What a delight it was to be able to visit the granddaddy of all show houses in New York last week.  The Kips Bay Decorator Show House is sometimes referred to as the Oscars of the interior design community.  Eighteen top designers participated in this year’s home which was a grey limestone townhouse on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.  They were able to make design choices not restricted by clients needs or desires. Creativity abounds.  Having participated in a couple of Junior League of Toronto’s show homes, we know the excitement of creating a room carte blanche … Let me give you a small peek into some of my favourite spaces this year.

My lovely daughter and I

 Upon entering we are greeted with colour!  No greys detected in this showhouse.  Only one  beige room which I felt was a little disappointing.  But the rest were in full colour.  The sheer floral drape along the wall as you entered was a warm surprise.  And the colourful cowhide rug…! Amazing.

Wallpaper – everywhere.  Everything from traditional Scalamandre florals like below to grasscloths.

The room below was the largest of the house and a little ‘beige’, I felt.  Beautifully done by Mariette Himes Gomez and Company but nothing over the top.  We love to be excited, surprised or intrigued at these show homes….none of which happened for me in this room.

Now Kathryn Ireland, on the other hand, we can classify as over the top.  Whether you like her typically boho style or not, one can appreciate her creativity.  Her bedroom in the house featured an Anglo-Indian bed draped in fabrics from her new collection from Scalamandre.

The next room was probably my favourite room in the house.  Yes, those are fish on the walls.  If you can disregard those, everything else is amazing. (live a little….lol) Where to start?  The antiqued rug was AMAZING, the attention to detail on the upholstery divine, the art draws you in, the colours  cocoon you, the drapery panels are banded in 2 different fabrics and trim, the oriental nesting tables, and those pillows…..!  Notice how Jack Levy the designer had the pattern taken from the pillows and stitched on to the back of the chair – genius!

The lighting fixtures were so unique in almost every room.  Here the designer used hand blown glass pendants.  Did I already mention cow hide rugs?  Multiple designers used them in their spaces.

Below was perhaps my second favourite room.  Beginning with the chandelier – a 1950′s Italian original.  The walls were very creatively done.  Slabs of board were covered in a soft suede and then patterned on the walls to replicate a limestone feel like the exterior of the home.  Photography as art was also very big this year in the home.   And the drapery was a gorgeous moire (yes, you heard me right – somehow looks different than the one from the 80′s) with exquisite detailing on the banding.

If the walls weren’t papered or panelled, they were lacquered!  Too gorgeous!  My good friend Gloria Rinaldi, Canadian Benjamin Moore rep for designers, tells me she is getting a lot of calls for this. It is a premixed paint that is sprayed on.  Must think about where to use that next….love it!  Check out the colour on these walls in this powder room and the mirror on mirror.

The dining room, too, was spectacular.  Again, the walls were lacquered and the ceiling treated with a gold leaf wallpaper that was antiqued.  (you can’t see the ceiling here unfortunately)  Did I mention unique lighting fixtures?  This one is not my style but intriguing.  These pictures don’t do the rooms justice.  Imagine the feeling of walking into this tall grand dining room with such intense lacquered colour on the walls and the gold leaf ceiling…..

Velvets, grasscloth, high gloss moulding, gold and stunning light fixture.  Feast for the eyes.

Below, notice the coloured, gloss ceiling (different from lacquered, but shiny nonethless).  The walls had a venetian plaster technique done  in a smooth, gloss finish.  The sheer panels on the windows were not operable but very effective.  In real life we could make those into operable roman blinds.

As  first time attendees of the Kips Bay Show House we were delighted!  Most rooms pushed the envelope.  I liken it to a fashion runway.  It shows cutting edge creativity done perhaps, a little more extreme than the average home.  Bunny Williams, the show house chairwoman estimates that an average of $50,000 was spent by the designer to pull a room together. (Ok, so definitely more than the average home – fantasy for many of us.  But what fun and all for a good cause.)

There were many more rooms and gardens to see.  All these photos were taken from the New York Times.  Visit their link to  see the rest if you like. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/09/garden/the-kips-bay-decorator-show-house-goes-to-extremes.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Give it some personality.  Your decor should be a glimpse into what and who they can expect to find in your home.

Let it say ‘welcome’ :  a seat, a lamp, a table/bench.  It says, ‘come in, have a seat, there is warmth here’.  Love the ‘happy’ rug.

Show your true colours:  are you colourful or more reserved?  Note how the basket tones down the formality of the design.

Make a statement!   The bright pink bench is a wonderful element of surprise in this classically designed space!  And love those tres chic wall sconces!

No excuses for small spaces.  A large simple piece of art can say ‘I may be small but look out!’.  This vignette is not lacking in big personality.

Be a fashionista if that’s who you are!  Cut out mirror, chairs and console – a fashion trend this season.

Glam it up … gold leaf wallpaper, murano glass chandelier and lots of mirror.

Live a little! Add some life to a hallway with a zebra print wallcovering.  The chandelier is a glamorous contrast to the sisal rugs.

Add some drama with a damask wallcovering. Here  its an unexpected formality in this loft like apartment.

Take the road less travelled.  Don’t follow the beige decorating crowds.  The light fixture is also an original beautiful touch.

Be simple but don’t be boring.  Here is a beautiful combination of paint colours, grasscloth wallcovering and mirror for drama.  The light fixture and art take centre stage.  The bench speaks simplicity and pure beauty.

Make a statement with beautiful lines:  horizontal grain in the grasscloth, vertical grain in the light fixture, striped fabric on the chair, herringbone pattern in the hardwood.  The wall sconces and chest also repeat strong vertical and horizontal lines.  What seems quite simple is a very well thought out design space.

Personalize it with family pictures and trinkets unless you want it to feel museum like.  Love those wall sconces!  No room for a side chair?  Tuck an ottoman under the bench!

Combine modern and classical to give your decor a fresh feeling.  Notice the flowers in almost every picture – a sure way to breathe life into a space.

And a little pooch always saves the day:)

For lots more  ’welcoming’ decorating  ideas please visit our Pinterest board, http://pinterest.com/lumarinteriors/staircases-foyers-and-hallways/ .

All pictures in this post taken from our Pinterest Boards which can be traced back to original designers.

www.lumarinteriors.com

What you do on the walls and the ceiling (referred to as the fifth wall) has a huge impact in your decoration.  You can almost do nothing else but do something impactful with the walls and it will give you instant gratification.

For the runway version of distinct walls hot off the press from Vogue this month is Tory Burch’s dining room walls with its custom painted panels from Iksel, Paris.

Luxury Fashion Designer Tory Burch

Not a shy girl when it comes to making a statement:  a fashion leader.

For those of us a little tamer than that see the following ideas for trends happening now:

Texture

Grasscloth wallpaper is happening

Wallpaper

Wallpaper feature wall for instant decoration

Gloss

glossy painted walls - rather than matte or eggshell

Glossy ceilings

lacquered jewel toned walls

Hand Painted

chinoiserie on silver leaf

Completely panelled walls

panelled walls

Saturated Colour

Makes for a gorgeous backdrop

What do you think?  Are you up for more colour on walls?  Drop us a line and let us know.

We also do colour consultations so if you need some help go to our website to contact us.

www.lumarinteriors.com

Even when wallpaper was ‘out’,  some of the best dressed homes sported very fashionable wallcoverings.

You just can’t beat the impact or warmth it can give to a room.  Think about it – its a lot of square footage you can cover.

Here are some wonderful applications to inspire you!

I love  a library in a grass cloth or string wallcovering (very au courant right now).  Here is a dining room that one of my favourite American designers, Suzanne Kasler, did in a beautiful seafoam coloured grasscloth.  Check out the contrasting celadon painted ceiling.  I LOVE that combination!

Gorgeous grasscloth wallcovering!

Painting the walls a seafoam colour just wouldn’t be the same in the above room.  The wallpaper is  like wearing a very simple dress in an exquisite linen.  Oh and by the way, like linen, you have to accept its inherent qualities.  Linen shows wrinkles and grasscloth shows seams.  You can’t hide it; its just part of the charm.  (Fashion in the home – fashion in clothes…very much alike if you ask me)

Or how about this beautiful damask wallcovering in the dining room below?  Its a traditional room but the wallpaper actually has a very fresh feel about it.  No?  Let me know what you think.

Damask wallcovering for elegance

How about a de gournay hand made wallcovering……

de gournay mural wallcovering

de Gournay hand paints wallpapers, fabrics and porcelain at the very top end of the market.  It has traditionally specialised in 18th century Chinoiserie and 19th century French designs. But they can customize colours and patterns to your space and give a more modern feel if needed.

How about this stunning filigree wallpaper from Thibaut to dress up your entrance or the powder room?  It is a traditional motif but has a modern fresh feel when paired with the right accessories as in the vignette below.

Thibaut Wallcoverings

Stripes add a bit of formality….

Classic fresh stripes

You can choose something very striking or something very soft.  I tend to like soft in large spaces and more striking in small spaces.

A flowing, curvey floral is going to be more relaxed.

Lovely, soft pattern

And if you just can’t handle a lot of it…why not add some paper to a feature wall.  The wall behind the bed or a wall in the dining room make for perfect spots to add some punch.

A wonderful feature wall

Dress up a powder room

So, like I said, even if there is nothing else in a room, add some wallpaper and you will feel like you are all dressed up and ready to go – LOVE IT!

By the way, when I did my last blog post on ‘colour’ I should have posted the name of one of my favourite blogs from a true colour expert.  Please visit Colour Me Happy on my Blogroll.  You’ll enjoy her posts – I’m sure!