More Interiors from the 2012 Kips Bay Decorator Show House

Sitting Room by Charlotte MossJanet Ramin - A walk in the French countryside inspired designer Charlotte Moss to create her sitting room at the 2012 Kips Bay Decorator Show House. Named “Behind the Hedge,” the space gloriously captures the French outdoors with a trompe l’oeil mural of a chateau garden and flourishes of greenery. The walls are sensuously draped in green velvet by Arabel fabrics and box hedges breathe life to the room. (The trompe l'oeil mural is by Osmundo Echevarria). 

Living Room by Bunny Williams, Brian McCarthy, and David KleinbergDesign team Bunny Williams, Brian McCarthy and David Kleinberg envisioned this bold living room. Providing the main focus of the room is the colorful tapestry by architect Le Corbusier. Its red, black, and white colors are reproduced in the Dupre-Lafon sofa, the zebra rug, the red-upholstered wood chairs and the bright draperies. The parchment wrapped waterfall coffee table is by Vosges.

Library by Jaimie DrakeGreen was the dominant color in this year's Kips Bay, and designer Jaimie Drake dreamed up this jungle mood for a library room. Snaked across the walls is an emerald grasscloth wallpaper. The glacial cocktail table from Lorin Marsh further plays up the green motif. Below, green painted bookcases line the walls. Palm trees emphasize the tropics. To give an air of sophistication to the library, Drake enveloped the ceiling in hammered silver paper. Dominating the room is a phantasmagoric oil painting by Andy Harper called Winter Gate.

Library by Jaimie DrakeCharles Pavarini designed this ultra-chic "Black, White, and Red All Over" bedroom full of decorative delights. The leather-wrapped platform bed custom designed by Pavarini floats over the Ironwork carpet by Stark. A resin painting by Damian Robinson provides red fire to the room as sculpted butterflies dance across the mirrored walls.

(Bedroom by Charles Pavarini)

Bonus

Click here to see more Rooms from the 2012 Kips Bay Decorator Show House.

Thanks to Janet Ramin and Sheffield School for this Kips Bay article. 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. 

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Memorial Day - Remembering America's House Styles and Colors

Irwin Weiner ASID - I have fond memories of my childhood homes growing up in South Africa. The exteriors were always practical stucco and light-colored walls due to the sun baking down on us most of the time. The homes look very Mediterranean, unless they're earlier Cape Dutch or Victorian style - but the exterior colors tend to mimic all warm climes. Here in the United States, there's a marvelous tradition of residential architectural styles, and a solid heritage that many of us aren't completely conscious of. California Paints recently came out with A Guide to Color, Styles and Architectural Periods - a great brochure that's part of their Historic New England paint collection. Here are the styles and paints that they surveyed for U.S. homes. Click on each period name to see California Paint's color collections, historically accurate recreations of how our homes were once painted (both exterior and interior colors are shown - usually the bolder colors are how the interiors were decorated, versus the more subtle exterior hues).

• Colonial - Mid 1600s-1780: European settlers set these style precedents as they brought over what they were familiar with back home. A limited number of colors were available at the time, mostly made from naturally-derived pigments (earth, stone, etc.). Framing and trim elements were painted in colors that boldly contrasted with surrounding or untreated or neutral wood and masonry walls. 18th century homes show Georgian England classicism and are mostly found on the East coast, while colonial architecture in the Southwest shows off their Spanish Baroque roots. These homes usually had white trim and strong contrasting colors. Bold and bright.

• Federal - 1780-1830: Georgian boldness gave way to more delicate house detailing, and "federal" got its name from the new American republic. Interest in Greek and Roman antiquities was high at this time as Americans were fascinated with newly-excavated classical sites. Colors were lighter, paler, and delicate with whites, pale shades of gray, off-white, and ochre used on exteriors.

• Greek Revival - 1825-1855: This was America's first "national architecture." A growing population fueled a big home building boom, and this style was carried across the country, spreading out from Eastern seaboard cities. Greek temple inspired, there are classic columns and pediments even on the most simple of homes, with exteriors painted white, off-white, ochre, and gray along with white trim. Shutters and window sashes were primarily painted dark green or black.

• Victorian - 1840-1900: England's Queen Victoria's long reign saw many residential home styles embraced under the Victorian umbrella, including Romantic Gothic, Italianate, Egyptian Revivals, Second Empire and Stick styles, Queen Anne and Shingle styles, and Colonial Revival. Middle class suburbs were springing up in the United States, and industrialization was hitting the building industry with mass-produced millwork and trim. Exterior house paint saw a growing range of hues with the diversity of architectural styles. Using a 3-paint color scheme became the norm; one color for the siding, the second for the trim, and the third for sashes, shutters, and doors. Even the body colors could vary to differentiate shingles from clapboards (some homes had four or five colors - see the "painted lady" style in the top photo).

• 20th Century Eclecticism - 1900-1955: Here's the period where our architectural styles forged ahead into two entirely different directions. One saw copying of historical architectural styles, and the other moved away from everything traditional that had come before. That's what's given birth to today's "traditional versus modern" style divide! The traditional movement saw "revivals" of older styles from the past, with "modern" or "contemporary" homes going into brand new directions like Craftsman, Four Square, and Ranch. Exterior surfaces used stuccos, brick, stone, and concrete in addition to wood siding and trim. The Tudor and Craftsman houses were usually painted dark browns, maroons, deep greens, and olives. Classic revival homes are usually lighter white, gray, gray-blue, gray-green, or yellow with white trim and window sashes and dark shutters and doors. Modern homes throw out the color book, but usually tend towards light neutral colors with bold, sometimes primary color accents. 

Bonus

Click here to read Design2Share's advice on What Determines a Good Paint Job.

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5 Interior Design Lighting Favorites from Ingo Maurer

Irwin Weiner ASID - I love to window shop, and whenever I'm in Soho, I take a quick spin around the lighting district stores. One of my favorites is Munich-based Ingo Maurer on 89 Grand Street. Their modern artistic sensibilities take my breath away; so chic and yet ultimately playful. If you could squeeze interior designers and distill their essence ... well, mine would be "equal parts artistic, playful, and whimsical" and Ingo Maurer's lighting would fit that Irwin Juice to a tee. Here are some of my favorites from their line - click here to see more styles and product information.

Bonus

Click here to watch the video on French Architect Nathalie Wolberg's Modern Light-Filled House.

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Resources to Help You Fill In Decorating Holes

Irwin Weiner ASID - One of my clients recently build a new condo building in Manhattan, and he asked me to stage one of the units for a flat fee. Just like for your own home design projects, I had a tight budget to work with. (Gone are the days of blank checks for interior designers to carry around like Post-It notes!) And to complicate things, in the flat fee for the project, I had to account for all of my decor costs; the fee amount, less my costs, equalled my payment for the project. Smart "shopping for less" was in order. Here are my go-to spots when the budget is tight and I need to put together good looks.

• Overstock.com - sift through the constantly-changing items and you'll find true goodies
• Target.com - good style for mass merchandise
• Amazon - they carry everything your heart desires
• Home Goods - I bring my wall colors along with rug and fabric swatches and stock up on coordinating accessories and artwork
• K-Mart - inexpensive bedding and bath items are good for staging purposes
• Walmart - ditto (see K-Mart)

Are you surprised to see a Manhattan interior designer shopping at such places? Well, don't be. Many of us shop online and at retail for our own homes as well as for our clients. The mix-and-match of high-end custom furnishings and collectibles with mass market merchandise is time honored, and good design pulls off a great look. The caveat, of course: you have to sift through all the rubbish to get to the acceptable and even exceptional items. Here's what I shop for at these locations.

• Accessories: tabletop (placemats, dinnerware, cloth napkins, stemware), centerpieces, tablescapes (decorative accessory groupings)
• Vignette furniture (to fill in around the higher-end custom items): desk and chair; sofa, coffee table, end table, club chairs; dining room sets; bed and night stands - and stand-alone pieces like bar stools/chairs
• Artwork: everything from metal wall sculpture and framed photographs to giclee fine art canvases
• Mirrors
• Rugs
• Bedding and linens
• Accessory lighting
• Bath accessories: shower curtains, towels and bath mats, vanity accessories
• Silk flowers and plants
• Home office accessories: bookends, desk accessories, storage baskets and boxes 

Bonus

Click here to read Everything You Need for Home Decorating on a Budget - including a free Design2Share PDF tips booklet!

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