresh flowers, good lighting, pretty framed paintings, and decorative objects.

By using the wall-of-windows as a backdrop, Neal Beckstedt propped up a painting behind a wood table.

To create visual interest above eye level, he added decorative objects and storage on top of a 1940's armoire from Bermingham and Co.

A woven light wood Edward Wormley Credenza from Wyeth  holds a perfectly styled summer bar and an alabaster lamp from Lorin Marsh in Scott Sanders super summery cabana.

By upholstering the walls in his lounge, Shawn Henderson created an enveloping space. Adding a long shelf along the wall allowed for a functional storage area. Capped on each end by a pair of 1950's leather lamps from Tom Thomas, the shelf holds books, magazines, candlesticks and artwork.

Using artwork as his muse, Alexandra Doherty placed framed artwork strategically around a collector's bedroom. A red Robsjohn Gibbons commode holds oak forms on stands, a contemporary cast plaster Etruscan lamp from Jonathan Burden and a few books.

A 1940's desk with a stingray top an Asprey blotter and has two light sources, a brass lamp and elaborate candelabra.

A Mexican chest of drawers from Downtown at Claremont performs double duty, holding family pictures, a lamp for great illumination and a bar tray in Susan Zises Green's living room inspired by the Hudson River views.

Never underestimate the power of fresh elements! A scallop-edged bowl holds clementines, while fresh purple anemone's balance out the bright color next to them.

Custom shelves in Patrik Lonn's room for supper hold tonal ceramics and Swedish crystal from Free Forms USA. There is a real serenity accomplished here, in such a small area.

Decorative painter Chuck Fisher created the view, painting his writing room with a New York scenic landscape. Furniture was placed sparingly, making the enveloping landscape really stand out.

The desk, created by Alpha Workshops at Profiles holds a desk blotter, and it's owner is in the midst of writing thank you notes.

Thom Filicia's Copake Console holds beautiful peonies, several books and two Burmese ebony objects.

LEARN FROM THE BEST: THE BEST OF LECTURE SERIES AT SOTHEBY'S

Bringing top talent together, The Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club and Hearst Design Group have teamed up to kick off a lecture series running from May 21st to June 5th 2012.  The Best Of, hosted by Sotheby’s at 1334 York Avenue, will be a nice way to learn from established design voices of today.  Happening at the same time as the Kips Bay Showhouse across town, in it's 40th year,  the events are sure to bring an erudite experience to your design submersion. Subjects range from interiors to jewelry, and designers Miles Redd and Bunny Williams, gardening and lifestyle guru P. Allen Smith, Winterthur Museum’s Tom Savage, Hutton Wilkinson, Verdura CEO Ward Landrigan will speak on subjects they know so well.  Dara Caponigro, Veranda's Editor-in-Chief will engage in a tete a tete with the iconic Iris Apfel too. You won't want to miss the energetic Iris, whose fully-realized inimitable style at 90 is reaching the masses with everything that symbolizes her iconic look-- from round eyeglasses for Eyebobs to signature red lipsticks with MAC and clothing and jewelry for HSN.  If you want to learn wine, a tasting event with Eli Rodriquez on May 31 will give you a foundation to make educated decisions when faced with the daunting task of reading too-long wine lists. 

Tickets at $75 ticket per lecture may appear steep, but they include an on-site lunch or cocktail reception, depending on time of day they occur, and the proceeds benefit the Boys and Girls Club of America, an amazing organization to help New York City youth through innovative after school programs.  If a few of the talks appeal you can purchase a package of three for $150. 

Here is the line up of fascinating movers and shakers:

 Monday, May 21st at 11 a.m.—Hutton Wilkinson presents “Tony Duquette, More is More”: At eighteen, Hutton Wilkinson began an apprenticeship under the great American design icon, Tony Duquette, and continued to work and collaborate on a myriad of projects with him over the next twenty-five years. In 1994, Wilkinson and Duquette officially became business partners and a few years later, launched a collection of one-of-a-kind, fine jewelry for Bergdorf Goodman, adored by the public, fashion press and used by Tom Ford, Gucci, Oscar de la Renta, and more. Since the passing of Mr. Duquette in 1999, Wilkinson as owner, creative director and president of Tony Duquette Inc. has continued to design and market his unique fine jewelry pieces as well as a collection of home furnishings, textiles, custom lighting products and hand made carpets and tapestries for other brands as well as tabletop accessories and interior decorations as “Tony Duquette” and Tony Duquette Inc. Hutton’s book “Tony Duquette” which he co-authored with Wendy Goodman, chronicles the great designer’s life and oeuvre (Abrams, 2007); “More Is More, Tony Duquette” (Abrams, 2009) is the companion volume. During the lecture, Wilkinson will bring the audience through this visual tale of Tony Duquette’s personal design philosophy and the artistic credo that inspired him to create his fanciful artwork, sculptures, jewelry, gardens and interiors.

Tuesday, May 22nd at 11 a.m.—Bunny Williams presents “Making the Home Come to Life”: Bunny Williams is a designer with a modern vision, a sense of history and the confidence to take the unexpected path. Both a trailblazer and a tastemaker, Williams’ style is classic but never predictable. Currently, Bunny Williams has a thriving design practice, Bunny Williams Inc. formed in 1988, and a widely acclaimed home furnishings collection, BeeLine Home, launched in 2008. With her husband, antiques dealer John Rosselli, Williams owns Treillage Ltd., two unique decorative home and garden shops in New York. She is the author of On Garden Style, Affair with a House, Bunny Williams’ Point of View and currently in her fourth book, “Scrapbook for Living” published by Stewart, Tabori & Chang in November 2010, Williams’ offers inspiring tips for organizing and personalizing a home. “No matter how beautiful a home, be it large or small, the real magic happens when the door opens and one is welcomed into a home with soft lighting, delicious scents, offerings of drinks and food, sitting groups arranged for easy conversation. With planning and organization this becomes effortless.”

Wednesday, May 30th at 11 a.m.—P. Allen Smith presents “Natural Elegance at Moss Mountain Farm”: The award-winning designer, gardening and lifestyle expert P. Allen Smith will share how his life and travels inspire his work. He is the host of two public television programs, P. Allen Smith's Garden Home, P. Allen Smith’s Garden to Table and the syndicated 30-minute show P. Allen Smith Gardens and is the author of the best-selling Garden Home series of books published by Clarkson Potter/Random House, including Bringing the Garden Indoors: Container, Crafts and Bouquets for Every Room and the recently published cookbook, P. Allen Smith’s Seasonal Recipes from the Garden.

Wednesday, May 30th at 6 p.m.—Iris Apfel and Dara Caponigro present “A Conversation About Style and Design": VERANDA Editor-in-Chief Dara Caponigro will ask Iris Apfel about her lasting impact on style in the worlds of interior design and fashion, from her founding of iconic fabric house Old World Weavers to her status as one of today's most recognizable fashion icons.

Thursday, May 31st at 11 a.m.—Ward Landrigan presents “Verdura and Women of Style”: Celebrated jewelry expert, historian and Verdura Chairman, CEO and Co-Owner Ward Landrigan will focus on the life and career of 20th century jeweler Duke Fulco di Verdura and the style and glamour of the iconic women who made his jewelry famous. The archive of almost ten thousand designs Fulco left behind tells the intriguing story of these legendary style-makers...a story of love, humor, and style. Mr. Landrigan’s own interest in jewelry began in high school when he interned for a local jeweler and continued with his studies at the Courtauld Institute of Fine Arts in London and the Gemological Institute of America. He started his career at Sotheby’s auction house where, by age 24, was head of the jewelry department. Landrigan first heard Verdura’s name when he did an appraisal for Lily Pons in Texas in 1965 and was immediately drawn to the innate style and artistry of a particular piece: a shooting star set with pavé diamonds. When Mr. Landrigan left Sotheby’s in 1973 to form his own estate jewelry business, he bought and sold pieces from many of the world’s great jewelry designers. Nevertheless, Verdura remained his favorite.

Thursday, May 31st at 6 p.m.—Wine Tasting with Eli Rodriguez: Space is limited! Eli is originally from Long Island and became interested in wine while studying at Cornell University. He learned the wine business, first at Best Cellars, then as a sommelier at Restaurant Daniel, working for one of the greatest chefs and most professional restaurateurs, Daniel Boulud, before joining Sotheby’s as an auction specialist in 2006. He was appointed as the Manager of Retail Sales when Sotheby’s launched their new, full service, retail wine business, Sotheby’s Wine, in September 2010.

Friday, June 1st at 11 a.m.—Miles Redd presents “Fashion and Inspiration in Interior Design”: The internationally acclaimed interior design sensation, known for his quirky brand of cozy glamour will speak to his unique aesthetic vision characterized by a mélange of high and low, invigorated with whimsical splashes of color and modern gestures. Drawing on inspirations ranging from Richard Avedon fashion photographs to Rene Gruau illustrations, Redd has crafted interiors for a wide array of venues. His trademark approach to design has brought to life rooms infused with boldness, fantasy, and sophistication. Miles Redd embarked on his interior design career after graduating from NYU, honing his skills with luminary antiques dealer John Rosselli and decorator Bunny Williams. In 1998 he opened his own design firm in New York City’s NoHo neighborhood.

Tuesday, June 5th at 11 a.m.—Tom Savage presents "Addicted to Old Houses: Iconic Rooms and Influential Interiors": Winterthur’s director of museum affairs will lead a lively tour of historic interiors at home and abroad that have influenced and shaped his career. The Winterthur Museum is the former Delaware home of Henry Francis du Pont (1880-1969), the avid antiques collector and horticulturist. Today, Savage oversees the collections, exhibitions, public programs and marketing and communications departments. From November 1998 until August 2005, he served as Senior Vice President and Director of Sotheby’s Institute of Art for North and South America where he directed The Sotheby’s American Arts Course, an intensive nine-month professional training program in American fine and decorative arts of the seventeenth century to the present. He was also responsible for public programming, lecture series and travel programs for Sotheby’s.

COLOR KICKS THIS YEAR'S KIPS BAY SHOWHOUSE UP A NOTCH

So how do you make a modern glass box livable? That was the question many designers asked themselves as they prepared their rooms for this year's Kips Bay Showhouse. Situated in a tower in the sky with river views, two duplex apartments received the designer treatment.  With nary a piece of molding in sight, the design challenge began. The chosen participants spun their web of transformation  in a jiffy. Since these are professionals, they rose to the occasion with brilliance, creating unique spaces with something for everyone. I will delve into the design standouts over the next week, so visit the far Westside and take a look. If traveling cross town is too much to process, Kips Bay has organized a shuttle bus that leaves from the Park Avenue Armory at 66th Street. 

 Speaking of brilliance, the brilliant color green was big this year. It was present in  every hue, from jade to grass, the verdant color vied for attention. From Charlotte Moss covering an entire room in floor to ceiling pea green velvet (masking the soffit overhang like the lining of a jewelry box)  to Jamie Drake painting his walls a matte teal finish, the veteran designers used the color to great dramatic effect.

Todd Romano's dining room with double height ceilings and soaring windows. French Directiore chairs upholstered in Brunschwig and Fils grass green silk matched the Dodie Thayer pottery he set on the table.

A massive pineapple welcomed us. Designed by Horacio Madrigal Terra Cotta, it is from Claremont,  in case you were wondering. The color matched the aubergine walls.

To say I have a fondness for Thayer Lettuceware is an understatement. I adore it. You can always count on Romano for Porthault linens and gorgeous china.

Charmer alert! A miniature vase of carnations at every place setting provided a warm gesture of hospitality.

What Kips Bay room would be complete without a handmade lamp by Christopher Spitzmiller?

Bringing the natural world inside, Charlotte Moss's room appealed to all the senses. She covered a wall in boxwood, the facing wall had blown up images of manicured French gardens, and swathed everything in varying shades of green.   The darling round-backed Charleston Slipper Chair and white cut corner table are two pieces from her new Century Icon's Furniture collection. The scale and amount of detail on them are just perfect, and I think my apartment would agree.  The Natchez Camel Back Sofa has Fortuny Pillows from David Duncan on it to add a little shimmer.  To further enhance the greenery all around, the sounds of chirping birds created a transporting experience.

Photos by Eric Striffler

Working with her new Fabricut collection, she covered the room in velvet and upholstered pieces in her green florals and prints. Getting creative with the wall space, she hung antique engravings at eye level and placed a Vladimir Kanevsky Porcelain Hollyhock on a gilded decorative bracket.

Catching everything in its reflective glow, the walls of Thom Filicia's lacquer box.

His Vanguard Copake Eagle Console held sway on one wall.

On another wall, his cool modern Abstract Lines artwork from Soicher Marin were hung above a bench he designed for Vanguard.

Brian del Toro is a name you may not know but you should. He is enormously talented, having worked for some of the best in the business.  He was a senior designer when I was at David Kleinberg's office. His has impeccable taste. Spring green cushions in F. Schumacher's Prestwick wool sateen in shamrock on parchment club chairs from the 1960's mirror the clean lines in the wall treatment.

To counter the pop of green, French blue walls were treated with linear paneling. There were many great takes on how to treat walls this showhouse.

A rarified old world vintage Longchamp desk set and lamp tied the shades of green together. How civilized. Desk sets are making a comeback. I think the luddite in everyone is emerging to counter our obsessive ipad use.

What can I say? Jamie Drake just knows how to style a bookcase. He too used interesting horizontal panel detailing in more of a forest green/teal combination.

Beautiful porcelain flowers nestled amongst the books.

Scott Sanders created The Cabana, a room  that is ready for summer. Incorporating a classic Scalamandre  resist print recolored in a green, blue and yellow floral pattern. 

Meshing mid century modern and the way we live today, Sanders artfully crafted a fun hang out space. 

Phillip Jeffries Juicy Jute grasscloth in split pea added requisite zing on the walls teeing up the pair of fluoro Warhol pop art cows.