INSIDE June 2014, JUNE 2014

A world of inspired design

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John Douglas Eason tackled the grand staircase, a study in Gilded Age glory. A stately Baroque console anchors the landing, on which sits a Barry X Ball statue (his work puts a modern spin on Italian statuary) adjacent to a mod chair by American furniture icon Wendell Castle.
John Douglas Eason tackled the grand staircase, a study in Gilded Age glory. A stately Baroque console anchors the landing, on which sits a Barry X Ball statue (his work puts a modern spin on Italian statuary) adjacent to a mod chair by American furniture icon Wendell Castle.
John Douglas Eason
John Douglas Eason
Alexa Hampton for Mark Hampton L.L.C. commissioned one-of-a-kind wallpaper with a design based on Spanish tiles.
Alexa Hampton for Mark Hampton L.L.C. commissioned one-of-a-kind wallpaper with a design based on Spanish tiles.
Scarsdale resident Young Huh was tasked with creating a small reception room and two adjacent powder rooms – and in the mix integrated the Greek key motif, a noted Hollyhock pattern and those always-favorite design elements, toleware flowers.
Scarsdale resident Young Huh was tasked with creating a small reception room and two adjacent powder rooms – and in the mix integrated the Greek key motif, a noted Hollyhock pattern and those always-favorite design elements, toleware flowers.
A statement fireplace echoes the swirls of the constellation-themed art. Tony Ingrao’s out-of-this-world design comes back to earth with touches from Dutch furniture to Han dynasty vases.
A statement fireplace echoes the swirls of the constellation-themed art. Tony Ingrao’s out-of-this-world design comes back to earth with touches from Dutch furniture to Han dynasty vases.
Kirsten Fitzgibbons and Kelli Ford, Dallas sisters with a Greenwich showroom, used the “Jazz” suite by Henri Matisse as a jumping-off point for their trademark bold styling.
Kirsten Fitzgibbons and Kelli Ford, Dallas sisters with a Greenwich showroom, used the “Jazz” suite by Henri Matisse as a jumping-off point for their trademark bold styling.
Scarsdale-raised designer Gideon Mendelson created “The Lady’s Lair,” an L-shaped room with distinctive vignettes anchored by a breathtaking vintage German Deco-era desk. We loved his suede walls in teal.
Scarsdale-raised designer Gideon Mendelson created “The Lady’s Lair,” an L-shaped room with distinctive vignettes anchored by a breathtaking vintage German Deco-era desk. We loved his suede walls in teal.
Juan Montoya put a decidedly modern imprint on his first-floor room – an oversize couch and mantel inspired by encompassing waves (“like a cashmere wrap”), but it’s all tied together with the most classic historic statement, a stunning early 19th-century English chandelier.
Juan Montoya put a decidedly modern imprint on his first-floor room – an oversize couch and mantel inspired by encompassing waves (“like a cashmere wrap”), but it’s all tied together with the most classic historic statement, a stunning early 19th-century English chandelier.
Juan Montoya at Kips Bay show house.
Juan Montoya at Kips Bay show house.
A touch of the old anchors the state-of-the-art kitchen by Matthew Quinn, in which distinctive cabinets draw on the intricate Gothic Revival architecture of St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
A touch of the old anchors the state-of-the-art kitchen by Matthew Quinn, in which distinctive cabinets draw on the intricate Gothic Revival architecture of St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
Cork, a resource from southern Europe and North Africa, creates the unexpected ceiling in this gentleman’s study by Markham Roberts.
Cork, a resource from southern Europe and North Africa, creates the unexpected ceiling in this gentleman’s study by Markham Roberts.
John Douglas Eason tackled the grand staircase, a study in Gilded Age glory. A stately Baroque console anchors the landing, on which sits a Barry X Ball statue (his work puts a modern spin on Italian statuary) adjacent to a mod chair by American furniture icon Wendell Castle.
John Douglas Eason
Alexa Hampton for Mark Hampton L.L.C. commissioned one-of-a-kind wallpaper with a design based on Spanish tiles.
Scarsdale resident Young Huh was tasked with creating a small reception room and two adjacent powder rooms – and in the mix integrated the Greek key motif, a noted Hollyhock pattern and those always-favorite design elements, toleware flowers.
A statement fireplace echoes the swirls of the constellation-themed art. Tony Ingrao’s out-of-this-world design comes back to earth with touches from Dutch furniture to Han dynasty vases.
Kirsten Fitzgibbons and Kelli Ford, Dallas sisters with a Greenwich showroom, used the “Jazz” suite by Henri Matisse as a jumping-off point for their trademark bold styling.
Scarsdale-raised designer Gideon Mendelson created “The Lady’s Lair,” an L-shaped room with distinctive vignettes anchored by a breathtaking vintage German Deco-era desk. We loved his suede walls in teal.
Juan Montoya put a decidedly modern imprint on his first-floor room – an oversize couch and mantel inspired by encompassing waves (“like a cashmere wrap”), but it’s all tied together with the most classic historic statement, a stunning early 19th-century English chandelier.
Juan Montoya at Kips Bay show house.
A touch of the old anchors the state-of-the-art kitchen by Matthew Quinn, in which distinctive cabinets draw on the intricate Gothic Revival architecture of St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
Cork, a resource from southern Europe and North Africa, creates the unexpected ceiling in this gentleman’s study by Markham Roberts.

Photographs by Bob Rozycki

Forget the Grand Tour.

We only had to head down to Madison Avenue to take a whirlwind trip through the best of the world’s art, design and home décor.

The venue was the Mansion on Madison, its stately façade the picture of classic elegance. But once inside its doors, the 42nd annual Kips Bay Decorator Show House was in fully vibrant command welcoming design aficionados throughout May.

WAG was invited to preview the prestigious event, touring the rooms and meeting many of the designers who happily shared their inspirations with us.

The unique location – the mansion was originally the north wing of the famed Villard House – is connected to The New York Palace luxury hotel.

It was the perfect backdrop for a virtual tour of the world, as seen through the eyes of more than 20 leading interior designers who took their individual visions and turned them into showcases of fine furnishings, eclectic art and cutting-edge technology.

The “must-see” design destination – which annually attracts some 15,000 visitors from around the world – as always raises funds for the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club. Since its inception, the show house has raised more than $19 million for the nonprofit organization that enhances the life of the city’s economically, socially or recreationally disadvantaged children.

We were delighted by countless moments, from impressions created by entire rooms down to the most charming details within.

We chatted with designers including Gideon Mendelson, a self-proclaimed “Scarsdale boy” who created a stunning room called “The Lady’s Lair;” John Douglas Eason, who has worked in both Westchester and Fairfield and whose grand staircase was an artful study that balanced a sense of history and grandeur with modern flair; and Young Huh, a Scarsdale woman making her show house debut. Her creativity was more than challenged in the compact space that includes the mansion’s two powder rooms, but her jewel-box creation was a shining success.

We admired the expansive kitchen by Matthew Quinn, where cabinetry details echoed the spires of St. Patrick’s Cathedral just across the
street; and the eclectic sensibility of Alexa Hampton’s room, where the design of a Spanish tile was translated to custom wallpaper, the evocative backdrop of an exotic retreat.

We relished the bold hues of the Kirsten Kelli living room (they have a Greenwich presence), the playful Pucci motif of Christopher Peacock’s walk-in closet and vanity (he’s another with local ties); and the oh-so-glamorous glass-beaded bedside tables in the Cullman & Kravis bedroom.

And it was quite a thrill to meet Colombian-born design icon Juan Montoya, whose modern and wonderfully spacious living room had the most eclectic touch, a sparkling early 19th-century British chandelier. He spoke of proportion, scale and creating a room that is both stylish and comfortable.

“It’s like a good recipe,” he told me. “You have it. You taste it, and then you want more of it.”

Kind of what tempts one back to the Kips Bay show house year after year.

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Mary Shustack
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