Janet Flora | Writer
DESIGN AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS
This is no ordinary landing. It's in a 1907 neo-Federal-style four-story townhouse in Manhattan, the site of this year's 33rd annual Kips Bay Decorator Show House. This is the second time that Ms. Baird, one of 20 designers whose work is featured in the event, has been invited to participate in the Show House. The Kips Bay Decorator Show House, which began in 1973, is popular not only with industry professionals but with those who are interested in design trends. And that interest has generated more than $13 million, with all profits directed toward the 9,000 members of the Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club, which provides enrichment programs and after-school activities to underprivileged children. Coming In for a Landing Ms. Baird turned the landing into a bedroom—or, more accurately, two bedrooms. The idea came from a sketch she had done several years ago for a client in which one half was drawn in a traditional style, while the other was contemporary. For Ms. Baird, whose traditional design work has been touted and published in magazines like Architectural Digest, it was an opportunity to show another, contemporary aesthetic. Ms. Baird calls the traditional side of the bedroom "Park Avenue, or Right Bank," while she considers the contemporary side "Downtown, or Left Bank." The Parisian reference makes sense, considering that her company, Dessins, has offices in Manhattan and Paris. The effect of two bedrooms on the landing, at first glance, might have visitors feel as if they're seeing double. In fact, a "double take" is the designer's intention. There are two beds, side by side; the length and width of each mattress has been scaled down to accommodate the limited space on the landing. Each bed is literally flush with the other, like two old-fashioned twin beds, with one headboard. But there is not one headboard, there are two—more accurately, two halves, each representing the contrasting designs. On the Traditional Side The covering on the bed is a classic duvet made of patterned camel velvet, and there are Euro squares and many pillows with complementary trims. The bed has a tailored skirt that is also patterned. "I don't usually repeat patterns in a room—I think that has a 1980s feel," said Ms. Baird. A total of four different patterns were used for the duvet, the pillows and the bed skirt, yet each is so interrelated the difference is obvious only upon close inspection. A Bit of Contemporary The bottom of the bed is nothing like the old platform that seems to be making a resurgence with many designers favoring contemporary styles. According to Ms. Baird, "That's going backward." Instead, she uses an upholstered box spring. The effect is clean, not cold. Perhaps this has to do with the mohair velvet duvet that matches the upholstery of the box spring. The patterned sheet, folded down over the duvet, and the tailored pillow shams (rather than trimmed Euro squares) add to the contemporary look. The two headboards are separated by a mirrored partition, which obviously serves to divide the space. Beyond the practical effect of this strategy, the mirror creates a delightful illusion: looking into it from one angle, you "see" the entire headboard on the traditional side, and a "whole" photograph of the contemporary side. Deliberate Detailing On the contemporary side, Ms. Baird showcased one of her favorite artists, sculptor Jedd Novatt, with whom she often collaborates making tables and floor lamps. The bedside table by Mr. Novatt is indeed more of a sculpture than a table. The rounded top sits on a thick spiral base. And instead of a traditional bedside lamp, there is a freestanding floor lamp with a spiral base similar to the table. The table itself holds only a 1930s Sahgreen clock. Creating Architecture The townhouse walls did have some architectural details, like moldings, which Ms. Baird was able to utilize for the traditional side. There, the trim of the moldings was painted in gold leaf. But what is most extraordinary is the paint treatment on the wall below the moldings, which looks like old board. Only by touching it can you be sure it is paint and not slats of wood. "I wanted it to have the look of a chateau," said Ms. Baird. "I would have had the walls peeling if I wouldn't have gotten in trouble with the owners of the house." Trompe l'oeil painting like this, by Josh Wiener at Silver Lining Interiors, can cost upward of $10,000. On the contemporary side, the walls are smooth and free of moldings, the way they might be in a loft. But at the top of the wall, a series of circles and lines were drawn, which pick up the hue of green used in the upholstery and the duvet. The Silk Carpet After seeing her space for the first time in February, it took Ms. Baird months to prepare the show. This included choosing fabrics, arranging for painters, and selecting furniture. "Sometimes I spent hours looking through samples of velvet only to find out that I couldn't get something in time," she said. But her room, or in this case her landing, was ready well in time to be seen—or, more appropriately, experienced. Now that the Show House work is complete, it would seem that Ms. Baird would have a break, but not so. She is busy with her clients (who currently include Howard Stern), and her large family of four sons and two stepsons. She travels back and forth to Europe, between her offices in Manhattan and Paris, and her homes in New York and East Hampton. Yet Ms. Baird seems to handle the back and forth with ease and deft. And maybe on a very subconscious level, this comfort with duality had just a little something to do with her separate yet unified design at Kips Bay, where two halves create much more than a whole. Residence interior design columnist Penny Drue Baird's room at the 33rd annual Kips Bay Decorator Show House is on view from now until May 15. The Show House is located at 54East 64th Street in Manhattan. For information, visit the website www.kipsbay.org. |
How do you take a landing at the top of a staircase and make it interesting? Get interior designer Penny Drue Baird to design it.