Kips Bay Decorator Show House 2012

Posted on 2012/05/15 by Kati

I just returned from the private preview party for the Kips Bay Decorator Show House 2012. Tangerine Tango might be this year’s Pantone Color of the Year, but GREEN was the color of the year at Kips Bay.

In years past, the Show House was typically held at more traditional homes around New York’s Upper East Side. For it’s 40th anniversary, the house moved way west to The Aldyn, a modern condominium on Riverside Boulevard.

Personally it’s my favorite house to date, as the complete lack of architectural detail forced the designers to really get creative with each of the rooms.

Without giving too much away, I’d like to share some of my favorite highlights of the House.

Grasscloth and natural texture were everywhere. More than one designer used our favorites Phillip Jeffries in their rooms, while Drake Design Associates’ room was wrapped in a deep green grasscloth from Donghia. Sisal rugs were in a number of rooms.

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Phillip Jeffries Grasscloth

Finishes were shiny. Whether it was Alexa Hampton’s brown lacquered bedroom walls, Thom Filicia’s lacquered green ceilings, or Jamie Drake’s metallic panels, there was a whole lot of shine going on.

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Maya Romanoff Precious Metals

Mid-Century is still going strong. But definitely in a refined way. I spotted more than one Paul Frankl piece from Craig Van Den Brulle, a table from Wyeth, lighting from Lobel Modern, and a writing table from Gerald Bland.

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Lobel Modern

No walls were left uncovered. Almost every designer used wallcovering of some sort in their designs. Venetian plasters were used a lot, grasscloth as mentioned above, even florals and prints. One of the most interesting I saw was in Charlotte Moss’s room from Piet Hein Eek.

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Scrapwood Wallpaper

Green, green, green. Yup, and not in the way I usually mean it, but the actual color green. Drake Design used deep sexy hues, Thom Filicia glazed the walls with it, Charlotte Moss wrapped the walls in green velvet from Arabel fabrics and faux boxwood, and Scott Scott Sanders crafted drapery out of green terrycloth. (?)

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Thom Filicia Purple Haze Rug in the "Gallery"

Did I forget to mention the spectacular views? Get over there and see for yourself!

May 16 – June 14, 2012 60 Riverside Boulevard, New York, NY 10069
Hours :Monday through Saturday: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Tuesday and Thursday evenings until 8 p.m.
Sunday: noon – 5 p.m.

Hundreds of Design Professionals Attend ELEVATE Launch at High Point Market

Posted on 2012/05/07 by Kati

If you didn’t happen to be one of the hundreds of designers that made their way to the launch of ELEVATE, a new innovative forum introduced by Décor Mentor, at 220 Elm at High Point Market, then I hate to say it, but you missed one heck of an event and an unbelievable opportunity to network with some amazing design professionals!

ELEVATE, a concept conceived by Décor Mentor founder, Lisa Ferguson, was an educational and interactive installation that allowed design pros to post their business cards and take cards left by others in an exchange of expertise, encouragement and inspiration. Eleven Décor Mentors were on hand at the launch, all dressed in fabulous Tangerine Tango (pantone’s color of the year) and sporting necklaces generously provided by: Layla Grace, Max and Chloe, The Loaded Trunk and Nina Nguyen. The mentors, who had been generating contagious enthusiasm for the ELEVATE wall all day, answered guests questions and guided them through the process of finding and offering mentor services. They also signed guests up for ELEVATE online, which the Décor Mentors are thrilled to be launching soon.

decor mentors Hundreds of Design Professionals Attend ELEVATE Launch at High Point Market

The Decor Mentors: (clockwise from L to R) Beth Dotolo, Michelle Jennings Wiebe, Elaine Williamson, Lisa Ferguson, Jennifer Brouwer, Kati Curtis, Carolina Gentry and Lisa Kahn

By the end of the launch, the ELEVATE wall was covered with business cards and design professionals were mingling, meeting and establishing new connections with others in the industry that they can develop to help them grow their businesses. Custom ELEVATE iPad & iPod skins were given to ten lucky designers and three others received a 6 month membership to the cloud operated project management website Connexion Software – each worth $500! In addition, finalists for the grand prize, a new website from The Old State, valued at $15,000, were drawn each day at market. Finalists for the grand prize are: Kristen Rivoli, Stacy Naquin, Jennifer Meditash, Jennifer Stoner and Donna Viking. Congrats to Jennifer for the big win

All in all, it was an hugely successful event that brought together design industry professionals in a way that no other ever has. I hope that those who came away from the event found valuable resources to help them grow their business and will reach out to those who can use their expertise; I know I did and I know I will!

Décor Mentor’s ELEVATE at High Point Market

Posted on 2012/04/13 by Kati

It’s almost here! In a week I’ll be heading to High Point Market – the world’s largest furnishings industry trade show. With over 10 million square feet of show space and an estimated 80,000 attendees from more than 100 countries, this is the show to attend to see what’s new and exciting.

I’m going this year not only to see tens of thousands of new product introductions – but for the opportunity to network, collaborate and learn from other design professionals; all with the goal of elevating each other in an effort to elevate the industry.

I am fortunate to be one of the Mentors for Décor Mentor – a collaborative, educational online community for interior design pros and consumers, and we will be launching ELEVATE for design pros. ELEVATE is an interactive and educational installation that will allow design pros to post their business cards and take cards left by others in an exchange of expertise, encouragement and inspiration. It will be located in the 3rd floor lobby of 220 Elm.

The ELEVATE wall will be launched on Saturday, April 21st, at a cocktail event from 4pm – 5pm in 220 Elm. Many top designers from the Décor Mentor team will be there including Lisa Ferguson of Toronto, founder of Décor Mentor and Lisa Ferguson Interior Design , Jennifer Brouwer of Jennifer Brouwer Design , Beth Dotolo and Carolina Gentry of Pulp Design Studios , Lisa Kahn of Kahn Design Group, Elaine Williamson of Elaine Williamson Designs and Michelle Jennings Wiebe of Studio M. And, of course, I’ll be there too, proudly representing Nirmada Interior Design! You won’t want to miss the launch and the opportunity to meet some amazing industry professionals and be one of the first to get your card on the board!

The wall will be up all six days of the Market and available for design pros to pin / post their cards in business categories where they would like to offer their expertise and also in categories where they want to gain expertise. It’s an innovative way to pair industry professionals who are looking to learn from one another in an effort to grow their knowledge and advance their abilities in the industry.

Hope to see you there!

Dining by Design 2012 Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

Posted on 2012/04/02 by Kati

Last week I was lucky enough to be one of nine interior designers from the New York Design Center‘s Access to Design to design place settings for dream dinner guests at DIFFA ‘s annual Dining by Design.

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©Linked Ring Photography

Although there were some spectacular tables, I must say ours was by far the most interesting! We hosted such unforgettable figures as Steve Jobs, Coco Chanel, Michael Jackson, and my personal guests Freddie Mercury and Emilio Pucci.

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©Linked Ring Photography

My fashion icon Emilio Pucci sat on a lucite chair from Couture Showrooms. The dinnerware was from Puiforcat and glassware was provided by Saint-Louis. One of Pucci’s original sketches rested atop my own Pucci scarf which served as a chic place mat. Before Pucci got into fashion, he was an Olympic skier and started his career designing ski attire. (who knew?)

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©Linked Ring Photography

Known for his flamboyant style, Freddie Mercury often wore regal attire on stage, performing in a cape and crown. This crown, generously granted us by Laserow Antiques, sat on a gilded plate from Hermes. A Flash Gordon charm (for you youngsters, Queen did the original soundtrack for the Flash movie in 1980) wrapped gilded glassware from Saint-Louis.

Freddie dedicated his first album to his cat, stating, “This album is dedicated to my cat Jerry – also Tom, Oscar and Tiffany, and all the cat lovers across the universe – screw everybody else!”

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In tribute, a furry feline perched on the arm of a chair from Profiles with a union jack pillow from Jonathan Adler paying homage to Freddie’s British heritage.

The highlight was the dinner gala Monday night honoring Alfredo Parades of Ralph Lauren. We dined at the table we created, and danced until late in the evening. Guests included design stars and celebrities such as David Rockwell, Jonathan Adler, Simon Doonan, Vincent Wolf, and even Lauren Bush Lauren.

Who would your dream dinner guest be?

Alexander Girard by Todd Oldham

Posted on 2012/03/29 by Kati

This month International Interior Design Association’s New York Chapter held the first of their annual Pioneers of Design Series in downtown Manhattan. I was fortunate enough to attend the in-depth presentation by Todd Oldham on the life and career of the amazing Alexander Girard.

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Todd and Kiera at book signing

Todd partnered with Kiera Coffee to produce a 15lb. (seriously) coffee table book that is a collection of his work – including interiors, packaging, typography and furniture. I was most impressed with Todd’s passion and admiration for the prolific Renaissance man. I could’ve listed to him go on all night! His team sifted through thousands of documents and photos, and interviewed his relatives and employees, to weed out his best works and most quirky habits.

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Patricia Wall/The New York Times

I have studied most of Girard’s contemporaries, and was shocked at how little I knew about him. I knew about the wood block prints that Room and Board had:

But had no idea he designed this amazing furniture line for Herman Miller:

Or this restaurant just down the street from where our office is now:

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La Fonda del Sol

I paid $200 for the book, but had it signed by Todd himself.

But you can get one on amazon for a mere $125.00.

DESIGN LIFE

The blog behind Nirmada Interior Architectural Design

Kips Bay Decorator Show House 2012

Hundreds of Design Professionals Attend ELEVATE Launch at High Point Market

Décor Mentor’s ELEVATE at High Point Market

Dining by Design 2012 Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

Alexander Girard by Todd Oldham