Working Away at the Kips Bay
Kathy Abbott's "Sophisticated Library" from the 2009 Kips Bay Decorator Show House; image from HouseBeautiful.com
The Kips Bay Decorator Show House is always a delight for the eyes, but this year’s, which will be open to the public April 30, will be exceptionally exciting. For the first time ever, the house will be located on New York’s Upper West Side, and is a beautiful 19th Century Renaissance Revival limestone mansion at 26 West 76th Street. Last week, the 18 designers chosen for the project were publicly announced as they began work on the six-week renovation project on the six-story, 10,000 square foot townhouse. Participating designers are:
Sarah Bune
Monica Rich Kosann
To celebrate the beginning of the work on the house, a pre-renovation party was held there on March 2, which was attended by some of the country’s foremost faces of design, including Charlotte Moss, Amy Lau and Jaime Drake. Charlotte Moss, Jamie Drake and Michael Bruno are the trifecta who will be hosting the Black Tie President’s Preview and Party on April 27th.
Amy Lau and Katharina Plath at the Pre-Renovation Party
Charlotte Moss and Jaime Drake
This year’s space was graciously donated by Adam Gordon of Adam Gordon Holdings. The property’s sales and marketing efforts are being led by Wendy Maitland of Brown Harris Stevens, who says, “We are excited that this property, one of the most exceptional homes on the Upper West Side, will be the setting for this year’s Kips Bay Decorator Show House. The building’s six beautiful stories will inspire the designers and visitors alike.”
For the past 38 years, the Kips Bay Decorator Show House has showcase the very best trends in architecture and interior design, benefitting the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club. This spectacular event raises approximately $1 million dollars each year for the nonprofit organization, and this year is chaired by Mrs. W. Ward Carey. This branch of the Boys & Girls Club provides essential after-school and enrichment programs for more than 13,000 young people at 10 locations in the Bronx.
This year, for the first time, people will also be able to take a virtual tour of the house from their homes and desks thanks to 1stdibs, who will be linking items pictured in the rooms directly to dealers and vendors. If you can’t make it to the house, make sure you take a look online while the house is open through May 28th.
