Today, following a three-year hiatus, the Kips Bay Decorator Show House New York is back—and this year’s 22 participating designers and architects have contrived five floors of compelling interiors that were well worth the wait.
Through June 6, the historic River Mansion, a beaux arts town house overlooking Riverside Park and the Hudson River on the Upper West Side, will be open to the public to tour some 10,000 square feet of newly reimagined interiors. Inside, design pros share the creative musings and experimental ideas exciting them right now—from a shell grotto-esque retreat to a rococo candyland. It’s all in an effort to raise funds for the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club and its enrichment programs, for which the show house has raised more than $28 million to date.
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The Robert D. Kohn–designed River Mansion is no stranger to AD. The town house (lensed by Peter Vitale) was featured in the magazine’s November 1987 issue following a renovation by interior designer David Laurence that was involved in establishing the central staircase and opening walls to create more free-flowing rooms, among other modern upgrades. While the residence has evolved since glossing the pages of AD, there’s one point in the story that still holds true: “The house sits on what must be one of the most agreeable sites on the entire island…. Not twenty yards away, a leafy park flourishes from spring through fall,” wrote Michael M. Thomas. As of last week, the property is available for sale through Douglas Elliman, ready for its next chapter.
And a good-looking one at that. Below, see every room inside the 48th edition of the Kips Bay Decorator Show House New York (337 Riverside Drive at West 106th Street), made possible by 2023 sponsors Benjamin Moore, Calico Wallpaper, Cosentino, Dea Luxury Linens, Dedar, JennAir, Kohler , Kravet, Marc Phillips, Morgan Stanley, Morris & Co., New York Design Center, Peacock Alley, Sanderson, Soane Britain, Susan’s Jewelry, the Rug Company, and the Shade Store.
Landscaping by Janice Parker Landscape Architects
Not wanting to distract from the beaux arts mansion’s richly detailed redbrick and limestone façade, landscape architect Janice Parker prioritized symmetry in her plantings. Pleached Linden trees frame the entry, while ivy billows from angular concrete containers.