The New York Observer Home 2010

Condos Go Couture ■ Brooklyn Blogger’s Brownstone ■ Wild on the Upper West Side
Fall 2010
Urban Opulence
Atoosa and Ari Rubenstein’s
Flatiron loft undergoes a
dazzling and dramatic renovation
PUMPKIN armchair. Design: Pierre Paulin.
Live beautifully.
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150 E. 58th St.
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QUEENS
57-22 49th St.
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IT’S THE PREMIERE OF SOMETHING PREMIER.

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kitchen and bath products in an environment that encourages in-depth
interaction. For over 85 years, architects and designers have relied on
Davis & Warshow’s unparalleled service to help them achieve results
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Contents
Rock & roll memorabilia
and decadent color
treatment bring West Coast
flavor to a California
family’s 19th-century
brownstone in
Park Slope (p. 66).
60 Family Style on the Upper East Side

Businessman-turned-interior designer
Philip Gorrivan’s family apartment is a
touch of the 6th Arrondisement in the heart
of Manhattan.
66 Park Slope Rock & Roll

The Brooklyn Home Company infuses a
young family’s Brooklyn brownstone with
modern touches and sunny colors.
72 Sophisticated Rural Life

Combining historically accurate adjust-
ments with contemporary local finds,
Betsey and Peter Nestler’s renovation was
worth the 30-year wait.
A peek inside designer Philip Gorrivan’s

glamorous and functional family home on
the Upper East Side (p. 60).
FEATURES
42 Urban Opulence
Fashion favorites West Chin and Roseann
Repetti give Atoosa Rubenstein and family
a cover-ready look for a Flatiron loft.
50 Colonial Charm
A Colonial-era inn off a Connecticut town
green becomes a chic country home for
Accessorize for fall with unexpected
New York decorator Matthew Patrick
color, texture and pattern (p. 10).
Smyth and writer Jean Vallier.
56 Animal Kingdom
Gregory Speck’s natural habitat on the
Upper West Side is filled with creature
comforts and comfortable creatures.
4 the home observer fall 2010

BANISH
INSOMNIA
28 Wooster Street, SoHo, New York City
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SAVOIR BEDS
SINCE 1905
New York Miami Austin Scottsdale Los Angeles Paris Prague Berlin London
in the shops Iconic design
10 Light Refreshments 26 Grace, Space, Pace
Marianne Rohrlich’s bright picks for Tim Street-Porter reflects on the styl-
home accessories with fresh textures, ish reinvention of a classic British icon
colors and patterns. with the new Jaguar XJ and XJL.
Profile on the shelves

14 Elissa Cullman of Cullman & Kravis 28 The Joy of Lapidus
The renowned designer talks with A new book pays homage to the
HOME about New York City living and forefather of boutique hotel design.
the 2010 Kips Bay Show House.
34 Chez Castaing
real estate The first comprehensive look at the
18 Condos Go Couture French decorator.
Rebecca Morse tries on fashion
38 Star Gardens
designers’ new looks in limestone
A voyeur’s view into the Private
and sheetrock.
Condos go couture at the Zac Posen– Gardens of Connecticut.
evan joseph; getty images

designed 16W21 (p. 18). in the kitchen
in the neighborhood
24 Culinary Arts
80 Dual Purpose
Make your kitchen a work of art with
Every inch of the Dumbacher
Questions about products Marianne Rohrlich’s selection of
featured in this issue? Email us at twins’ Hudson Street home
whimsical and useful culinary tools.
home@observer.com functions times two.
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editorial Director Rebecca Morse
Flatfire Editors annie kelly and tim street-porter

Gas art director BARBARA SULLIVAN
production director Tyler Rush
advertising/production coordinator lisa medchill
Copy editor Chris cronis
contributors Emily gilbert

Joshua Mchugh
marianne rohrlich
Associate Publisher betty shaw lederman

The HOme Observer
Account Managers
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David Wolff
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Publisher Jared Kushner
editor, the New york observer kyle pope
President, Observer Media Group Christopher Barnes
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Vice President sales marketing David Gursky
THE NEW YORK OBSERVER

321 West 44th Street
New York, NY 10036
212.755.2400
www.observer.com
On the cover: Atoosa and Ari Rubenstein’s Flatiron loft,

designed by architecture and interior design team West
Chin and Roseann Repetti of West Chin Architect pllc.
(WCA) and photographed by Joshua McHugh. In the living
room, Steven Klein’s Madonna #01 (2006) presides over
the statuary bronze fireplace re-envisioned by WCA. Peti-
-*()5*/(#:(3&(03:
tioning for permission to hang the custom Bocce chandelier
(at Matter, 405 Broome Street) delayed the project by six
#PXFSZ /FX:PSL /:
months (well worth it!). The couple’s two-year-old daughter
might be found curled up in the Smock swivel armchair by
XXXMJHIUJOHCZHSFHPSZDPN
Moroso (at Moroso, 146 Greene Street) or playing atop the
velvety Corian-topped Jane table by FTF Design Studio, Inc.,
Chin and Repetti’s own furniture and design collection.
The dazzling home is an ultimately livable one, where family
fun and grown-up entertaining collide on the double-sided
Metro 2 sofa by Piero Lissoni for Living Divani (at BY New
York, 142 Greene Street). The full story starts on page 42.

in the shops
Light
Refreshments
It doesn’t take much to refresh a home for
fall—a jolt of pattern, a dash of texture or a dab
of color will do it. But choose wisely and be
careful not to overdo: An infusion can become
an invasion if there’s too much of it. At the end
of the day, calm is still comfortable.
marianne rohrlich
Alight
The Hawk LED
Light, designed by
Maria Larsson and
Maria Olevik, is
made of bone china
and stainless steel.
$6,000 at Anthropol-
Photo Process
ogie. 50 Rockefeller
A wallpaper pattern of photographs looking down on
Center (50th Street),
urban construction sites, taken by Raeanne Giovanni-
Modernized 212-246-0386.
Inoue. Rolls are 25-inches wide and 183-inches long.
The classic Wassily chair designed in 1925 by
$190 each from oandgstudio.com, 520-247-1820.
Marcel Breuer looks brand new in bright colors
like red, yellow or green leather. $2,020; from
knoll.com, 800-343-5665.
Cozy
Kinetic Static Pillow, 18-inches by
30-inches, made of wool and cotton, is
$128. anthropologie.com, 800-309-2500.
Color Me
The Trip Trumeau two-drawer dresser painted
in multicolor stripes is $1,054 at the Future
Perfect. 55 Great Jones Street (Bowery), 212-473-
2500, and thefutureperfect.com.

Rococo SplendoR
The Rockefeller chippendale Bed
Sale 2350 lot 309
auction Calendar
New York · October 2010
500 Years: Decorative Arts Europe, Prints & Multiples (#2351) Save the Date christies.com
Including Oriental Carpets (#2350) October 26–27
October 21–22 don’t miss the next christie’s Interiors
Viewing: october 22–25 sale on december 16–17, 2010
Viewing: october 16–20 Inquiries: Tudor davies
Inquiries: Will Russell tdavies@christies.com
wrussell@christies.com +1 212 636 2290
+1 212 636 2525
CHRISTIE’S NEW YORK 20 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020 REGISTRATION IS EASY
Join us for the presale exhibitions and auctions, all of which are free and open to the Register to bid in person or by telephone by calling our Bid department at 212 636 2437.
public Monday-Saturday 10am-5pm and Sunday 1pm-5pm. For specific viewing times, If you are unable to attend the auction, visit christies.com to arrange for absentee and
please call 212 636 2000. online bids. Also available on christies.com are the international auction calendar, online
catalogues, and a full listing of upcoming valuation days around the globe.
in the shops
On Time
Fall Foliage The Sliced Grandfather Clock is 3 inches tall and 17 inches wide; $40 at Mxyplyzyk.
The Lehti Tray, made of flexible metal Time Warner Center, 10 Columbus Circle; or mxyplyzyk.com, 800-243-9810.
mesh, designed by Maria Jauhiainen, is in
the permanent collection of the Museum
of Modern Art. It is 11 by 12 inches; $950 at
Moss. 150 Greene Street (Houston Street),
mossonline.com, 866-888-6677.
Cheers
A pair of etched crys-
tal glasses, Night Owl
and Finch by Artel, is
$298; the mouth-blown
glasses are available at
Natural thefutureperfect.com,
The Blow-Up Citrus 877-388-7373.
Basket, made of bamboo,
was designed by the
Campana Brothers; it is
Table Dressing $112 at Alessi. 130 Greene
Silicone placemats called Damask Bordeaux are Street (Prince Street),
14 inches by 16inches. $22 each from lekkerhome.com, 212-941-7300 or alessi-
877-753-5537. shop.com.
Be Seated: The Squint Oswald Sofa is upholstered in a patchwork of colorful fabrics (the coloring and
patterns on each piece vary slightly). The 74-inch-long sofa has feather-filled cushions and costs $6,995 at the
Conran Shop. 888 Broadway (19th Street) or conranusa.com, 866- 755-9079.

sento
design . b. hof fmann & t. kühl
Profile
a conversation:
Elissa Cullman
by rebecca morse
It was a failed attempt at a screenplay that
sent Elissa Cullman and the late Hedi Kravis
into the world of interior design; the producer
whom the writing partners approached turned
down the duo’s script, but was so inspired by
their sumptuous descriptions of rooms that
he hired them to refurbish his country house.
Twenty-six years later, Cullman & Kravis is a
world-renowned interior design firm famed A Fifth Avenue pied-
for its English-inspired aesthetic and its work à-terre designer
by Cullman & Kravis.
with art and antique collections. The co-author
of the seminal Decorating Master Class, Ellie
Cullman has appeared on Architectural Digest’s a mudroom! We all want an extra space with Best “instant fix.”
authoritative “AD 100” list for the last 10 years ample-sized cubbies for soccer cleats and golf Paint! A fresh coat of paint really makes a space
and has been dubbed a “Dean of American De- clubs, lots of hooks for extra coats (because in feel renewed and is a cost effective way to make
sign” by the magazine. The firm’s current proj- New York, our coats are our cars), a dedicated a major difference. Lampshades! Change your
ects include an Upper East Side space for the dog crate and the cat lampshades—especially if you have dark green or
duplex penthouse with 5,000 box and easy access to the laundry black ones in a room that needs more light. If you
square feet of outdoor space room. We are more than willing to change all of your shades to uniform off-white
and a shingle-style house in trade the house in the suburbs for linen, you will notice an immediate, uplifting
Sagaponack—as well as a room the cultural opportunities of New effect. There is also nothing more cathartic for
in the annually anticipated Kips York City, but it would be really me than to redo every book shelf and tabletop—
Bay Designer Show House, nice to have the extra room. I call it “Apartment Therapy.” Table tops, like
open this year from October bookcases, must be arranged and organized with
14 through November 11 at 106 How has the way we live as thought. Start by taking everything down, and
East 71st Street, a townhouse New Yorkers changed over the then carefully put it back, looking at each shelf
currently on the market for course of your career? and every surface as if for the first time. Keep in
Elissa Cullman
$28.8 million. Observer Home of Cullman & Kravis Like everywhere else, our lives mind that every tabletop deserves the same con-
talked with native New Yorker have changed in so many ways siderations as the floor plan of a room to create a
Cullman (whose father was the longtime owner because of technology. Flat-screen televi- cosmos of form, material and color.
of steakhouse Peter Luger’s) about inspira- sions, “Wi-Fi”, and “smart house” systems
tions—and designing for New York living. that are accessed from our Black Berrys have Favorite local shopping source or haunt.
altered our expectations and convinced us Here’s a designer’s secret: We absolutely love
How does your experience as a lifelong New that whatever we want can be instantaneously the antiques “supermarkets” in Stamford, Con-
Yorker inform your process? achieved—and with a minimum of interfer- necticut. Just a short train or car ride away, they
I approach every project from many points of ence in our lives. In home design, clients are are really worth the trip. [Ellie’s Stamford picks:
view, and my process is informed by my experi- asking for easy access to all of these. We often Antique and Artisan Center, Greenwich Living
ence as a designer, an art and antiques enthusi- install flat screens in every room, including the Antiques and Design Center, Hampton Antique
ast, a wife and mother and, of course, as a New living room in the over-the-mantle spot that Galleries, Harborview, Hidden Galleries.]
Yorker. As all of these, I truly understand that it was previously reserved for a precious piece
is often a challenge to live here. One enormous of art or for a fine antique mirror, not only be- Favorite catalogs or large chain home fur-
durston saylor
constraint in New York is that while we have cause few New Yorkers can afford the luxury nishing stores you find inspiring.
every resource imaginable, space is at a pre- of an unused living room, but also because We’ve been ordering a lot from the new “inex-
mium. The fact is that every New Yorker wants they want to be “plugged in” all of the time. pensive” catalogs such as Global Views, Bun-

EST 1926
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1-800-443-3116 212-588-0043 1-203-629-0811 203-222-7800 914-337-7100
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A rustic Greenwich,
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from the destructive effects of sunlight. Their proprietary preservation products have been Lighting and Vivre. Ballard Design is also a good resource
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914.633.5853 Where do you go to be inspired in New York?

I love to walk around the city and look at all of the exterior
architecture and ornamentation. With the camera on my
Black Berry, I can take terrific pictures and notes on what
I see. We actually used some of these photos as inspiration
for two patterns in our new fabric collection with Holland
& Sherry—a brick pattern from a building on the Upper East
Side and a curvilinear design from ironwork on the Lower
East Side. Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention
how much I enjoy sitting in the international departure
lounge at J.F.K. From New York, I can go anywhere in the
world, and I always find travel tremendously inspiring.
Tell us about your room at Kips Bay this year.

We [decorated] the Dining Room ... at 106 East 71st Street
for Kips Bay this year. [I] am a passionate foodie, and I have
conceived this room as a celebration of food and dining.
Called “Dinner at Eight,” our design honors eight of the
great chefs of New York City: Mario Batali, April Bloomfield,
Daniel Boulud, David Chang, Anita Lo, Eric Ripert, Michael
Romano and Marcus Samuelsson. The artworks in the
room are wild. We’ve included a whimsical 7-foot sculpture
of cooking pots, a 21-inch bright blue ice cream pop and a
“portrait” of a typical New York City slice of pizza. I hope
durston saylor
everyone will come to the Show House this year to support

a terrific organization and to see all of the fabulous rooms
decorated by some of New York’s greatest decorators.

KITCHEN
BATH
TILE
HARDWARE
MANHATTAN HARRISON HICKSVILLE FAIRFIELD ROCKLAND

A DIVISION OF AF NEW YORK
info@afnewyork.com w w w. a f n e w y o r k . c o m
real estate
Condos Go THE ALDYN

For the new development at 60
Couture Riverside Boulevard (far right), von

Furstenberg dressed a model—a
model apartment, that is—in her
by rebecca morse signature fabric line. Below, Tiffany
This weekend, 70 to 100 people will trek & Co.’s Lambertson Truex draped a
through the plastic-wrapped lobby of The Al- room in a ready-to-live look.
dyn, an Upper West Side development so new
that the offering plan has yet to be approved.
What’s bringing them to the banks of the
Hudson? A show house, New York style: four
14th-floor waterview apartments sport décor by
household name designers. Nate Burkus? Mar-
tha Stewart? Not quite. It’s fashion designers
from Elie Tahari to Diane von Furstenberg who
have catwalked on up from Seventh Avenue to
dress models—model apartments, that is—in
ready-to-live looks reminiscent of the design-
ers’ own runway collections. “The attention
that the showrooms have brought has been un-
precedented,” said Larry Kruysman of Corcoran
Sunshine, who is managing sales for The Aldyn.
The show “house,” open through December,
“has opened the eyes of the public.”
EVAN JOSEPH; GETTY ImAGES.
It’s one thing to have fashionistas place fur-

niture, but what happens if you let them at the
kitchen cabinets and bathroom fixtures?
Forty-odd blocks south of The Aldyn, Zac Pos-

212.308.2275
real estate
en has come off the rack at 16W21, a new nine-

unit glass-faced condominium in the Ladies’ Mile
Historic District. A chic Hollywood favorite—
Gwyneth Paltrow has worn Posen to the Oscars,
Tiny Fey to the 2010 Golden Globes—Posen’s
influence didn’t stop at temporary model apart-
ments. 16W21 and each of is residences feature
couture touches like Posen-designed molded
stair rails and a Posen-customized kitchen cabi-
net color (teal). Steven Ivankovich of Gruppo
C’E, the Monaco-based real estate firm behind
the project, told Home that a “brilliant aesthetic
eye” like Zac’s “can easily be applied to fashion,
interiors and across many artistic applications.”
Fashion designers creating apartment interi-
ors? Ring, ring! Sounds like 2005 calling. But
surprisingly, this real estate phenomenon,
reminiscent of pre-Lehman days, might
just have supermodel-length legs—at least ac-
cording to Michael Shvo, the man who gets
(and gives himself) credit for being the first
to marry fashion and interior design. “You
definitely have—when you deal with these
designers—a longevity.” Shvo should know.
He was behind what was perhaps Manhat-
tan’s first project to take fashion designers out of
the studio and into the studio apartment: 20 Pine,
dubbed “The Collection”—a FiDi condo designed
by Armani/Casa, where residents can enjoy
an hamman and each apartment features the
kitchen equivalent of an Armani suit, where any-
thing as mundane as an oven is discreeted away
in walnut-stained wood as lush and tan as Mr.
Armani himself. 20 Pine’s price tags have been
marked down since its opening (lawsuits by dis-
gruntled buyers and an eighth-inning developer
switch hasn’t helped), but according to reports,
it’s 90 percent sold.
16W21 Also still wearable is “The Jade” at 16 West
Zac Posen’s designs for 19th Street, with interiors designed by Jade Jag-
the Flatiron condo includ- ger, a jewelry designer with a genetic bohemian
ed a couture paint color style courtesy of parents Mick and Bianca. Jag-
evan joseph; getty images; patrick mcmullan
for kitchen cabinets and ger was commissioned to design a building that
custom stair rails. Posen, targeted, says Shvo, “younger, successful females
who dresses Hollywood’s and couples,” and she personally selected design
A-list from Gwyneth features from finishes to colors schemes. She
Paltrow to Claire Danes, also, of course, picked the pods: The Jade’s sig-
found the project “incred- nature is its “pod living” concept in which lac-
ibly exciting and also a quered cubes stand in the middle of each apart-
huge responsibility.” ment, hiding kitchens and bathrooms. And be

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real estate
20 PINE
THE COLLECTION
The FiDi condo was tai-
Out of the Closet jean paul

lored by Armani/Casa.
gaultier
G
ood style begins in the home—
and with fashion designers mov-
ing out of the closet and into the
furniture market, your living room may soon
vie with you for best-dressed. Those gyspy
pants might be eBay-bound, but a great
chair is an investment that lasts. Most
fashion designer’s home furniture lines
reflect their runway sensibilities, espe-
cially in the case of Jean Paul Gaulti-
er’s new collection for Roche-Bobois:
From the man who brought you Ma-
donna’s cone bustier comes a chair
with wheels, a wardrobe adorned
with a tattoo print (also on wheels),
a full-length mirror attached to an
industrial hand trolley and an alumi-
num-and-upholstered headboard on,
you guessed it, wheels. If you prefer aware: There are pod people among us. The last
your furnishings a bit more conser- sponsor unit, a 1,600-square-foot, two-bedroom,
vative—or motionless—Oscar de la two-bath penthouse listed at $2.149 million, re-
Consuelo
Renta’s sophisticated cocktail Castiglioni cently went into contract.
dresses translate into tailored for marni
The relative success of these branded devel-
upholstery and cabinetry fit
for a Park Avenue prewar. opments might be attributable to the immedi-
Buying in Bedford? Outfit your ate and clear definition that association with
entire life in Ralph Lauren, a fashion house’s style gives a building. Not to
from blazers to bedroom sets, mention the design itself. “From a real estate
cashmere to couches. Those
point of view,” says Shvo, “I felt that when you
dizzying Easter-egg Mis-
soni prints on your favorite go ahead and hire any great architect, yes, they
poncho also cover lamps might give you a pretty building but most of the
from Missoni Home, and
oscar de la
interiors end up being quite bland.” Jean Nouvel
for somewhere to rest your renta might disagree. Fashion designers do garner
Birkin on rainy days, try the
stronger name recognition than architects in
Hermès “Pippa” leather direc-
certain circles, especially with international buy-
tor’s chair: At $10,200, it folds
Product images and headshots courtesy of the rug company, roche-bobois, and century furniture.
up nicely (matching footstool ers. “With [20 Pine],” Shvo told Home, “we sold
sold separately). Boho Marni to a tremendous amount of foreigners because
loyalists never have to touch they come here and see a building designed by
ground again; the label’s sig- Armani, something they know and are attracted
nature florals dot its carpet col-
VIVIenNE to.” The concept is hardly foolproof. Real estate
lection for the Rug Company, WESTWOOD
which also offers wild and insiders agree that for the concept to succeed, it
wool carpet blends from needs to be the right brand for the right people in
Paul Smith, Lulu Guiness the right location. One that wasn’t? In 2005, Bel-
and Vivienne Westwood. fonti Properties proudly announced a stylish new
If Westwood’s trashy (lit-
building at 485 Fifth Avenue, with interiors by
erally) “Rubbish” rug or las-
Peter Som. Som, a succesful but smaller designer
civious lip pillow speak a little
too loudly, perhaps you’ll prefer without an Armani cachet or a clear-cut follow-
perching on the disciplined shapes of Armani/ ing, didn’t quite fit. Clearance sale! The property
Casa’s extensive furniture line or Calvin Klein’s is now a Hyatt hotel. Fashion, after all, can be
Curator Collection. After all, Calvin Klein sample fleeting. As Michael Shvo, who now considers
sizes might run a tad snug, but a Calvin Klein
himself semi-retired, put it, “A pretty dress is not
couch will always fit. — R.M.
a pretty dress on everybody.”

size matters
B a c k Pa i n t e d G l a s s
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in the kitchen
Culinary Art
Inspiration abounds for home cooks this
holiday season at the Museum of Modern Art,
where Counter Space: Design and the Modern
Kitchen is on display through March 14, 2011 (at
11 West 53rd Street, moma.org). The exhibition,
culled entirely from MoMA’s own collection,
explores interwar and postwar kitchen inno-
vations as well as views on the psychological
impact of the most-used room in a home. Works
like Tom Wesselmann’s Still Life-Kitchen (1968),
left, and objets de cuisine, including Peter Beh-
rens 1909 Electric Kettle, illustrate the drama
and the history of the kitchen.
Make your own kitchen a work of art with
marianne rohrlich’s selection of contempo-
rary unusual kitchen tools—small creations as
whimsical as they are useful.
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Gloves have a rough
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iconic design
the heels of my brief ownership of an Oldsmobile

Rocket V8, this new drawing–room–like refine-
ment in my student life was like tuning into
Masterpiece Theater after a dose of The Sopranos.
Everyone wanted a ride in it—anywhere!
The next 30 years were a period of di-
minished expectations for Jaguar. Mercedes
and BMW asserted themselves with superior
engineering; Jaguar slipped to the sidelines.
Later versions of the XJ6 looked stolid, as if put
together by a management committee. In 1990,
Ford bought and restructured the company,
bringing out new models with varying success. It
wasn’t a good fit. The X-Type, with its cramped
interior and lame attempts at reprising earlier
models’ design cues, was not successful.
By the late 1990s, Jaguar had become a liabil-
ity for Ford, which sold the brand to Indian con-
glomerate Tata. It is intriguing that a company
from India, with its colonial past, has success-
fully reinvented the automobile that had earlier
A model poses on a represented, in its stylish way, the clubby days of
Jaguar E-type, 1967.
colonial rule. Tata has wasted no time restoring
Below an advertisement
from the 1950s. luster to Jaguar, giving free rein to chief designer
Ian Callum. Callum’s challenge in creating a
new XJ was to meld the traditional with the
Grace, Space, Pace contemporary. And alongside the XK sports car

and XF saloon, the new, svelte XJ is appearing in
showrooms to much acclaim. Traditionalists will
by tim street-porter The Mark VII and the XJ120 owed their be happy: The picnic trays are back, folded ex-
The very first glimpse of the swoopy new Jaguar brilliant existence to Sir William Lyons, the co- pectantly behind the front seats. The interior is
XJ and the sleek, long XJL triggers memories of founder of a sidecar company who gravitated to sexy, curvaceous and fun. A continuous band of
the early big cats, a series of softly purring luxury full-scale automobiles in 1928. Just six years lat- burled, veneered wood curves around the driver,
cars that first emerged from the historic Jaguar er, the Coventry-based manufacturer introduced cradling the low-set dash with a virtual instru-
factory in Coventry, Britain, in the early 1950s. the SS Jaguar model (after the war, the “SS” was ment display that is almost futuristic.
They were as luxuriously roomy and elegant as dropped because of its Nazi connotations). Lyons Having owned three Jaguars since my school
the very phrase “Grace, Space, Pace” that floated supervised the design of every Jaguar produced holidays watching them on the Goodwood
over midcentury Jaguar advertisements. The up to and including 1962’s debut XJ series. His racetrack in southern England, and having aban-
Mark VII was the first, introduced in 1952; if touch created those distinctive details that make doned them for German cars in recent years, I’m
you had made the money, legally or not, in those the “Jag” iconic today. “This car,” he said, “is the saving up for a fourth.
austere British postwar days, this was the car in closest thing we will ever create to something
which to flaunt it. With the accoutrements of a that is alive.” Sir Lyons retired after the launch
Rolls Royce for a fraction of the price, the Mark of the XJ6 in 1968; it was his final success, of-
VII launched Jaguar into the luxury car market. ten regarded by the motoring press as the most
It was created expressly for American consum- beautiful sedan of all time.
ers, set apart from Lincoln and Cadillac by burled The first Jaguar I owned, as a student living
wood interiors and folding tabletops tucked on an exchange scholarship in Berkeley, was a
behind the front seats. With the Mark VII and its voluptuous white 1956 Mark VII with an interior
Getty images
peer, the XJ120 (then the world’s fastest produc- featuring so much bird’s eye maple that it was
tion car), Jaguar had entered its golden age. like sitting inside a piece of furniture. Coming on

john baldessari
Raised Eyebrows/Furrowed 9 color silkscreen print on Fabriano paper
Foreheads: Figure with Globe 32(h) x 31(w) inches
Edition of 70. Signed by the artist
This edition, entitled Raised Eyebrows/Furrowed Foreheads: Figure with Globe, printed at GEMINI G.E.L., was commissioned by
the American Friends of the Tel Aviv Museum in support of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. John Baldessari: Pure Beauty will be
on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art from October 20, 2010 - January 11, 2011. Please visit the Editions/Artists’ Books Fair
in Chelsea, November 4 - 7, 2010, where we will be exhibiting at the Benefit Print Project booth, and at Art Basel/Miami/Sagamore
Hotel, December 2 - 5, 2010.
To purchase the print and support the Museum please contact: Enid Shapiro, American Friends of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art,
Telephone: (212) 319-0555 Facsimile: (212) 754-2987 Email: eshapiro @americanfriendstelavivmuseum.org
on the shelves
The Americana Hotel

in Bal Harbour, in 1956.
Below: An exterior view
of the Americana Hotel
entry canopy.
Morris Lapidus,
The Architecture of Joy
by deborah desilets
rizzoli, $65
The Joy of Lapidus

by tim street-porter images by leading architectural photographers
Morris Lapidus, The Architecture of Joy charts of the day, including the great Ezra Stoller.
the Miami-based architect’s long career, span- These images illustrate the extraordinary
ning from 1929 to his death in 2001 at the age range of Lapidus’ exuberant inspiration, from
of 98. After studying architecture at Columbia, the organic forms of Brazilian architect Oscar
Lapidus became a designer of commercial store Niemeyer, whose work he admired, to deliri-
fronts and interiors in New York. Many of these ous decorative touches that are reminiscent
commercial properties are stylish and signifi- of Dorothy Draper and Tony Duquette. They
cant, exploring themes that would carry over also prove that Lapidus could do mainstream
in later years to his hotel interiors. In 1949, he Modernism as well as anyone. Had he limited
moved to Miami and designed the interiors of himself to Modernism, however, he would have
the Sans Souci Hotel. It caused a sensation and been accepted, published—and more or less for-
paved the way for the nine 1950s hotels, five in gotten today. But Lapidus had something more
Miami Beach, for which he is famous. Impres- original to contribute, creating singlehandedly
sively, he single-handedly designed the build- the concept of the theatrical boutique hotels
ings, interiors and the landscaping of each of that designers like Ian Schrager (who wrote the
these hotels. book’s foreword) and Philippe Starck developed
The core of The Architecture of Joy is a dis- with such success beginning in the 1980s—
play of 170 consecutive black-and-white period resorts like the Delano in Miami, the Mondrian

1 2
3 4
Photos by Cernius.com
5 6
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on the shelves
in Los Angeles and the Paramount in New York. The

sweeping, Starck-designed lobby staircase in the
latter is pure Lapidus.
Author and architect Desilets is well qualified
to write about Lapidus, whom she befriended in
1993 and whose career she helped resurrect, sub-
sequently inheriting his archives after his death.
New York’s Her text is written from firsthand experience with
Source Lapidus—the man as well as the architect—and

she has immersed herself in his methodology over
for Custom a number of years. In this way she is an excellent

guide for the reader. She is not, however, an archi-
and Ready Made tectural critic, and the book does not attempt to
authoritatively place Lapidus in the pantheon of
Lampshades 20th-century architecture, as she herself acknowl-
edges. Desilets’ strength is her ability to draw the
reader into the Lapidus modus operandi. The archi-
tect’s intention, first and foremost, was to give the
21 SPRING STREET resort hotel customers an unforgettable experience
NEW YORK, NY 10012 at a time when hotels were bland and unremark-
(212) 966-2757 able. Lapidus sensed that the clientele needed to be
dazzled and taken out of themselves—to forget the
New York Observer:Home Observer - Fall 2010W W9/28/10 4:54 PM Page 1
W. J U S T S H A D E S N Y. C O M bleakness of the winter they had saved their money
to escape. His was indeed an “architecture of joy,” as
the book’s title suggests, and his genius, in addition
The MANHATTAN to his considerable architectural talents, was as a
ART & ANTIQUES CENTER showman. As Schrager states in his incisive fore-
word, “His architecture manifested both popular
www.the-maac.com culture and the collective unconscious. Through his
Celebrating our 35th Anniversary designs—synagogues and large-scale housing as well

as the famous shops and glamorous hotels—he had a
powerful way of enhancing an experience and lift-
ing people’s spirits.”
As we see in these pages, this was an architecture
of considerable sophistication, but it was not until
30 years after its completion that the Fontainbleau
Hotel, regarded as his masterpiece, was mentioned
in the architectural press. The dictates of the Inter-
“Eglantines” chandelier, by Rene Lalique. Dia. 27 1/2". William Spratling pitcher, sterling silver with rosewood. national Style were so rigid in this era that to deviate
PAUL STAMATI GALLERY • 212.754.4533 LEAH GORDON ANTIQUES • 212.872.1422 from the straight lines or add any kind of decoration,
let alone any expression of joie de vivre, was to invite
ostracism from the establishment that at the time
adhered so firmly to the “less is more” doctrine of
Mies van der Rohe. The much-heralded arrival of
Post-Modernism in the 1970s (a popular movement
introduced by architectural theorists Robert Venturi
and Denise Scott-Brown, who championed Lapidus
Rare French industrial clock of an ironclad battleship. Commode a l'anglaise. French, c. 1870. as one of their own) was a reaction to an increasing
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on the shelves
The Winter Bedroom
was hung with a
floral garland striped
fabric of Madeleine’s
creation that contin-
ued the views of the
garden’s allées.
The World of Madeleine Castaing

by emily evans eerdmans
rizzoli, $65
Chez Castaing
by annie kelly
Leading designers have long counted the work of 20th-
century French decorator and antiquarian Madeleine
Castaing as an inspiration. Until recently, though, it was
almost impossible to find examples of her 19th-century
inspired rooms anywhere but in old copies of the English
magazine World of Interiors and scattered throughout
various interior design books. Thanks to author Emily
Evans Eerdmans, we now have The World of Madeleine
Castaing, a wonderfully comprehensive work that tells
Castaing’s fascinating life story and provides many ex-
amples of her stylish and original take on turn-of-the-
century decorating.
In his introduction, decorator Jacques Grange ex-
plains that Castaing’s personal style was influenced by
not only 19th-century homes, but that period’s literature
as well: She saw Balzac and Stendhal as unequaled deco-
rators as well as writers. They inspired her atmospheric,
otherworldly and timeless mise en scènes. Eerdmans
illustrates how Castaing’s style grew in the process of
decorating her own home, Lèves, in the country outside
Paris. Lèves was taken over by the Germans during World
War II, though Castaing eventually managed to reclaim
the house. No photographs remain of its earlier décor, but
we see here many images showing how she refurnished it
anew after its return to her. She threw Biedermeier, Rus-
sian and English Regency pieces together with Napoleon
III–era details, adding random pieces of antlers or bone
Far Left: Madeleine in one of her signature fanciful hats while

sitting on an American Federal four-poster bed dressed in
snow white muslin and bobble fringe. Left: The gallery looking
toward the entrance hall was furnished with banquettes and
bookcases—as layered a space as any actual room.

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The games room was

dubbed the Salon Bleu.
for an unexpected texture.

The war changed Castaing’s life from that
of a wealthy mother and patron of the arts (her
husband Marcellin enjoyed being part of the café
society of the time) to a shopkeeper and eventually
a decorator who defined a look of the French post-
war period. You can see influences of Castaing’s
decorating in movies like the great Umbrellas of
Cherbourg, directed by Jacques Demy in 1964, and
in such films of Jean Cocteau as Les dames du Bois
Tu e s day - S a tu r day 11 - 6 de Boulogne and L’aigle a deux têtes. In fact, Cocteau
212 . 8 61. 974 3 / in fo@hix e n b aug h .n e t became one of Castaing’s initial clients, hiring her
ww w. h i x e n b au gh.ne t for the interiors for his country house in Milly-la-
Forêt. Cocteau’s chief benefactress was Francine
Weisweiller, a socialite from an old Jewish banking
family who was married to an American millionaire,
and it was the Weisweillers who gave Castaing her
first major commissions. In addition to their Paris
residence, she also decorated their country house in
Beautiful Greenhouses & Solariums Mortefontaine and their villa, Santo-Sospir, in Saint-
Jean-Cap-Ferrat. After these projects, many stylish
Parisians asked Castaing to help them with their
own homes.
Eerdmans writes, “Without the benefit of know-
ing the client’s directives and preferences, it is
impossible to decipher how much of a free reign
Madeleine was given. However, by comparing pic-
tures of Madeleine’s rooms for herself to those for
her clients, one can see ideas and themes played out
over and over again.”
The World of Madeleine Castaing establishes the
Custom Design • Greenhouses • Solariums decorator in the context of her peers and highlights
Skylights • Glass Enclosures her influences, predominately the English Regency
and Napoleon III styles, which she made fashion-
UNDER GLASS MFG. CORP. able again. As the author of Regency Redux, pub-
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read about this controversial, contradictory and
Fm\i(,'p\Xijf]?`jkfip fascinating decorator.

38 Annualth
2010
106 East 71st Street, New York City

October 14 – November 11, 2010
DESIGNERS: 2MICHAELS DESIGN, AMAN & CARSON, BRETT DESIGN, COFFINIER KU DESIGN, CULLMAN &
KRAVIS, DARREN HENAULT INTERIORS, EVE ROBINSON ASSOCIATES, JEAN PAUL GAULTIER, THE JEFFREY
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BOSZHARDT, ROBERT VERDI AND DEIRDRE A. D’ELIA INTERIOR DESIGN, ROD WINTERROWD, SHERRILL CANET
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DECORATIVE ARTISTS, LANDSCAPE DESIGNERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS: MONICA RICH KOSANN PHOTOGRAPHY,
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For more information on designers and events, please visit:

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on the shelves
Private Gardens of Connecticut

by jane garmey
photography by john m.hall
monacelli press, $65
Star Gardens
A passion for Connecticut is no prerequisite
to enjoying Private Gardens of Connecticut
Inge Heckel’s by Jane Garmey. This highly anticipated new
April garden. book from Monacelli Press is full of lush
flowering gardens that will be inspiration for

Observer_10_2010_Observer_04_2010 9/29/10 10:26 AM Page 1
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A vista in Bunny
William’s Falls
Village garden.
Opposite:
Michael Trapp’s
Cornwall Bridge
property.
horticulturalists nationwide. Garmey is an

excellent writer and her knowledgeable text is
a pleasure. Never pedantic, she envelopes the
reader into the very spirit of all 28 properties
NY Observer:Home Observer 10/4/10 2:42 PM Page 1
she has selected for the book—each one a very
personal choice, according to her introduction,
which reads, “This book was never intended to
ANTHONY LOMBARDO be a comprehensive survey of private gardens
DFIREPLACE
ESIGNS.COM
in Connecticut, but is instead a personal and
often idiosyncratic selection.”
M ANTELS
F IREPLACE M ANTELS Photographer John M. Hall shows the
structure of each garden, an acheivement
that many similar works fail to acheive. It is a
pleasure to visit, through the beautiful pages,
properties like New York philanthoprist Anne
Bass’s Rock Cobble Farm rose garden, which
features more than 140 varieties of roses. Rob-
ert Couturier, in Kent, has an almost entirely
green garden with high clipped hedges, par-
terres and rows of trees that remind him of his
native France and has the added advantage of
being relatively seasonless in the tough winter
climate of Connecticut. The reader will marvel
over the extensive views of Oscar and Annette
de la Renta’s extraordinary garden, previously
50 years
of creating the
very finest mantels and boiserie.
featured in this magazine; its clipped symme-
try and majestic double row of flowering pear
Our master carvers can reproduce any mantel trees never fails to thrill. Inge Heckel has more
from your photo or drawing without loss of integrity
than 50,000 daffodils that bloom every year in
in any size or species.
front of her 1790s Lakeville saltbox, stopping
ANTHONY LOMBARDO DESIGNS passers by in their tracks with the magnificent
P.O. BOX 277 ROOSEVELT ISLAND, NY 10044 • 917.945.9206
April sight. Heckel doesn’t seem to have to
www.AnthonyLombardoDesigns.com • AnthonyLombardoDesigns@gmail.com

We just look expensive.
do much in the way of maintenance, Garmey

VISIT OUR SHOWROOMS:
writes: “Heckel’s chief responsibility is to fill 819 Broadway 388 Summer St. Canac Kitchens of NJ
in any of the patches and mow the field twice at 12th St. Stamford, CT 99 North Dean St.
New York City 203.327.8800 Englewood, NJ
a year.”! 212.260.7768 201.567.9585
Legendary garden designer Michael www.broadwaykitchens.com
Trapp’s wisteria-filled arbors and cobbled
paths are an inspiration, and 14 pages on Bun-
ny William’s famous Falls Village garden make
the reader wish for still more glimpses into the
renowned interior designer’s home. Williams, Broadway Kitchen Ad.indd 1 2/22/10 8:17:02 P
while not a professional garden designer, has
spent years working on hers, adding and sub-
tracting until things look “right.” As Garmey
writes, “There’s so much to love about Bunny
William’s garden: the bold scale of the pe-
rennial borders; the ornamental flair of an
enclosed parterre potager; the late summer
opulence of the large kitchen garden; the quiet
charms of a meandering woodland garden;
and a romantic conservatory filled with tender
scented plants.”
Garmey’s focus on personal gardens illus-
trates how individual owners respond to their
own distinct landscapes and personal aes-
thetic; it is a pity these gardens are not open to
the public. However, a careful look at garden
tour schedules of Connecticut next summer Introducing Upholstery!
might reveal one or two of them open for a
afternoon to benefit a charity or a garden club.
15% trade discount on fabric
for registered design professionals
In the meantime, Garmey’s Private Gardens
of Connecticut is a wonderful start to the fast- 1019 Lexington Avenue New York, NY 10021 212.772.7220
approaching winter’s garden planning. —A.K. www.RobertaRollerRabbit.com
the home observer fall 2010 41

Fashion favorites West Chin and
Roseann Repetti design a dazzling
and dramatic loft where family
fun meets sophisticated style
Urban
Opulence
By R e b ecca M o rs e
“I wanted ‘dramatic,’” says Atoosa Rubenstein of her first

“grown-up” apartment with her husband, Ari. The editor
in chief of Seventeen until 2005 and the founding editor
of the now-defunct CosmoGirl, Rubenstein knows a little
something about visual drama. As the youngest editor in
Hearst’s history, she revolutionized the teen publishing
market—leaving little time for décor. The Rubensteins
lived in the same Upper West Side rental—“the digs of
two 25-year-old kids”—for almost 10 years as they both
pursued frenetic careers. When they purchased their
3,000-square-foot Flatiron district loft in 2007, its de-
sign needed to be “reflective of our tastes and sensibili-
ties, whereas where we lived before … was literally like
a dormitory.” Enter West Chin Architect pllc., an archi-
tecture and interior design firm known for its clean, sexy
and modern portfolio. Amber Valetta, Shalom Harlow
and Christy Turlington and Ed Burns have all turned
to WCA’s West Chin and Roseann Repetti, partners at
WCA—and in life: The two are married with a 10-year-
old son. That parental perspective took on new impor-
tance when, well into the project, Atoosa called the firm,
“in a panic,” she recalls, “saying, ‘That room is no longer
an office! We’re having a baby.’” She was talking to the
right team; family living with style is WCA’s niche. With
baby en route, and the Rubensteins’ two beloved cats to
consider, functionality took priority alongside form. The
p h oto g r a p h y b y J o s h u a M c H u g h

Steven Klein’s Madonna
#01 (2006) hangs above the
statuary bronze fireplace.
The Moroso swivel armchairs
are a favorite hangout for
the Rubensteins’ daughter.

Bert Stern’s 1962 photograph
of Marilyn Monroe watches
over the Piero Lissoni for
Porro P.04 dining table.
Opposite, clockwise from
top: The media room; custom
Bocce chandelier from
Matter; Peter Pracilio’s My
Mother the Hunter on a Jane
table in Corian from FTF
Design Studio.

WCA extended the kitchen’s
rosewood panels to
enclose the home office,
powder room and pantry.
The .25 white lacquer
tray is from WCA’s own
FTF Design Studio.
Opposite: Menhir tables
by Piero Lissoni for Living
Divani in the media room.

Primary colors like the
bright red of a Cuba sofa
bed by Rodolfo Dordon pop
in the nursery. Below: Dylan
crib by ducduc.
Opposite: The serene
master bedroom reflects
“who we want to be,” says
Atoosa Rubenstein. The
Saarinen womb armchair
is from Knoll.
resulting flawless loft is a riddle (a child lives here?): The answer is that any-
thing not stain-proofed can be wiped down, particularly the spectacular—
and indestructible—Corian pieces from WCA’s design arm, FTF Design Stu-
dio, atop which the Rubensteins’ daughter, now 2, can often be found danc-
ing with friends. “It’s the most decorative apartment in the building,” says
Roseann Repetti, “but it’s also where all the kids and families in the build-
ing go to play.” For now, at least. “We laugh because we are surrounded by
breasts,” laughs Atoosa about Bert Stern’s print of a topless Marilyn Monroe
and a similarly sexy piece by Ghada Amer and Rez Farkhondeh in the media
room. “I’m terrified that once my daughter continues on at school, this is go-
ing to be the place where kids are not allowed to come.” But it’s that avant-
garde style that most embodies the young family, who requested of WCA a
certain quirkiness for their home—though not enough to compromise resale
value. “They wanted to keep the space loftlike,” says Chin, who incorporat-
ed his signature core box concept by wrapping the powder room, pantry and
home office in rosewood enclosures extending from the kitchen. Attention
to lighting is another WCA signature; in the Rubensteins’ loft, huge win-
dows flood the space with natural light. “The window treatments are just
dreamy,” says Repetti, “elegant, linen-y and soft.” “Dreamy” might just be
the world to describe the entire space, where contemporary, cool minimal-
ism nonetheless evokes a livable warmth. Driving the success of the project
was the ease of communication between Atoosa and Repetti, who also has
roots in the publishing industry. That shared shorthand made the process
smooth, even for first-time renovators like the Rubensteins. “Your home is
something you don’t want to rush,” says Atoosa, whose quest for the build-
ing’s permission to install the custom Bocce chandelier delayed the project
for six months, “but we didn’t freak out about it. We wanted our home to be
exactly what we wanted it to be.” Sometimes that meant negotiating with
husband Ari. “I remember when Roseann and I were picking out furniture,
accessories and even some architectural details, I really had to drag him
to the point of ‘yes’ at moments,” in one instance to install remote controls
for the lighting. Now, however, each detail is beloved—and the few sugges-
tions not taken regretted. “You have the right partner in a project like this,”
notes Atoosa of WCA. “You really do have to take a leap of faith and real-
ize that they know what they’re talking about. [S]ome things that may just
seem extravagant ... make a huge difference in your quality of life. This said
by the girl that kisses ther chandelier’s remote control every night!”

Colonial
Charm
Matthew Patrick Smyth’s late 18th-century home
in Sharon, Connecticut, sets 21st-century contemporary
style against classic Colonial charm
B y a n n i e k e l ly
Like many busy New York decorators, Matthew Patrick Smyth enjoys
leaving the stresses of the city and driving out to peaceful Litchfield
County. With his partner, author Jean Vallier, he also maintains apart-
ments in Paris and Miami, but they are too far away for a quick week-
end escape. If he is lucky, he can add an extra night or two in Connecti-
cut by visiting clients in Greenwich and Westport en route.
Nearly eight years ago, Smyth came across his house in Sharon on
the Internet while searching areas near train stations for an easy com-
mute to New York. The town’s main street has many well-kept 18th-
and 19th-century houses on either side of a small green, and Smyth’s
“find” was set back a little on this road as it continues through the
p h ot o g r a p h y b y t i m s t r e e t- p o r t e r

The comfortable seat-
ing area on the sun-
porch is upholstered
in linen from Hinson,
with pillow fabric from
Claremont.

Smyth designed the living
room furniture. Painting by
Sewell Sillman.
Opposite: The sunporch dresser is filled

with a collection of objects found all
over the world, including tankards from
Germany and a tip box from New York state.
Right: An eclectic mix of objects
on the dining room table.
town. It was probably a good thing he saw the house in winter, as its
run-down appearance was not hidden by summer foliage—allowing an
unvarnished look at the actual work that was needed. With a long wait-
ing period before the property could be bought, Smyth was able to get
all his plans and the necessary quotes in place so he could start immedi-
ately upon the deed being filed. Luckily, the house took only a short five
months to renovate.
Smyth learned that his late 18th-century house was once the Iron
Cauldron Inn, a hotel for teachers from the school next door. Since 1790,
when the house was built, the upstairs had been cut up into many different
rooms. After a hundred years as an inn, the Iron Cauldron became home
to families with lots of children. Smyth feels that he is giving the house a
rest, as it is occupied most weekends only by the couple, who enjoy it for
its peace and quiet. Vallier likes to write here, and the two can stroll into
town and enjoy the small village atmosphere without using their car.
During the restoration, there were surprises. A beautiful tiger maple
stair rail was discovered under a later-period wall, and the Palladian-style

front window, found hidden away on the stair landing, was re- antique maps of Paris remind the couple of their home in France.
opened to the interior. This mezzanine space then became large The living room, to the left, was created from several smaller
enough to use as a small, informal sitting room. Smyth converted rooms and is furnished with an eclectic collection of furniture,
the upstairs into three useful bedrooms and put some of the spare making it seem traditional and modern at the same time. Smyth
rooms to work as adjoining bathrooms. Downstairs he gave the loves being in the country, especially here in northwest Connect-
house a new kitchen and reworked the back into a comfortable icut. Smyth’s favorite town? He enjoyed renovating the White
living and dining space. Hart Inn in nearby Salisbury, but, according to the designer, “it’s
An entrance does double duty as a dining room, and its wall of hard to say what the prettiest town is!” in the beautiful area.

The guest bathroom
wallpaper was custom-
designed for Smyth by
Dennis Lee for Tyler Hall.
Opposite: An antique
Irish mirror hangs inside
the guest bed canopy.

Animal
Kingdom
Gregory Speck goes wild on the Upper
West Side with a menagerie of remarkably
well-behaved roommates
Author, celebrity journalist and zoologist Gregory Speck is used to the

inevitable double take from first-time visitors to his apartment. They
would be forgiven for assuming Speck is a big-game hunter. After all,
room after room of stuffed animals might not seem like the typical habi-
tat for a conservationist. Each one of Speck’s trophies is, however, a res-
cue. Anything spotted on his travels that looks like it needs a home is
purchased on the spot and brought back to his Upper West Side apart-
ment. He prefers those animals that have died from natural causes; his
pheasants, a gift to round out his collection, were raised from eggs by
game-bird breeders; both a huge moose and a beautiful swan were road-
kill brought back to life by taxidermists.
Speck has owned his apartment near the Museum of Natural History
since he was a young reporter for Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine in
the 1970s. In those days, he was more likely to collect people—old Hol-
lywood movie stars were his speciality. He spent hours interviewing all
the greats, most of whom have since died. Everyone from Lillian Gish,
Helen Hayes and James Cagney to Joan Fontaine and Olivia de Havil-
land sat down with Speck, as did Audrey Hepburn, Ava Gardner and even
Katharine Hepburn—a notoriously hard person to track down, let alone
p h oto g r a p h y b y t i m s t r e e t- p o r t e r

In the living room, a
portrait of Speck’s
late wife hangs
above her collection
of antique porcelain
from Sèvres,
surrounded by his
stuffed animals
and birds.

A black bear greets
guests in the entry.
Below: Gregory Speck.
Opposite: Deer
and elk hang in the
dining room.
interview. Perhaps stuffed animals were an easier collection to gather. Speck can count 200
animals in his two-bedroom apartment and has another 200 displayed in his country house
in Virginia.
Touring the collection with Speck is like visiting with an aimable zoologist—he describes
each animal in detail, including its habitat and rarity. He is quick to point out that each one
comes from the U.S.A. Sitting on an entry table, “Bob,” the stuffed bobcat (“roadkill, I’m
afraid,” Speck explains sadly), seems almost alive. Unexpectedly, all the animals bear a pa-
tient, bemused expression, as if they are aware of their good fortune to have been rescued
from commercial store refrigerators and taxidermist storerooms. Speck plans to create a
museum someday, where his extraordinary collection of trophies can be seen in one place,
as remnants of the vanished tradition of hunting wild game. —Annie Kelly

Family Style
on the Upper East Side
Interior designer Philip Gorrivan and his family
retreat to a glamorous, colorful apartment where everyone from
growing children to a large standard poodle can feel at home
In Manhattan, where space is at a premium, many families with zines. His corporate background may well explain the orderly preci-
young children abandon all hope of a glamorous adult life. Inte- sion of his work on his own home. The bright red kitchen banquette
rior designer Philip Gorrivan and his wife, Lisa, however, manage and chairs are upholstered in a sturdy child-friendly leather. The
to have the best of both worlds with an elegant Upper East Side living room is accessorized with books in neat piles on tables and
apartment and two energetic children, 11-year-old Isabelle and shelves—no brittle china and glass here with young children around.
8-year-old Charlie. Isabelle and Charlie have colorful rooms of their own, placed off
Philip Gorrivan’s career began in the business world, on the pub- the living room to create a distinct space for them to enjoy during
lishing side of Hearst magazines and later in venture capital. He be- playtimes not spent at the family’s sprawling Connecticut country
gan to decorate as a career when encouraged by friends who liked home. There, they go shopping with their mother in local farmers’
what what they saw when they came by the family’s home. “I always markets, accompanied by Leo, the family’s large standard poodle.
loved design and was always interested in building a business in that The apartment was purchased more than three years ago
field, and finally I had the opportunity to make this a reality,” ex- and took about a year to redo. It was two spaces quite recently
plains Gorrivan. Today, he is included in the lists of up-and-coming joined together, and Gorrivan reworked the combined apart-
designers, with work regularly included in all the decorating maga- ments so that they were more logically connected. The second
p h ot o g r a p h y b y t i m s t r e e t- p o r t e r

Gorrivan planned
the kitchen to look
like a streamlined
butler’s pantry.
Opposite: Leo, the
family dog, blends into
the living room décor.

Gorrivan designed the
banquette and the
limed-oak tables in
the dining area.
Opposite: The painting
over the bedroom
chest of drawers is
by William Betts.

The master bedroom’s
walls are covered in Manila
hemp by Phillip Jeffries.
Below: Piggy, Piggy Junior
and Scruffy go everywhere
with the family.
Opposite: Isabelle’s bed
linens are made from
Lee Jofa’s David Hicks
fabric. A feather pendant
light found by her
father in Paris hangs
above the bed.
kitchen became a large, well-planned laundry, an essential room nearby photograph by Michael Wolf that can be seen from the
for a young family, and what was once a dining area is now a cozy entry. Gorrivan insists his poodle, Leo, was not the inspiration for
family room, enveloped by a sectional sofa upholstered in fabric the colors of the apartment. After all, he arrived after the family
designed by Gorrivan for Highland Court. The black lacquered had moved in. Somehow, though, he blends in perfectly with the
foyer provides a note of whimsy: “I always wanted to do an octag- browns and beiges of the main living room.
onal entry, and this element, although in its raw state, was what France, especially Yves Saint Laurent’s Paris apartment, was
sold us on the potential of the apartment,” says Gorrivan. “I was another strong influence for the apartment’s design, and Gorrivan
inspired by Dorothy Draper’s black laquered lobby for the Car- travels there whenever he can. His fabric line for Duralee/High-
lyle Hotel.” The sophistication of the entry sets the stage for the land Court recently appeared in the prestigous Maison et Object
overall tone of the apartment, as does the very personal choice trade show in Paris, and in fact, Gorrivan’s apartment could pass
of art. The wall behind the dining area in the main room is hung for a chic and modern place in the 6th Arrondissment. But he is
with a collection assembled by Gorrivan over the years. Old Mas- happy here in New York, especially now that he has found his true
ter drawings from the 17th to the 19th centuries mingle with a métier. —Annie Kelly

Park Slope
Rock & Roll
From oceanfront in Santa Monica
to an 1888 Neo-Grec townhouse: Courtney
and Matt Winslow’s Brooklyn home
brings Los Angeles flavor and a touch of
rock & roll to Park Slope
They had six months to complete the “soup-to-nuts” renovation—

from facade work to furniture placement—but Fitzhugh Karol and
Lyndsay Caleo of the Brooklyn Home Company were up to the
challenge. Their clients, concert producer Matt Winslow and his
wife, Courtney, had found the ultimate Greek revival townhouse
on Park Slope’s historic Lincoln Place but had yet to make the
move east with son Cash, now two and a half. “They were still liv-
ing in California during the renovation,” says Caleo, “so they had
to trust us a lot.” Even from a distance, though, the clients were
involved in the project. “Courtney had a great vision. Often times
clients say, ‘We have no idea what we want to do,’ but in this case
it really was a collaboration,” Karol recalls. That cross-country col-
laboration resulted in a richly colorful and dynamic 21st-century
take on the 3,500-square-foot 19th-century brownstone—with con-
temporary floor-plan adjustments, custom Sapele woodwork and a
sprinkling of Santa Monica style. The Winslows “had that Califor-
nia vibe,” explains Karol. “We wanted to go with that.” Thanks to
Matt Winslow’s musical background, the Winslows had “all kinds
of prints and music-related photography. We had a lot of things to
work with that we knew were mainstays,” including the architec-
tural details of the townhouse, many shared by its neighbors in the
historic Park Slope district. “The house is full of amazing original
details,” wrote Caleo in an email, “and we wanted to emphasize
all the beauty of those details but update them. I became obsessed
with painting the foyer, hallways and kitchen, which are all heavy
p h ot o g r a p h y b y E m i ly G i l b e r t

Brooklyn Home Company
salvaged and restored
original flooring for a
dressing room that
separates the master
bedroom and bath. Walls
shine in Benjamin Moore’s
Royal Flush.

with this amazing cake molding in a rich, gorgeous off-black. It added a
lot of drama and modernized the space while still keeping it classic.” Af-
ter highlighting the brownstone’s historic architure, the design duo paid
tribute to their clients’ individuality as a young, stylish family. “We took
[an] antique chandelier in the kitchen and dunked it in red rubber,” says
Caleo. “We had some offbeat ideas but they were great with letting us re- Clockwise from top: The
ally go for it.” From roof cornice to stoop, the house is a testament to the brownstone’s kitchen features
family-run Brooklyn Home Company’s core mission—to create rooms the original fireplace redone
with a sense of “escape.” Using eco-friendly materials, nontraditional in Carrera marble and a
treatments and pieces with a handmade component, Karol and Caleo red-rubber-dipped chandelier
and their team of local Brooklyn artists and builders work to create spac- (reflected in the mirror);
es where, says Karol, “you feel you can exhale when you walk in.” Perfect the parlor room was wallpapered
for a Brooklyn home in which you can—almost—catch the Santa Monica and painted in a soft gray;
breezes blowing through. Courtney Winslow may have best summed up a pop of red in a guest room.
her new home in the blog that she has started since moving to Brooklyn. Opposite: The dining room.
Its name? “Fabulous in Park Slope.” —Rebecca Morse

In toddler Cash’s
room, a striped
ceiling and music
memorabilia set off
rich original archi-
tectural detail.
Opposite:
A playroom for
a wordly tot.
Sophisticated
Rural Life
A long-awaited renovation
in Connecticut combines historical
accuracy with local design finds
Washington, Connecticut, is a perfect location for businessman Peter Nestler, who

travels around the country for an international company and appreciates the prox-
imity to New York. When Nestler and his wife, Betsey, bought their 1845 house in
Washington more than 30 years ago, it was in worse condition than it appeared.
Betsey claims she had no idea how much work was needed. It was a mess, she says,
and the couple were too busy working and raising their children to turn their atten-
tion to a complete renovation. In the intervening years, Betsey busied herself open-
ing several local design stores in succession, each of which sold vintage furniture and
found objects. Finishing the house was the climax of years of planning and waiting;
in the meantime, Peter, one of her two sons, had grown older and ready to help.
Admittedly, the family had gotten the essentials out of the way. They had re-
placed areas of the house damaged beyond repair, including the kitchen porch at the
front left-hand side of the house. The dining room’s antique brick floor had been an
inspired and economical choice to replace a rotting wood floor, but a final crisis came
years later when Betsey flatly refused to use the kitchen unless it was renovated. Son The white-painted en-
Peter came to the rescue with the help of a fellow carpenter and built his mother try features bright red
a brand-new kitchen. He added marble countertops and a very functional kitchen chairs from Jennings
island and created a seating area on one side by opening up the back staircase, which and Rohn in Woodbury.
p h oto g r a p h y b y t i m s t r e e t- p o r t e r

In a corner of the dining
room sits a console table
with a large wooden
elephant from Betsey’s store.
Opposite: The kitchen
was opened up and
renovated with the help of
the Nestlers’ son Peter.

adds space to the already well-sized room. Renovated bathrooms followed,
A Victorian iron bed
and the upstairs rooms were updated and painted.
makes a sculptural
Betsey had known all along that the front porch looked “wrong,” and a
statement in the
guest bedroom.
recently discovered photo of the house in 1950 revealed the stairs in their
original position. Today, the restored stairs leading to the front door are a
distinctive architectural feature, flanked by a pair of chinoiserie-style white
outdoor chairs. Inside, the front room spans the main section of the house
and is filled with finds from Betsey’s stores that sit against a neutral back-
ground of white walls and a wood floor that was painted black. The rest of
the house’s treasures were found in Litchfield County: The red chairs in
the entry were discovered at Jennings and Rohn in Woodbury, Connecticut,
and the metal kitchen furniture came from the late Judy Hornby in nearby
Bantam. Antiquarian and landscape designer Michael Trapp was the source
for additional Asian-inspired fabrics and pottery. The Nestlers could have
lived anywhere in New England, but they found that Washington was the
ideal choice, with its combination of sophisticated rural life and easy dis-
tance to New York City. —Annie Kelly

HOME Gallery
Antique and Vintage Woods
of America (AVW), located in
the historic Hudson Valley, offers
one of the most respected and
diverse inventories of antique and
vintage hardwood beams and
flooring.
AVW salvages and reclaims historic wood and brick
American Friends of the Tel Aviv Museum Anthony Lombardo Designs is preeminent in materials from century old barns, houses, gristmills,
of Art is a non-profit organization founded in 1974 creating the finest, most authentic custom fireplace factories, and mushroom facilities and incorporates the
to raise funds for the Museum and to seek gifts of mantels and wood paneling. materials into new and restorative construction projects.
notable works of art for its collections. AFTAM hosts a Our master carvers can reproduce and re-proportion Wide plank flooring is our specialty. We offer an extensive
year-round calendar of events, including gallery visits, finely detailed appointments with breathtaking beauty. line of precision milled wide plank flooring in a variety of
art lectures, private tours of art collections, and a Gala. We have 20 antique models to choose from, but can species and styles, from rustic to modern elegant. Wide
Please call our Executive Director at 212-319-0555 or also create from your drawings. planks typically range from 3 – 24 inches wide and 4 – 20
visit our website at to learn more about the Museum. Our mantels are available in walnut, mahogany, cherry, feet long. All of our floors, are hand selected, made to
oak, poplar, maple and pine. We can also carve from order, and milled to your specification.
any wood species you prefer. Each mantel is created Antique & Vintage Woods of America
as a single unit, No assembly is required. 2290 Route 199
Pine Plains, NY 12567
www.americanfriendstelavivmuseum.org www.AnthonyLombardoDesigns.com 518-398-0049, www.avwamerica.com

At Carlyle you can: Purchase a new

custom sofa or sofa bed that will last
for over 50 years. Have that same sofa
recovered over and over again, by us.
Have your cushions and/or mattress
Atelier offers an exceptionally innovative selection of Italian replaced when needed, by us. Have a
residential and contract furniture, lighting and accessories. Since 1995 when the family-owned Broadway trusted source for all your heirloom re-
The contemporary designs offered are exceedingly advanced Kitchens & Baths opened its flagship Manhattan store, upholstery and cushion needs under
in quality, comfort, functionality and aesthetics.   customers have asked the same question, “I want to redo my one roof. Over 50 years of family owned pride and expertise,
Atelier presents a plethora of life-style alternatives in kitchen and bathroom, but where do I start?” The answer is our own showrooms and our own local factory make us the
contemporary living while providing highly personalized “Broadway Kitchens & Baths”. BKB now has 3 convenient wise choice for quality driven New Yorkers. Engineered for
and comprehensive furnishing services for their clients. locations; Manhattan, Englewood NJ and Stamford Ct. BKB every night sleep with the
Atelier partners with suppliers who invest in eco-friendly has a simple mission to help the customer make good STEELWEAVE™ mechanism.
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impacts on the environment. budget. East Side
Atelier is not only a valuable resource for high-end 1056 Third Ave. , New York, N.Y. 10065, Tel: 212-838-1525
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206 Lexington Avenue, Suite 202 Factory, Showroom & Clearance Center
212-696-0211 www.broadwaykitchens.com 6 Empire Blvd., Moonachie, N.J. 07074 Tel: 973-546-4502
Center44, the Midtown Manhattan marketplace for With 8 wholesale branches and 7 showrooms, Davis For over 60 years Elgot has been Manhattan’s premier
antiques and modernism. 75 dealers and every period are & Warshow is the NY metro region’s resource for all source for kitchen and bath design, remodeling and major
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Saturday 10am-5pm, 222 East 44th Street, New York, NY most elegant faucets and fixtures available. Legendary Yorkers rely on Elgot for quality, service and experience. Our
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New York, NY 10017 937 Lexington Avenue (68th/69th Sts.)
212-450-7988 New York, NY 10065
www.center44.com www.dwny.com 212-879-1200, www.elgotkitchens.com

English Country Antiques
Chris Mead, has been in the the han horse For 12
home furnishings business While the years The McCormick family
for 20 yrs. Originally a principles and has handpicked and brought
photographer of home and tradition behind to NYC the best antique
gardening books, he now has Greenbaum treasures from China. Their
two stores with 20,000 sq Interiors’ two-story gallery showcases
feet of inventory, and is one of prevailing success this exquisite 18th/19th c. Qing
the leading suppliers to home remain intact, furniture, along with Han, Tang
owners , designers and architects across the country. Susan Gross foresees “new beginnings.” “We intend and Ming Dynasty artifacts and a range of wonderfully
The Bridgehampton store has one of the biggest fabric to refocus our design center to make full use of the unique accessories and artwork. These pieces are loved
libraries on the east end, where our experienced staff help latest technology. The world becomes a little closer for their unusual elegance and great utility. The website
designers and homeowners a with window treatments, with each passing day. Through the use of this shows pieces in context along with full inventory, including
upholstery and wall coverings. technology we have immediate access to more than two books written by The McCormicks: Chinese Country
2,000 suppliers worldwide. If an item can’t be found, Antiques and Old China/New Style.
we can still design and manufacture the piece in our
own workshops.
Tel 631 537 0606 www.thehanhorse.com
www.ecantiques.com 101 Washington Street l paterson l (973) 279-3000 973 Lexington Ave.
ecachrismead@aol.com www.greenbauminteriors.com 212 988-4558
HIXENBAUGH ANCIENT ART

New York
Hixenbaugh Ancient Art is an Upper
East Side gallery specializing in fine
quality authentic antiquities. We handle
Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Greek, Roman,
Celtic, and Byzantine art, including marble
and bronze statuary, weapons, manuscripts, vases, glass, Established in 1938, Jaguar of Great Neck was the first Just Shades has been in business for over 40 years, so
mosaics, terracottas, paintings, and ancient coins. Our Jaguar dealership in the Country. Our experience has led it comes as no surprise that Just Shades offers the largest
inventory includes modestly priced decorative objects for to a reputation of value, personal service and after-sale selection of ready-made shades in New York City. From
the casual collector as well as museum quality masterpieces support that is unrivaled. For 70+ years we have been traditional pleats and silks to the more contemporary
of ancient art for the true connoisseur. selling to and servicing the New York area with the pride parchment shades, we carry a shade for every lighting
Member: and attention it deserves. Model for model, option for situation. We cater not only to top designers and
Appraisers Association of America (AAA) option, no one is more competitive than us. We will beat decorators, but to individuals looking for that perfect shade.
Art and Antique Dealers League of America (AADLA) any advertised price in New York...Guaranteed! Fulfill For the hard to please, we also create custom shades from
Confederation Internationale des Negociants en Oeuvres your passion for perfection with one of our awesome our fabrics or from your own fabrics.
d’Art (CINOA) 2010 Jaguar XF or XK models. One is waiting for you at
Tuesday – Saturday 11 -6 Jaguar of Great Neck. 21 Spring Street,
320 East 81st Street, New York NY 10028 New York, NY 10012
info@hixenbaugh.net, www.hixenbaugh.net www.GreatNeckJaguar.com 212-966-2757
212.861.9743 888-263-4158 www.justshadesny.com
Manufacturing furniture is our expertise – providing an

unforgettable experience is our passion. Lazzoni does not Founded in 1823, Lee Jofa is the industry leader in Lerebours Antiques features an eclectic collection
design, manufacture, and market extraordinary furniture for high-end, to-the-trade home furnishings, including of Continental as well as American antique, vintage
the home, but for the individual. We embrace the diversity, fabrics, furniture, wall coverings, carpet, trimmings and mid-century modern furniture, lighting and
inconformity, and uniqueness of our customers and furniture and lighting. Lee Jofa specializes in style and luxury, art. Open Monday thru through Friday 10am-6pm,
alike. The foundation for this philosophy was established over offering products distributed under exclusive brands Saturday and Sunday by appointment. Please view
50 years ago, and Lazzoni has never looked back since. If we such as Lee Jofa, Groundworks, G.P. & J. Baker, our website, www.lereboursantiques.com . Matthew
are as exceptional as our customers, who knows what will Mulberry Home, Cole & Son and others. Patrick Smyth recently described Lerebours Antiques
come next. as “one of the nicest shops in NYC.”
154 West 18th Street, New York NY 10011 For further brand information, please refer to 220 East 60th St., NYC 10022.
212-242-0606 www.leejofa.com. 917- 749-5866.

HOME Gallery
The Manhattan Art

& Antiques Center,
New York’s largest
Lighting By Gregory is the nation’s premier Both of Ligne Roset’s Manhattan locations display antique center, houses
distributor of designer lighting and fans. LBG provides Europe’s largest collection of brilliant contemporary 100 galleries on three
a comprehensive selection of the industry’s finest furniture designs. We are proud of our sustainable levels an entire city
brand names. One of our top brands, Estiluz, has practices, beautiful stores, large quick ship program block long. Specializing in fine furniture, silver jewelry,
become one of the leading decorative lighting and our very special team of experienced interior tapestries, paintings, clocks and objects of art, their
manufacturers in the world due to its unique fixture designers and factory trained installers. Our talented varied collections hail from America, Europe, Africa
design always focused on functionality, high quality, staff is always ready to work with you on that one and Asia. Featured in the photo from Flying Cranes
and user-friendliness of its products. needed piece or on a total plan for your home. Antiques is a bronze and parcel gilt tennin-in-flight.
Miya-o signature plaque. Meiji Period. Japan.
The Manhattan Art & Antiques Center

158 Bowery, New York, NY 10012. For the full Roset collection and 1050 Second Ave. NYC
Tel: 800-807-1826. Quick Ship program: Tel: 212-355-4400
www.lightingbygregory www.lignerosetny.com www.the-maac.com
Does your home or office have a great view? Explore J. Pocker & Son has spent over 80 years
and enjoy it to the utmost with Oberwerk Long- developing a superior reputation for good taste,
Range Binoculars and Binocular Telescopes. Highest product knowledge and customer service in picture My approach to painting reflects my philosophy about
quality optics provide Stunning clarity and sharpness framing and decorative prints. We are a third- aesthetics in general... that the key to what “works”...
at surprisingly affordable prices. See us online generation, family-owned business. We strive to make and by the same token doesn’t work for me, lies in the
at www.giantbinoculars.com For free catalog, call relationships with our clients the focus of our business. transitions. The effective juxtaposition of what may
866-623-7937 or email to info@oberwerk.com Our clients include neighborhood loyalists, the best of seem to be conflicting or incompatible colors, may lie
the interior design world and the next generation of in the way they blend... how one handles the segue. As
New York trendsetters. This makes J. Pocker & Son the my work evolves, I seek to explore that core concept...
perfect resource for “The city that never sleeps the effect of blending and transition from one color,
OBERWERK CORPORATION form...and even material to another.
866-623-7937. Contact: Website www.jpocker.com, By Phone: 1-800-
www.giantbinoculars.com. 443-3116, info@jpocker.com www. p r e s t e au. com
847.337.0944
Stickley collectors
anxiously await the
introduction of the newest
limited edition item every
year. Many customers
Roberta Roller Rabbit is a sunny bazaar packed with purchase them as gifts
colorful chic apparel, life style accessories, and furniture to honor a special event
and home furnishings. The products feature Indian hand such as a birth, wedding or
block prints, inspired by the cultural curiosity of New York Savoir Beds, the London based brand that since 1905 graduation. Every limited
designer Roberta Freymann. Roberta’s whimsical outlook, have provided the ultimate night’s sleep for some of the edition is permanently
vivid imagination and effortlessly sophisticated style world’s luckiest and most well rested inhabitants have retired after one year, adding to its charm and
translates to each piece. Visit us for design inspiration or now opened the doors of possibilities to the US consumer. value. This graceful prairie-style piece can store
just to get away from it all - New York, The Hampton’s, With the motto “Banish Insomnia” and the opening of the books, wine bottles, or 100 CDs or DVDs. Specially
Santa Monica or on the web www.RobertaRollerRabbit. New York flagship store Savoir have clearly shown their priced at $999 and available at Stickley, Audi & Co.,
com intentions and positioning as the luxury bed brand. Stop Manhattan and White Plains.
by the SoHo showroom, you’ll love it…
www.RobertaRollerRabbit.com 28 Wooster Street, NYC. www.stickleyaudi.com

Beautiful Greenhouses & Solariums
Applied to the interior surface Beautiful Greenhouses &

of your windows, Sunshield Solariums
Energy Control’s invisible Over 150 years of history in
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fabrics and artwork from skylights and glass enclosures Custom Design • Greenhouses • Solariums
the destructive effects of sunlight. Their proprietary Under Glass Mfg. Corp. is the exclusive Skylights • Glass Enclosures
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homes and most prestigious museum environments. Because New Yorkers’ have everything but space: We were established in 1989 after acquiring the Lord &
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knowledge and expertise will ensure that your valuable custom fit solution. Our job is to help you make the most environment cannot be compromised.
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Under Glass Mfg. Corp.,
Sunshield Energy Control Systems 35 East 19th Street, PO Box 81,
“The Intelligent Solution to Solar Control” NY, NY 10003 High Falls, NY 12440, 845- 687-4700.
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New Rochelle, NY 10801 www.techlinestudio.com www.underglassusa.com
Wittus – Fire by
Design has the finest
selection of European Zarin Fabrics is the largest resource of discounted
contemporary indoor Yael Sonia’s modern cutting-edge jewelry creations designer fabrics in New York City. Established in 1936,
and outdoor fireplaces, are as unique as each of its owners. Inspired by children’s this third generation business is stocked with thousands
stoves, and accessories. toys this kinetic jewelry is comprised of rolling spheres, of bolts of upholstery and drapery fabrics. Zarin offers
swinging pendulums and spinning tops. It’s jewelry that custom window treatment and upholstery services, as
comes alive with its wearer as the melodic sounds are well as a wide selection of blinds and shades, ready
40 Westchester Ave., perpetually emitted when the fine gemstones and pearls made drapes, drapery hardware, upholstery supplies and
POB 120, meet the art of handcrafted 18K gold structures. trimmings. Zarin Fabrics is the only place to go for your
Pound Ridge, NY 10576 fabric, window treatment and upholstery needs!
914-764-5679 Yael Sonia art jewelry boutique at 922 Madison Avenue
www.wittus.com (btw. 73rd & 74th Sts.), 212.472.6488 Zarin Fabrics
yaelsonia.com 314 Grand Street, New York, NY, 212-925-6112

in the neighborhood
The studio’s workbench

hides two pull-out beds. Left:
#260 (2010) in aluminum.
Dual Purpose
Thinking for two is a natural way of life for art- Dia Center for the Arts and the Whitney. For During a five-hour meeting, the architect
ists Joe and John Dumbacher. The not-quite- the Dumbacher brothers, Gluckman was the and the artists decided on the colors and mate-
identical twin brothers are also close collabora- clear choice for the project because of “his in- rials for the loft. The walls are painted in soft
tors in the work they create together as artists. credible designs, and great work with artist’s shades of gray and white, and panels of ice-col-
This creation, however, occurs on a cross-coun- studios [for] clients like Richard Serra, Chuck ored recycled refrigerator glass slide to enclose
try basis: John lives in Washington, D.C., while Close and Robert Ryman,” explains Joe. the kitchen and twin dressing rooms. In the
Joe is based in Pasadena, California. Their The photo of a wooden workbench that “paint room,” where things get dirty and dusty,
geographic divide plays an John brought to the twins’ the floors are gray vinyl.
important role in their art. first meeting with Gluck- Just as each detail of the loft was meticiously
The Dumbachers create man was to become the planned, so was its location. “Hudson is an extra-
models made from foam and inspiration for the main wide street, which provides better light for a
tape, which they mail back room, which needed to studio,” says Joe. “We liked that it was south
and forth across the country function as both studio of the galleries in Chelsea, as we can see shows
to each other, eventually and living space. Design there and walk back along the river,” says Joe,
rendering them actual size details allow every corner who spends up to six or seven weeks at a time
in aluminum, chromed in of the studio to multitask. in New York, while John makes the trek from
black. Like their art, the two A 22-inch-long Corian- Washington on weekends. “We both find New
travel to a final destination topped cabinet bisects the York invigorating and exciting, as well as a dif-
of collaboration—a shared space and hides beds that ferent kind of art scene from Los Angeles.” The
Tim Street-Porter; David Miezel, Courtesy Backroom NY

loft on Hudson Street in West Tribeca. pop out on each side. A dressing room and twins, or at least their art, are more permanently
The 1,000-square-foot space was once part closet for each brother flank a small open in residence through October 30 via a solo exhi-
of a 19th-century printers’ warehouse. Richard kitchen on the end wall. And a two-way bath- bition put on by Backroom NY at Leffot, a West
Gluckman of Gluckman Mayner Architects, room window that provides a view across the Village shoe salon.
the architect responsible for the apartment’s living space to Hudson Street becomes, when
elegant transformation into a dual-purpose viewed from the other direction, a mirror that
home and studio, has an artistic pedigree that maintains the privacy of the bathing area. “We CUT: A solo exhibition by Joseph
includes work on a huge slice of the New York loved what Richard did,” says Joe. “It’s very and John Dumbacher
art world—galleries for Larry Gagosian and workable and functions like a watch. It is very Through October 30, 2010 at Leffot, 10 Christopher
Mary Boone, the Andy Warhol Museum, the integrated and well designed.” Street. Visit backroomny.com for details.

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Condos Go Couture ■ Brooklyn Blogger’s Brownstone ■ Wild on the Upper West Side

155 Wooster Street New York (212) 253-5629 www.lignerosetny.com

160 NE 40th Street Miami (305) 576-4662 www.lignerosetmiami.com

207 E. 119th St.

IT’S THE PREMIERE OF SOMETHING PREMIER.

tsuBa cHaiR aNd Footstool,

60 Family Style on the Upper East Side

66 Park Slope Rock & Roll

72 Sophisticated Rural Life

A peek inside designer Philip Gorrivan’s

4 the home observer fall 2010

Profile on the shelves

evan joseph; getty images

T H H

 L A. 70/71st | N Y, NY 10021 | T. .. |   ..

6 the home observer fall 2010

Vintage White Fir

Antique & Vintage Woods SAleS OFFiCe

Flatfire Editors annie kelly and tim street-porter

production director Tyler Rush

advertising/production coordinator lisa medchill

Copy editor Chris cronis

contributors Emily gilbert

Associate Publisher betty shaw lederman

editor, the New york observer kyle pope

President, Observer Media Group Christopher Barnes

Executive Vice President Barry Lewis

Senior Vice President sales Stephen Goldberg

Vice President sales marketing David Gursky

THE NEW YORK OBSERVER

On the cover: Atoosa and Ari Rubenstein’s Flatiron loft,

8 the home observer fall 2010

10 the home observer fall 2010

12 the home observer fall 2010

14 the home observer fall 2010

FIVE NEW YORK AREA LOCATIONS FOR YOUR CONVIENCE

NEW YORK CITY TO THE TRADE GREENWICH WESTPORT BRONXVILLE

914.633.5853 Where do you go to be inspired in New York?

Tell us about your room at Kips Bay this year.

everyone will come to the Show House this year to support

16 the home observer fall 2010

MANHATTAN HARRISON HICKSVILLE FAIRFIELD ROCKLAND

Condos Go THE ALDYN

Couture Riverside Boulevard (far right), von

It’s one thing to have fashionistas place fur-

18 the home observer fall 2010

en has come off the rack at 16W21, a new nine-

20 the home observer fall 2010

Out of the Closet jean paul

22 the home observer fall 2010

Leg Up also measures dry pasta

24 the home observer fall 2010

Manhattan’s Premier Kitchen and Bath Designers

the heels of my brief ownership of an Oldsmobile

Grace, Space, Pace contemporary. And alongside the XK sports car

26 the home observer fall 2010

The Americana Hotel

The Joy of Lapidus

28 the home observer fall 2010

A Sampling of our 75 Superb Antique and Modern Boutiques.

222 East 44th Street

Center44 New York, NY 10017

in Los Angeles and the Paramount in New York. The