Kips Bay Takeaway: Warming Up Cold Spaces

As I reflect on our trip to Blogfest in NYC, one of my favorite places was the Kips Bay Showhouse on the Upper West Side held at The Aldyn, an incredible new building overlooking the Hudson River.  It is a bit of a departure from the traditional Upper East Side brownstones of the past.  And what I found particularly interesting was how the designers all used different "tactics" to warm-up and "cozify" (yep, just made that up...) the space.  If you look closely, you'll see flat walls, little or no molding or trim and HUGE paneless windows. Nothing bad, but without the right "tactics" it could be a cold and icy place!

Not so!  When you enter the show house, this is what greets you. Yep, the iconic and friendly Scalamandre Zebras!  But more than that, look at all the art, pillows, books, plants, branches, frames, lamps, collections etc used to make the space cozy. This is where a designer (in this case Bryant Keller) really shines!!  There is so much more than just wallpaper!!

 

When you round the corner you are greeted by the incredible contrast of lacquered green walls and ceilings by Thom Felicia.  He also layered it on to warm up the space and make it feel like a place you want to take a moment to explore. The standout in this room is the incredible, full, drapes that frame each doorway (there are 4)!  The textures in here are almost too numerous to count!

And then you enter the living room dedicated to Albert Hadley by Bunny Williams, Brian McCarthy and David Kleinberg.  They had by far one of the biggest challenges - a two story living room framed by walls of windows. What's a person to do?  Well in this case, they hung a curtain rod and curtain at the same height as the windows to try to scale the room to a much more manageable person's height. They then layered a tapestry over the curtain to increase the warmth. This textile layering also helps to cut down on the audible echo in an unfinished room.  And yes, that is a giant boxwood shrub (fake?) behind the glass on the second story.

Off to the other side of Thom Felicia's incredible green room is the aubergine and chartreuse room of Todd Alexander Romano.  Again, a great use of color to make the room feel warm and cozy and the GIANT chandelier takes up the visual "space" above the table and it all seems to make sense! Brilliant I say!

And then there is the bedroom that Alexa Hampton created.  Here is the entrance - just look at that incredible door, lacquered walls and silver ceiling. On description alone, you'd think ICE COLD...

But look at this incredibly warm space. I can only imagine how may yards of fabric were use here from the very traditional window treatment to the canopy to the bed lines.... it is just incredible. In the chat with Alexa Hampton she mentioned that she used the screen to help you feel like you weren't totally exposed and weren't going to fall out of the bed!

 

I could go on and on and on...

Cheers!
Becky

When Mini-Van Meets Vegetable Garden, and The First Lady's White House Garden

Have you caught any of Michelle Obama's press as she promotes her new book American Grown, about the White House vegetable garden?  She's been everywhere, from Good Morning America, to The View, to the Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

My girls and I have enjoyed watching our own raised vegetable (mainly lettuce) garden grow like mad over the last month or so.  Until, that is, I ran into it last evening with our mini-van in a rushed interlude between the twins' Daisies crossing-over ceremony and lacrosse practice.  Argh!

I knocked the whole thing a couple of feet to one side, as vast beautiful bounties of argula, spinach and other lettuces felt the earth move.  My main instinct was to try to put the whole thing back together in such a way as to prevent my husband from gaining any further evidence of my terrible driving skills.  My best friend and I jumped out of our cars immediately to try to save the garden, only to encounter a disgusting snake among the lettuces, which stopped us in our tracks.  Argh!

Fortunately (or so I thought) my husband is exceptionally unobservant.  However, when arriving home last night, he apparently asked our 3 year old what animal got into the vegetable garden, to which she replied "Mommy's car".  Busted!  Argh!  At this point, I'm not sure of the integrity of the garden and lettuces, so if you have any awesome recipes that include arugula and spinach in particular, please send along!

Yesterday, I caught a couple of the First Lady's appearances promoting her book American Grown.  The skeptic in me considers the election year release, though I must say I appreciate the message of examining what it is we're putting into our, and our children's bodies, within the larger framework of combating childhood obesity.

An impressive harvest!

I'm especially interested to try some of the First Lady's recipes (particularly any involving spinach or arugula!).  But I think I'll start with the Minted Spring Pea salad...

Deb

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AHA Moments!

Last week, as part of Blogfest 2012, we heard Newell Turner and "next wave designers" Michael Herold, Jill Goldberg, and Jon Call describe the "Aha!" moments they encountered and created in their work.  House Beautiful challenged us bloggers and designers to write about our own "Aha!" moments as designers.

In the two years since we've opened the doors to Bryant Park Designs, one of our biggest "Aha!" moments has been the realization that not every piece in every room we work in has to be a high priced "to the trade" item.  Alternately, we've found that "everything old is new again", and we've enjoyed bringing history, affordability, and (some good stories) to our projects by mixing the finest home furnishings with pieces reclaimed from antique markets, second hand stores, and even the dump.

While the New York Times' Guy Trebay recently decried the "dreary reality of DIY", we're not convinced!  Take for example the orange desk below, salvaged from the dump, painted a fiery orange and fancied up with some Chiang Mai wallpaper...

The same wallpaper applied to the back wall of an antique secretary brought fresh life to a family heirloom.

In the sitting room below, the ottoman, X-benches, aqua chairs, and tea table all came from sources as diverse as Brimfield Antique Market, Craigslist, and the "transfer station".  With reupholstery in fine fabrics and a little tweaking here and there, we find these objects make the room.

These dining chairs had a previous life in someone else's home, until we scored them on 1st Dibs, removed the country-bumpkin tie on cushions, had them upholstered in a gorgeous silk and paired them with a custom pedestal table we commissioned.  We're pretty sure they're grateful for the upgrade.

All photography by Michael J. Lee.

Do you have a favorite space in your home, inspired by your "Aha!" decorating moment?
Deb and Becky

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Client Project Sneak Peek! Chiang Mai

One of our clients had their roman shades installed this week...the room is still coming together, but I just had to give you a sneak peek!!

Yep, you are seeing that correctly...Schumacher's Chiang Mai roman shades in Mocha!  

There are a total of SIX windows in their living room and the effect is STUNNING....

I love this little corner with that amazing plant growing like crazy!

Have a relaxing looooooong weekend!!

Cheers!
Becky

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My Flushmount Hero: Alexa Hampton

As I mentioned yesterday, a highlight of Blogfest for me was getting to hear Alexa Hampton wax hilarious about her life in the design field.

I especially enjoyed hearing her describe her "Aha!" moment, soaking in the tub pregnant with twins (been there, done that) when the lighting gods instructed her to evacuate immediately to solve the nipple flush mount crisis...

Sketches were completed, calls were made, and we all benefitted from Ms. Hampton's instinct to design the only decent flush mounts (for Visual Comfort) on the market right now!

Thank you Alexa Hampton!

Deb

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Blogfest Continued...

We're baaaack in Beantown (starkly reminded by the complete absence of sober cabbies - and patrons - upon our arrival at South Station), after a jam-packed day and a half in the Big Apple for Blogfest 2012.

What could beat a morning spent on the 44th floor of the Hearst Tower, especially once the fog lifted?

We had an awesome morning as we listened to the editors of Veranda and House Beautiful, and the designers they showcased, including Darryl Carter, Timothy Whealon, and Boston's own Jill Goldberg (of the to-die-for South End shop Hudson).  We loved hearing how completely down-to-earth these folks are, and related so fully to much of what they discussed (lamented?) in terms of the client-designer relationship and process!

From Hearst Tower, we were whisked to the Elle Decor Modern Life Concept Showhouse in Midtown Manhattan.  As in the Kips Bay showhouse the previous evening, I have to say my most fave rooms were the darkest.  There is just something about these sleek, airy, and contemporary spaces that makes me want to retreat into the coziness of a dark walled sitting room (of which there were two).

Here I am with Lee Kleinhelter, of the superior home shop and site Pieces Inc (we've always been fans), in her "sanctuary", which was my personal favorite in the showhouse.

With its stark walls, and pops of gold, yellow, and white (with a healthy dose of natural texture thrown in here and there), Lee's room is fierce.  As are her yellow shorts.  Seriously.

Upstairs our other favorite space, perhaps unsurprisingly, features a similar color scheme.  The black grasscloth wallpaper provides a stunning contrast to the tall windows on the northern wall, and the painted closet doors are super fun.

Designer Nina Freudenberger provided a unique treatment on the ceiling... a series of pendants, from Restoration Hardware.

Any outdoor space in a Manhattan apartment is inherently coveted and awesome, but Michael Tavono completely rocked this terrace.  Being perhaps overly and anally attached to symmetry in design, I loved the dining space with its matching opposite yellow walls, mirrors, light fixtures, etc.  Loved.

I soooo need to get this terrarium from Restoration Hardware (and a miniature elf to live inside and squeege the glass on humid days).

What we dubbed the "legoland" bedroom... ("put yourself to bed, kids.. I'll be on the terrace regaining my eyesight")...

Really?  On the toilet?!

After a fabulous lunch of lobster rolls at the Lee Jofa showroom, we were treated to a hilarious and rousing panel with Alexa Hampton and the editor of Traditional Home Magazine, Ann Maine.  I either want to be Alexa Hampton, or just spend copious amounts of time with her over wine.  Loved this gal, and so grateful to her for addressing what I like to call the "nipple flush mount lighting problem", but more on that later...

Huge thanks to the Kravet family (incredibly kind and down to earth people who really know how to put on a valuable event) for extending us this opportunity!

Deb and Becky
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