The Kips Bay 2014 Annual Show House

The Kips Bay Annual Show House is generally celebrated as one of the top-tiered showhouses in the country. And this year, once again, it did not disappoint. The designers jockey and bid for space, and only a lucky few are selected. Once they are in, they’d best play their A-game!

“Inspired” is a word one could use for most of the rooms in the house this year.

Some of my favorites:

The entry foyer used sumptuous combinations of gray by Martyn Lawrence Bullard. The Schumacher wallpapers that were used and combined made this season’s most overused shade something to salivate over. He is now designing product for them.

Juan Montoya’s grand salon featured probably the coolest double sofa of all time and a bespoke mantel overlaid onto the wood paneling that ran the entire 30-foot wall.

Conversely, Young Huh’s petite powder room, with its green floral upholstery walls and bathrooms, were stunning. Tiled by Akdo.

Ingrao’s sculptural metal mantelpiece was meant to be the showstopper of their room, but it seemed a bit overpowering to me. What I really loved was their floating jellyfish ceiling fixture. Wow!

Upstairs, designer Martin Quinn created a kitchen using St Patrick’s Cathedral (right across the street!) as inspiration. The window valances are wind chimes mimicking the pipe organ of the church. The built-in cabinet’s mullions are shaped like the Cathedral’s window mullions.

Vicente Wolf’s small, yet lovely TV room next to the kitchen was entitled “Orange is the New Black” for its sumptuous orange lacquered walls.

Christopher Peacock created every woman’s dream closet with shiny pink walls and a spot for every shoe. I drank my champagne while browsing through every nook and cranny!

Perhaps my favorite room, however, was the “Ladies Lair," a home office for the lady of the house by Gideon Mendelson. The suede walls are trimmed with burlap embroidery. Everywhere you turn in this small room is another pleasant surprise. All of the furniture is perfectly scaled to the space. The secretary’s alcove desk is papered in grasscloth, and set up with perfectly organized bins. And the German Biedermeier desk…well!

Designer Alexa Hampton may have done the best job of combining uptown and downtown, however. She had her ladies sitting room adorned with custom print wallcovering mimicking Moroccan tiles, and then hung $2.00 Chinese paper lanterns from the ceiling.

Inspired!