I have always wanted to
attend the Kips Bay Decorator Show House. Every year gorgeous
pictures would fill my inbox via my favourite bloggers about the show’s
fantastic design credentials. I therefore
assume that everyone else knows what is, that is until yesterday when I was
telling someone about my recent fantastic trip to New York courtesy of Modenus on #BlogTourNYC. So for the uninitiated the annual Kips Bay
Decorator Show House is actually a fundraiser for a the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club,
a programme that has helped more than 12,000 children of which more than half
live below the poverty line. The
decorator show house every year transform a Mansion on the Upper East
Side into a showcase for trendsetting ideas in home decoration. It brings
together the crème de la crème of the design world, each decorating one
room or area, with the designers having cart blanche but only a tiny
working window (often only 4-6 weeks) to conceive and install their rooms.
The room’s are lavishly designed and created to
dazzle, although occasionally they befuddle me but thankfully not this year.
This year 22 designers worked their magic on the Arthur Sachs
Mansion. Designers that included Jamie Drake, Mark Sikes, Thom Filicia and
Christopher Peacock.
All parties end up in the kitchen at some point in
my experience. So it made sense that one
of this year’s Show House sponsors Dacor
hosted a pre-opening breakfast party for the #BlogTourNYC group in the
masculine and practical kitchen designed by Christopher Peacock (Dacor provided all the kitchen appliances).
I don’t think I can
adequately convey my absolute lust for various elements of this inviting space.
The dark painted custom cabinetry, the burr wood counter of the island, the
gadgets such as the smart tablet screen in the oven controls (by Dacor, Discovery iQ wall ovens), the planted herb garden,
the drawers for coffee capsules, spices and knives….. these things top my list
but there was so much more. Everywhere I looked I found something else to love,
want or quite frankly need in my life.
I was not familiar with Dacor at all before I visited Kips
Bay Decorator Show House, but the products they included were
exceptionally high-end appliances, they are just not over here in Europe. Yet.
– hello I’d
like that fabulous stacking oven btw especially as it means I could turn it on before I
even get home via an app. Yes, crazy magical stuff in my book –
The room was quite practical even with all the
luxury elements like oversized polished brass light fixtures and Lalique
accessories. Form and function didn’t give out to trend and bling. Well not too
much. I am always inspired and this year it happened in
person.
Kips Bay
Decorator Show House is open seven days a week from now until June 11th. For
more information on The Show House visit http://www.kipsbaydecoratorshowhouse.org/