Twenty-two interior designers and architects have been selected to revive the historic interiors of Manhattan’s Villard Mansion at 457 Madison Avenue for the 42nd Annual Decorator Show House benefiting the Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club, which will open May 1.
The Villard "Mansion on Madison"
They include Carrier and Company Interiors Ltd.; Christopher Peacock; Cullman & Kravis Inc.; Darryl Carter, Inc.; Edward Lobrano Interior Design, Inc.; Ingrao Inc.; John Douglas Eason Interiors; Juan Montoya Design; Kirsten Kelli, LLC; Mark Hampton, LLC; Markham Roberts Inc.; Martyn Lawrence Bullard Design; Matthew Quinn; Mendelson Group, Inc.; Meyer Davis Studio, Inc.; ODADA (Orlando Diaz-Azcuy Design Associates); Robin Sacks Decorative Painting; SPaN Architecture; Vicente Wolf Associates; Villalobos Desio; William T. Georgis Architect; and Young Huh, LLC.
“We are honored to invite such an illustrious team of designers and architects this year to transform one of the nation’s most legendary mansions and pay tribute to its rich history,” said Bunny Williams, this year’s Show House Chair. “With this extraordinary team, we are confident that we will surpass this year’s fund-raising goal for the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club to further enhance after-school and enrichment programs for both our region and the nation’s youth.”
Designed and built by architecture firm McKim, Mead & White in 1884 on the Southeast corner of 51st Street and Madison Avenue, the Renaissance-inspired Villard Houses were constructed by Henry Villard, President of the Northern Pacific Railway, to serve as six private yet connected brownstones. Renovated in 2011, the six-story and 26,190 square-foot Mansion on Madison boasts a grand staircase, landmarked hallways with marble floors, 16-foot high ceilings with elegant moldings, multiple Italian marble fireplaces, and a carved paneled room with barrel-vaulted ceilings.
“Rooted in history, the opulence of The Mansion on Madison speaks for itself. Until now, a venue of this scale is one that no show house has ever dreamt of taking on,” said James Druckman, President and CEO of the New York Design Center, and President of the Board of the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club. “We’re excited to elevate this year’s show house to an untapped level and offer unique amenities through our partnership with The New York Palace.”
Today, the Mansion on Madison sits adjacent The New York Palace hotel and is connected by a grand courtyard.
“This year’s Show House represents a marriage of two great New York institutions - the Kips Bay Decorator Show House, and The Mansion on Madison on the property of the New York Palace,” said David Chase, General Manager of The New York Palace. “There’s no organization more respected that we’d rather partner with than the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club to fuse together a historic and modern New York.”
The Kips Bay Decorator Show House will offer visitors to the hotel ticket packages throughout the month of May. Proceeds from the Decorator Show House, which attracts an estimated 15,000 visitors each year, benefit the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club which offers innovative after-school and enrichment programs for more than 11,000 youth, ages 6 through 18, in ten locations throughout the Bronx.
An estimated 20,000 people are expected to tour the show house, which will be open to the public seven days a week, May 1 - May 29.
