kip's bay conspectus

the 2007 kip's bay decorator show house opens to the public next week. wish i could go there in person, but the new york times offers a tour for those of us unable to see it with our own eyes. and i'm bringing you my faves with some additional info about the designers.....

(etienne coffinier and ed ku of coffinier ku design designed a lovely second floor landing ~ i adore that love-seat! their design is based in the classicism of french design but with surprising contemporary influences and concentrates strongly on custom design both architecturally as well as in all furnishings)

(amy lau's living room is a custom made tropical nod to the mod-vintage era. amy is known for her modernism-meets-retro style embodying her philosophy of design centered on "curating" rather than merely "decorating" spaces)

(james rixner's mid-century sitting room ~ who's chandelier is that? anyone?)

(randall beale and carl lana of beale-lana interior design chose a divinely inspired patent leather récamier in the entrance hall. with diverse backgrounds in fashion and theater their design esthetic is eclectic and energizing)

(scott salvator's gentleman's bathroom ~ well-equipped with a fake warhol & a calder. i really enjoy the balance & vibrance of the space. salvator is the 3rd generation of his family to work in the design industry in nyc ~ with a lineage like that he can't help but be brilliant)

calgon take me away......

my mind and body are starting to feel the effects of all the over time, so i decided to go to a virtual spa today. breathe deep, listen to some ambient bliss music, drink jasmine tea, take a long soak, feel the warm glow from the inside out.

(kabuki springs tea room in japan town, sf)

(kabuki springs spa)

(kamalaspa tea room on union square in sf. for more info on this gorgeous spa also visit dotfive's website)

(thermes l'hotel saint germain des pres, paris)

(marie claire maison spa in northern thailand)

(la sommita in ostuni italia)

(international orange spa's yoga room on fillmore street in sf)

(international orange spa's massage room)

full circle

(tufenkian carpet's tibetan rug series ~ this one is called total elcipse in orchard)

(seattle based jmilo offers this cheery water lillys rug made of new zealand wool with silk details)

(indoor-outdoor rugs from the dimensions line, with water-jet cut lacey edges, are made of latex saturated felt. by liora manne)

(the ever popular, but oh so still worth mentioning, zebra rug by martin patrick evan)


(fourth street studios' circles in silk by manhattan-based designers brad davis and janis provisor)

(jump carpet by saxony carpet company)

(the handmade mandala rug by asha carpets)

(the effervescent rug by top floor rugs can be made for you in any size or combination of colors)

project progress: cpw in nyc

a new blog i've been taken with, the kitchen designer, (susan serra) just posted about nyc's new residential building on central park west. my colleagues and i just so happen to be designing a large penthouse interior build-out in this same building (no, they aren't any of the celebs that susan lists, just their soon to be neighbors). she critiques the kitchen design by the building's architect, robert a.m. stern, and although i agree with her critique i wanted to add to it by saying that most of the large residence's kitchens will be torn out and re-done to the client's specific taste once they take over the apartment. our clients are demo'ing the entire penthouse interior and we are re-designing everything top-to-bottom. it is an unfortunate snaffoo in the nyc building code for apartments that the building department will not allow a residential space to be turned over to the clients unless there is a functional kitchen & bathroom fully up to code, even though the clients intend to do an entirely different design once they have ownership. very wasteful and frustrating! anyway, i thought the coincidence was uncanny that susan brought up this building while i've been in the throws of construction documents and design detail drawings in the same place. so i'd like to build on what she wrote by sharing some photos of the inspiration and design process for our project.

(view from penthouse looking over central park ~ taken by my project mgr)

( exterior of the building during construction ~ taken by my project mgr)

and to familiarize you with the design process:

(stone and wood samples of materials to be used in the project)

(fluted wood paneling ~ it will be stained french grey and cerused over the top of the stain. it will be on many of the walls ~ the pattern will become soft and neutral when the finish is applied)

(rendering of a fireplace wall)

we also got to build a model of the entire apartment!

(model of stairs)

(model of corridor with windows)

(model of living room ~ looking towards windows)

(model of family room)



and, lastly, some inspirational photos we used to help the client visualize what the look and feel of the interiors will be:

india visits macy's

imagine india... macy's 61st annual flower show: an exploration in flowers, food, clothing and home décor. i've been captivated by it all week and wanted to share some of my photos of their incredible transformation. if you haven't seen it for yourself yet, it's well worth the union square crowds ~ but you gotta hurry in, because it's over this weekend.

and the design genius behind all this beauty?

krsna mehta design director of zebaworld. he has completed design projects for a host of clients ranging from corporate settings to hospitality clients like the marriott and the taj group of hotels to high-end residential projects. krsna has also designed and developed products for leading international design labels, global chain stores, mail order companies and has partnered with many international interior designers and architects. his designer line "krsna" is soon to be launched in their company owned store in soho, nyc.

and we're back

.....thanks for the interlude to answer my tagging. now back to the regularly scheduled program.....

did anyone watch the finale of top design last night? tons of gorgeous furnishings were used by both finalists ~ and how lucky were they to get to pick out their dream pieces from the design center for their very own lofts? very cool final challenge if you ask me.
so i thought i'd share some furntiure i'm loving lately (all are part of work projects) none of which can i afford, but that doesn't stop me from fantasizing.

(the marbled myrtle table, not the chairs, caught my eye in this setting)

(mirrored table with lots of sexy legs)

(there's something romantic about this chair ~ even if it isn't comfy. the curves are so nice but i'd definitely change the upholstery)

(this settee with the tribal print pillows would be so welcome anywhere in my house)

(sigh ~ zebra print chairs. and what great shape!)

(lacquered ash side table ~ again with the lovely curves, from top to bottom)

this tag game continues right here

here's how you play, once you've been tagged.
you have to write a blog post with 10 weird, random things, facts or habits about yourself.
at the end you choose 10 people to be tagged, listing their names and why you chose them to be tagged.
don't forget to leave them a comment with "you're it" and to read your blog.
you can't tag the person who tagged you....

1. i was born a 5 lb baby with jaundice & was put under a blue light to alleviate it

2. i am partially deaf in my left ear (from ruptured eardrum & tympanoplasty when 8yo), but i hide it really well

3. i have a bad driving record, starting when i almost died in a very.bad. car accident when i was 17

4. my closet & dresser drawers are organized by color (like a rainbow)

5. i'm the only person on either side of my family who lives & works an urban lifestyle in a big city

6. i don't like chinese food (from chinese restaurants)

7. i am internally way more shy than i let on and am easily embarrassed ~ i have been known to turn red as a cherry when this happens

8. i have an active fear of fear, so if there's something i feel uncomfortable doing or am afraid of, more often than not i'll force myself to do it.

9. i secretly wish i was a brilliant & deadly martial arts diva (a la charlie's angels, kill bill, crouching tiger hidden dragon)

10. i am a research junkie and the other degree i dream of getting would be a phd in library & information sciences. yes, this also means i'm secretly a geek. ;o}


who i'm tagging ~ because inquiring minds wanna know & they're all incredible people!

*maggie
*tom
*teri
*jon
*shayna
*marta
*jessica
*megan
*ms.wishful thinking
*lil' willow