Kips Bay 2017

June 3, 2017

Design and flowers, gets me every time. I made a quick stop/run through the Kips Bay Decorator Show House as we were heading out of the city last week and heading up north to Hawthorne. This is my annual pilgrimage, as I really try to never miss it. While often many of the rooms are not in a style of how I would design a room, I always come away with ideas. I don’t mean this in a negative way at all. Comfort plays such a large role in my design style. Often many of the rooms are more like a stage set, and I don’t really see how someone could hang out/really live in them. But there are always bits & pieces I take away for inspiration, that might show up in a room in one of our homes or in a display at one of the shops. Design, make that good design, really is pliable and flexible and can and should work in many different environments. The above and the first 4 images below from the dining room Ken Fulk created. Ken is an acquaintance who I met through my friend Tolan. He was throwing one of his famous parties in San Francisco when I was there doing a few book signings and he invited me to it. Ken is a hugely creative soul who often works crazy beautiful flowers into his designs, so I am always drawn to them. I mean seriously, how spectacular are all those branches on the dining table? He also has a love for green, as you will see in this room. So of course, the room was an instant favorite.


Artwork, not just the individual works, but also how things are hung are always of great interest. As well as how flowers are displayed. Again, ideas, ideas, ideas. Kips Bay (or any designer showhouse for that matter) is always like taking a quick master class in design. We must never stop learning, as there are ideas galore at each turn.