Kips Bay Decorator Present Home New York 2023: See Each Room Contained in the Historic Higher West Facet Mansion
Today, following a three-year hiatus, the Kips Bay Decorator Show House New York is back—and this year’s 22 participating designers and architects have contrived five floors of compelling interiors that were well worth the wait.
Through June 6, the historic River Mansion, a beaux arts town house overlooking Riverside Park and the Hudson River on the Upper West Side, will be open to the public to tour some 10,000 square feet of newly reimagined interiors. Inside, design pros share the creative musings and experimental ideas exciting them right now—from a shell grotto-esque retreat to a rococo candyland. It’s all in an effort to raise funds for the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club and its enrichment programs, for which the show house has raised more than $28 million to date.
View more
JOIN NOW
The New Taste: Join AD Experts at the Kitchen Workshop
The Robert D. Kohn–designed River Mansion is no stranger to AD. The town house (lensed by Peter Vitale) was featured in the magazine’s November 1987 issue following a renovation by interior designer David Laurence that involved establishing the central staircase and opening walls to create more free-flowing rooms, among other modern upgrades. While the residence has evolved since glossing the pages of AD, there’s one point in the story that still holds true: “The house sits on what must be one of the most agreeable sites on the entire island…. Not twenty yards away, a leafy park flourishes from spring through fall,” wrote Michael M. Thomas. As of last week, the property is available for sale through Douglas Elliman, ready for its next chapter.
And a good-looking one at that. Below, see every room inside the 48th edition of the Kips Bay Decorator Show House New York (337 Riverside Drive at West 106th Street), made possible by 2023 sponsors Benjamin Moore, Calico Wallpaper, Cosentino, Dea Luxury Linens, Dedar, JennAir, Kohler, Kravet, Marc Phillips, Morgan Stanley, Morris & Co., New York Design Center, Peacock Alley, Sanderson, Soane Britain, Susan’s Jewelry, the Rug Company, and the Shade Store.
Nickolas Sargent
Landscaping by Janice Parker Landscape Architects
Nickolas Sargent
Landscaping by Janice Parker Landscape Architects
Landscaping by Janice Parker Landscape Architects
Not wanting to distract from the beaux arts mansion’s richly detailed redbrick and limestone façade, landscape architect Janice Parker prioritized symmetry in her plantings. Pleached Linden trees frame the entry, while ivy billows from angular concrete containers.
Nickolas Sargent
Foyer and Main Stair Hall by Yellow House Architects
Foyer and Main Stair Hall by Yellow House Architects
With Julia Marlowe—the early-1900s Shakespearean actress and the River Mansion’s first occupant—as their muse, Yellow House Architects indulged in grand and theatrical gestures in the home’s foyer. Let us count the ways: Warped glass paneling by Atelier Barrois and the sculptural chandelier by Nacho Carbonell rouse in the shadowy entry, while a squiggly-lined white plaster treatment offers a quiet contrast as it leads to the second floor of the home.
Nickolas Sargent
Parlor by David Scott Interiors
Parlor by David Scott Interiors
David Scott Interiors is known for eloquently assembling top-tier art and design within distinguished—though never dull—architecture, and the studio’s parlor is right on cue. Neutrally toned Pierre Frey fabrics lay a calming canvas for collectible design to shine, including the pièce de résistance: the Jean Marie Fiori–designed patinated bronze chimney, sourced through Twenty First Gallery.
Nickolas Sargent
Sitting room by Penny Drue Baird, Dessins LLC
Sitting room by Penny Drue Baird, Dessins LLC
Hushed in tone, designer Penny Drue Baird’s sitting room speaks volumes in tactility. That’s thanks in large part to the velvet wall covering—the Boudoir pattern by Elitis—whose linear forms reflect in the plush rug by Sacco Carpet. Apparatus fixtures finished in a brushed brass warm the interior, while antiques from Bernd Goeckler and Carlos de la Puente furnish the space.
Nickolas Sargent
Den by Halden Interiors
Den by Halden Interiors
Befitting for her nature inspirations, designer Kesha Franklin worked from the ground up in the “Heart of the Vine” den, custom designing an abstract leaf floor covering with the Rug Company. Its hunter green, chartreuse, and crisp white palette travels throughout the space, namely in the Shade Store window treatments, which feature Gaston y Daniela fabric by Kravet, and in the Murano glass Italian Lotus chandelier courtesy of Cosulich Interiors & Antiques.
Nickolas Sargent
Parlor by Ghislaine Viñas
Parlor by Ghislaine Viñas
Wanting to create space as intriguing as the Hudson River view beyond the parlor’s grand windows, designer Ghislaine Viñas called upon her network of artisans: Mark Mulroney crafted the felted murals that layer atop a custom wallpaper from Wolf Gordon, while curtain fabric by Dedar, lighting by RBW, a custom scalloped coffee table fabricated by Brooklyn Millwork, and various pieces from The Future Perfect enliven the interior.
Nickolas Sargent
Family room by Timothy Corrigan, Inc.
Family room by Timothy Corrigan, Inc.
No detail went unnoticed in the family room, where Timothy Corrigan began by defining the interior’s original millwork with tonal coats of green, namely Benjamin Moore’s Lily Pad and Stolen Moments. From there, the Spring Fever wallpaper by Timothy Corrigan for Fromental, with its Flemish-inspired botanicals hand-painted atop a perfectly sheened silver ground, established the dialogue for the rest of the interior—from insect-adorned pillow trim by Samuel and Sons to plaster leaf sculptures by Stephen Antonson and even the custom serpent medallion slithering from the David Duncan Studio chandelier.
Nickolas Sargent
Powder bath by Lindsey Coral Harper Interior Design
Powder bath by Lindsey Coral Harper Interior Design
In the second-floor powder bath, designer Lindsey Coral Harper pulled her warm color palette from the interior’s original stone flooring. Coastal inspirations were calling—perhaps, in part, due to her soon-to-open shop in seaside Stonington Borough, Connecticut—and the designer answered with works by fellow coastal creatives, namely a shell-covered stool by Quarto Design, rattan seating by Varnish Collective, and papier-mâché art from Palm Beach favorite Casa Gusto.
Nickolas Sargent
Staircase by Halden Interiors
Staircase by Halden Interiors
The custom rug continues up the third-floor staircase, which Franklin beautifully envelops in a hand-painted mural by artist Judith Sipos of Nono Art. The treatment plays off of the floral field in the background of a striking photograph by South African photographer Pieter Hugo, which almost becomes one with the room. Pendants by designer Feyza Kemahlioglu for Wexler Gallery flank the artwork.
Nickolas Sargent
Drawing room by Neal Beckstedt Studio
Drawing room by Neal Beckstedt Studio
Reimagining the home’s wine room into an artist’s studio, Neal Beckstedt “envisioned the glass-enclosed room as an architect’s private drawing room—a space for solitude and relaxation through creativity,” shares the designer. A custom stone patterned floor designed with Artistic Tile grounds the room’s hewed, timeworn demeanor. The nook comes complete with Swedish antiques from Deinst + Dotter and a fabric striped wall covering by Chelsea Textiles.
Nickolas Sargent
Library by JayJeffers, Inc.
Library by JayJeffers, Inc.
With studio locations in San Francisco and (as of recently) New York City, designer Jay Jeffers set out to create a culmination of the coastal cities within the library. Coating the walls—and the millwork, bookcases, and even some books too—in a two-tone treatment of rust brown and airy gray plaster paint establishes the sultry surrounding, while artisan works such as the commanding desk by Brooklyn sculptor Aaron Poritz, the desk chair by LA-based Cuff Studio, and the jute and wool rug by Mark Nelson Designs play up the bicoastal narrative.
Nickolas Sargent
Elevator bank by Lillian Wu Studio
Nickolas Sargent
Catering kitchen by Lillian Wu Studio
Elevator bank and Catering kitchen by Lillian Wu Studio
“I wanted to create a pantry space that is beaming with warmth, wilderness, and a sense of wonder,” says designer Lillian Wu, who started by swathing the pantry in Calico’s Wanderlust wallpaper. In the catering kitchen, which is decked out with JennAir appliances, brass details from Rocky Mountain Hardware warms the organic blue cabinetry.
Nickolas Sargent
Lounge by Sawyer | Berson
Lounge by Sawyer | Berson
An essence of “understated luxury” was top of mind for Sawyer | Berson when approaching the third floor’s main room, where a travertine stone fireplace by Lido Stone Works materially contrasts with suede-wrapped wall panels. “We designed the lounge as an elegant pass-through space reminiscent of a glamorous club room in New York City,” says Brian Sawyer. The branch-like bouquet, a paper sculpture made by Sourabh Gupta, mimics the tree-lined street on view through the round window frame.
Nickolas Sargent
Bedroom by Mary McDonald Inc
Bedroom by Mary McDonald Inc
For the past few years, says Mary McDonald, coquillage and “all things grotto” have been objects of her reverie. Now, those musings are full-on manifested in “Lady Borromeo’s Grotto,” her bedroom design that layers upon Schumacher’s boldly beautiful Shell Grotto wallpaper. Antique furnishings, saturated upholstery fabrics by Schumacher, and floor covering by Patterson Flynn play off the aquatic palette. “I love how the sconces and slipcovered wall chairs interplay with [the] intricate patterning of the faux shellwork,” adds McDonald.
Nickolas Sargent
Bathroom by Design Studio 15
Nickolas Sargent
Closet by Design Studio 15
Bathroom and closet by Design Studio 15
The colorful cylinders of Avram Ruso Studio’s traveling chandelier seem to reflect like a disco ball onto the Pinnacle Fete Nero Marble tile from Artistic Tile in Design Studio 15’s chic bathroom. The fun continues in the adjoining closet thanks to a blue ombre runner from the Rug Company, crystal-encrusted lighting by Gaspare Asaro, and a custom Ornare closet, chicly adorned with brass trim.
Nickolas Sargent
Kitchen by Wesley Moon Inc.
Kitchen by Wesley Moon, Inc.
Wanting the kitchen to feel contemporary while also paying homage to the home’s Edwardian roots, Wesley Moon devised a custom plaster molding in collaboration with Hyde Park Mouldings to create an architectural foundation for the era-spanning heart of the home. He then worked with LaPolla Designs to create the cabinetry’s hand-applied decorative finish, coordinated to the Cosentino countertops and Ann Sacks backsplash. Apparatus lighting, JennAir appliances, and Kohler fixtures equip the space.
Nickolas Sargent
Laundry room by Fairfax Dorn Projects
Laundry room by Fairfax Dorn Projects
Adorned with passerine birds, the Pompeii wallpaper by Jennifer Shorty was the launch point for Fairfax Dorn Projects’ multitasking laundry room. A sisal carpet from Sacco Carpet, shelving accessories from Aero, window treatments by the Shade Store, and a JennAir washer and dryer round out the interior.
Nickolas Sargent
Primary bedroom and hallway by Sasha Bikoff Interior Design
Primary bedroom and Hallway by Sasha Bikoff Interior Design
“I knew I wanted to create a clamshell bed, which has always been a dream of mine,” says Sasha Bikoff of her starting point for the primary bedroom. Fabricating a piece that mirrored her imagination? That posed a bit of a challenge. She eventually found her ideal material at fashion world go-to Mood Fabrics in New York’s Garment District and worked with John Pomp to fabricate the inflated bed frame, which shines fabulously against the reflective Cloud wallpaper by Calico, made “in custom rococo candyland colors,” shares Bikoff. A corner nook covered in a hot pink vegan fur rug from Stark (and inspired by the 1968 Bazaar sofa by Superstudio) makes for sultry seating. The carpet and chandelier are Bikoff’s own designs for Rug Art and Versace, respectively, and the bow and tasseled window treatments are fabricated by the Shade Store.
Nickolas Sargent
Bathroom and closet by Sergio Mercado Design
Bathroom and closet by Sergio Mercado Design
If ever there was furnishing or fixture to get across Sergio Mercado’s ethereal inspirations for the bathroom, it’d be Paris-based designer Céline Wright’s Nuage Hanging lighting. Hung in a trio, the paper chandeliers float like clouds over the Kohler tub. Tactile architectural elements backdrop the Silk Georgette stone countertop and mirror by Salvator. Plumbing fixtures by Kohler, and sheer window covering by the Shade Store.
Nickolas Sargent
Sitting room by Clinton Smith Studio
Sitting room by Clinton Smith Studio
“It is a room for respite,” says designer Clinton Smith of the cozy, well-layered space on the show house’s top floor. Once used as a nursery, Smith transforms the intimate space into “the Hideaway,” a shimmering solace wrapped in a celestial Calico wallpaper and layered with cushions upholstered in a gilded mix of Zoffany, Harlequin, Morris & Co., and Sanderson textiles. Opposite the Oly daybed, a pair of Tavish etageres by Holland MacRae displays an array of books and storied artworks.
Nickolas Sargent
Bathroom by Ahmad AbouZanat | PROJECT AZ
Bathroom by Ahmad AbouZanat | PROJECT AZ
When designing the bathroom, Ahmad AbouZanat pulled from the historic home’s façade, color-matching the linear tile from Fireclay Tiles with the exterior’s dark-red brickwork and limestone trim. His favorite part of the Kohler-outfitted interior? “How the space celebrates that there is beauty in less; that a bathroom, a place where you start and end your day, doesn’t need to be overly ornate but rather a blend of simple, luxurious materials,” says AbouZanat.
Rodolfo Martinez
Dressing room by Clive Lonstein Inc.
Dressing room by Clive Lonstein Inc.
When Clive Lonstein was assigned one of the home’s smaller bedrooms, it was only natural that the designer—who’s worked with Tiffany & Co. among other fashion behemoths—decided to reimagine the space into a dressing room. Among the many jewels featured within it is a full-length mirror by ceramic artist Peter Lane, reminiscent of a marquee mirror with its repeated orbs, as well as a sitting nook outfitted in Dedar’s Kiku fabric. Objects from Carpenters Workshop Gallery decorate the space, and an antiqued mirror trim creates a luxe border.
Nickolas Sargent
Dining room by Georgis & Mirgorodsky
Dining room by Georgis & Mirgorodsky
“Our room is inspired by historic interiors of Cairo, Istanbul, and Damascus—places which enjoyed periods of cross-cultural pollination,” shares William T. Georgis of his and Ilya Mirgorodsky’s dining room and lounge. Thebes stools and custom poufs are available for those who don’t reserve a spot on the Georgis & Mirgorodsky-designed Bombola sofa (available through Maison Gerard), which has been upholstered in an acorn-brown shearling from Dualoy Leather.
