How to Design Small Spaces at the Kips Bay Decorator Show House

Writing Room by Stephen Mooney

Who says small can’t be beautiful and spectacular?  We have examples here of exquisitely designed small rooms in a New York City townhouse. As we all know, every large city has its share of challenging small spaces but interior designers know the secrets to transforming problems to winners.

The Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club hosted their annual decorator show house and invited top interior designers to revive a Federal-styled townhouse in NYC’s Upper East Side. The townhouse like many a home in New York had a few small, narrow rooms that were problematic to interior design.

In our first photo above, Palm Beach designer Stephen Mooney had to overcome the problem of a very narrow room.  By applying a sunny yellow color scheme and cream colored furniture, Mooney achieved a bright and cheerful space for the client to do some work in.  The designer also chose small-scaled furniture: a small desk and chairs, narrow console table, as well as small light fixtures, accomplishing a beautiful and highly functional space.

Home Office by Barbara Ostrom

Designer Barbara Ostrom also had to deal with a tight space – an alcove of about 6 feet wide by 6 feet long.  She created a home office, complete with built-in bookcase.  Ostrom also applied a light color scheme – all white with a pale yellow sisal carpet by Stark – to keep the room bright and airy.  She then installed architectural woodworking and an archway above the desk, giving the room distinction and an elegant focal point. The desk is from Dakota Jackson and the Reagan Hayes desk chair is upholstered in a leopard print Scalamandre silk.

Sitting Room by Felicia Zwebner

Almost an afterthought is this very narrow room designed by Felicia Zwebner.  Most people would probably just use this room as storage space but Zwebner imagined a luxurious and intimate sitting room – great for quiet reading or creative thinking!  To create this jewel-like space, she chose a golden wall covering from Stark and an ochre marble from Artistic Tile. The monochromatic color scheme helps create an illusion of a larger space. She also added a round mirror from Vaughan to provide reflection and depth to the room. 

Interested in learning more about interior design?  Take a look at Sheffield School's Complete Course in Interior Design.  At Sheffield, you will learn how to transform a space, create color schemes, and select furniture, lighting, and accessories.

A Day at the Kips Bay Decorator Show House

(Study by Brian del Toro)Sweeping views of the Hudson River as well as the penchant for green colors were the major features of the 2012 Kips Bay Decorator Show House.  Every year interior decorators have the opportunity to design a room to their heart’s desire – rather than a client’s – with only their imaginations as their limits.  The location of this year’s show house is a beautiful condo complex, the Aldyn Residences, overlooking Manhattan’s river.

Our first room above by designer Brian del Toro is a jewel-like study rich in beautiful materials and a brilliant blue-green and lime green color scheme.  The walls are painted in a teal grid-like pattern and the sofa upholstered in a matching teal strie velvet. The throw pillows are wrapped in Japanese obi, the sash used to tie kimonos. The gold, silver, and champagne check rug is from F. J. Hakimian Antique Rugs. The cubist glass mirror by Verner Panton further contributes to the sparkle of the room. Del Toro worked for the famous duo Parish Hadley before opening up his own firm. 

(Dining Room by Todd A. Romano)Todd Alexander Romano designed this ultra-sophisticated dining room with many tongue-in-cheek accessories.  The dining centerpiece is a Mexican Hilario Madrigal sculpture of a purple pineapple.  Can you spot the brass giraffe? The long-neck animal by Sergio Bustamante brings your eye up to the spectacular two-story space and the Venetian Murano glass chandelier. Providing elegance to the room are the French Directoire chairs. They are upholstered in Brunschwig & Fils fabric of the popular lime green color, brightening up the warm chocolate-painted walls. 

(Family Room by James Rixner)This sunny family room designed by James Rixner is suffused with chartreuse touches complemented by a rich blue.  The walls are covered in Lotus green grass cloth and the chartreuse is picked up in the velvet pillows and the linen curtains from Osborne and Little. The blues are picked up by the dreamy Nocturne rug by Orley Shabahang. To create the serene atmosphere and pull the lively colors together, a white leather upholstered sofa and chair were chosen.

(Living Room by Susan Zises Green)The zen living room designed by Susan Zises Green was fittingly called, “Living Room: Surroundings Inspired by the Flow of the Hudson”. 

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Kips Bay Decorator Show House 2011

Kemble Interiors - LibraryIf you want to peek through an interior designer’s eye, the best place to go is to a designer show house. The Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club is hosting their annual fundraising Decorator Show House and it promises to be a visual treat for the senses. This year’s Show House is located in a neo-Federal mansion in New York’s Upper East side neighborhood. Its original owners included clothier, Maurice Brill, and John Hay Whitney, former US Ambassador to the United Kingdom and financial titan. Current owner Disque D. Deane - a real estate investor and philanthropist - has generously offered his home as the site of the 2011 Kips Bay Decorator Show House.

The mansion interiors boasts of deep golden Norfolk-pine paneled rooms in its original design. Designer Celerie Kemble envisioned for the library a lighter mood and updated it to more contemporary tastes (see photo above).  Using a bright spring palette, she added bursts of color around the room. Above the fireplace is British painter Hugo Grenville's Still Life with Equestrian Figure, suffused with a sunny glow. The tête-a-tête seating is custom-upholstered in vivid pink and the surrounding armchairs and sofa in cream fabrics, creating an airiness of what would have been a somber library. Crowning the room is a stunning skyscape in verre eglomise by Miriam Ellner, made from gilded glass of gold leaf and blue tones. 

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