The newly released “Forty Years of Fabulous” The Kips Bay Decorator Show House by Steven Stolman is the perfect Mother’s Day present for my mother and perhaps for yours, too.
Every year, the Kips Bay Show House evokes so many memories for me. Years before I was a designer, my grandmother, mother and I attended many of their show houses together. My grandmother designed homes for all family members and my mother has a keen architectural eye so it was an education going with these two astute and elegant women. Years later, my mother brought me again to Kips Bay for inspiration for our new apartment. My most vivid recollection is when I was 9 months pregnant and late, my mother took me up and down stairs to view countless rooms, hoping to accelerate her grandchild’s birth. Somehow that outing must have had an effect on the baby, because Ashley now works with me at DecoratorsBest.
Some memorable rooms for me include:
Ruben de Saavedra
Back in the day, interior design styles were much more elaborate than they are today. However the slipper chairs are a classic, and so many years later, I still have the exact same ones in our living room- without the bullion fringe for today’s simpler look.
Robert Metzger
My family knew Robert Metzger and I always enjoyed seeing his rooms at Kips Bay. This is the room I saw on that memorable excursion being pregnant.
Jeffrey Bilhuber
As a traditional designer, I always admire what more contemporary designers do with their simplicity and clean lines. I first saw Jeffrey’s work at Kips Bay and have been an admirer ever since.
