Throughout this year’s edition of the Kips Bay Decorator Show House New York, rooms trend toward an art-first approach, featuring portraits that inspire design, sculpture that directs the eye, and salon hangs that set the palette and mood.
Here are ten moments where artwork helps lead, guided by careful and confident design.
Since 2011, Feldman has run her own design studio with an art-forward approach, particularly as a lifelong painter herself.
Photo: Genevieve Garruppo
Iconic Transavanguardian artist Francesco Clemente, who Feldman commissioned her portrait from (pictured), produced some two hundred works for director Alfonso Cuaròn’s film Great Expectations.
Photo: Genevieve Garruppo
1. The Serpentine Mirror and Clemente Portrait of “Paraíso Encontrado”
Born in Mexico City and sharpened by years in Tokyo, Tamara Feldman blends Japanese rigor with Mexican warmth; an eye trained by an artist grandmother and a childhood of no-limits creativity in Valle de Bravo. Most recently, she channeled this into “Paraíso Encontrado,” a rebirth riff on Alfonso Cuarón’s Great Expectations (1998), staged at Paradiso Perduto (Paradise Lost). In this time-worn Art Deco palace, the wayward grand dame Nora Dinsmoor keeps vigil at her vanity.
Feldman builds her Kips Bay room around two artworks that set the room’s pulse. A serpentine Campana Brothers mirror from Carpenters Workshop Gallery crowns the vanity, its ripples echoing the dramatically veined Cipollino Green marble from Arca. Opposite, a commissioned Francesco Clemente—the Italian artist responsible for the artwork in the film—portrait of Feldman presides like a muse, shifting Paradiso Perduto to Paraíso Encontrado.
“It’s a place where nature and busting city life converge in harmony” – Huniford.
Photo: Matthew Williams
The green kitchen with contrasting sky-blue artworks.
Photo: Gogo Taubman
2. James Huniford’s Dreamy Penthouse
On the showhouse’s top floor, Manhattan-based designer James Huniford claimed the ideal grounds for his modern-day treehouse, above the city yet keyed to nature. Sunset-hued, gold-flecked Philip Jeffries cork wallpaper wraps the room, as sky allusions drift from Rogan Gregory’s cloudlike resin table to a Torbjørn Kvasbø ceramic from Hostler Burrows that evokes swirling wind.
Anchoring the wall above a cozy 1940s Swedish shearling chair, late East Hampton artist Robert Dash’s Sagg Main #11 slyly nods to the loft’s canopy, its hidden tree surfacing at a sidelong glance.
Across the room, six early 20th-century watercolors from Californian Fauvist artist Marguerite Zorach spar with a 2025 Mary Heilman, a pairing Huniford loved “for the way it brings women artists from different eras and styles into conversation with one another. The pieces are probably most in contrast with all the other forms in the room, yet somehow they work and add a particular warmth to the space.”
To the right of an Eileen Gray-style glass-block partition that separates the wet bar and lounge area, Robert Dash’s Sagg Main #11 rests above a 1940s Swedish shearling chair.
Photo: Matthew Williams
1960s Sergio Rodrigues chaise from Bossa place to the left of a mid-twentieth century Dogon Figure and the artwork “OH FREEDOM” by Nari Ward.
Photo: Pratya Jankong
Works by Isaac Julian, Jack Pierson, Allison Janae Hamilton pictured in the photography gallery kitchenette.
Photo: Pratya Jankong
3. “Salon Analogue”: Art and Design Composed for Dialogue
Known for shaping spaces that are felt as much as seen, Leyden Lewis crafted a cerebral salon to inspire dialogue between creatives, where “every single piece of furniture and art is meant to be a catalyst for discussion.” Within that brief, a sinuous 1960s Sergio Rodrigues chaise from Bossa anchors one side of the room, conversing with his unconventional Jab-Jab sofa, a contemporary take on traditional tête-à-têtes.
Guided by his inquiry into the African Diaspora and inspired by French Art Deco, 1960s America, and Brazilian design, Lewis grounds the space in the lived histories of Black and South American artists. The former kitchenette was transformed into a revolving photography gallery, its Dekton graphite wall resembling an ancient Egyptian tomb, contrasted warmly by red micro-cement flooring (a nod to the red leather flooring he created 26 years ago at his last Kips Bay).
Cornelius Tulloch painting from Andre Reed Gallery hanging above custom Jab-Jab sofa from Lewis’s own line of upholstered pieces.
Photo: Pratya Jankong
Every single piece of furniture and art is meant to be a catalyst for discussion… [a space] alive with dialogue on ideas, literature, art, politics”
Leyden Lewis
Artists featured left of mantle from top to bottom: Roger Hilton, John Piper, William Nicholson. Right of mantel: Kate Friend, Michael Ayrton, Keith Vaughn. Right wall: Edward Seago, Jemma Powell.
Photo: Reid Rolls
Classic English country-house flowers, dahlias are featured throughout the room, a nod to the Victorian “dahlia mania” that once swept Britain.
Photo: Reid Rolls
4. Ben Pentreath Studio’s Art-Maximized, Cozy English Drawing Room
Pentreath and associate Amanda Flood captured the essence of English interiors with their welcoming drawing room, paced by British midcentury art. Working with Stoneman Collins Advisory, they hung a taut fireplace wall. Left of the mantel, a Roger Hilton—a pioneer of abstract art in post-WWII Britain—hangs above a John Piper architectural study, overtop a calming William Nicholson landscape. Across the room, a jewel-toned, abstract Howard Hodgkin plays against the 18th-century cabinet it hangs over.
Layers of history continue to unfold through Arts and Crafts wallpaper and William Morris & Co fabrics, with a print reminiscent of the gardens at Highgrove. Furnishings by Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler as well as Soane Britain are also inspired by 18th- and 19th-century antiques. The result is a mood that’s warm, bookish, and unmistakably English.
A 1960s Richard Filipowski bronze-and-silver sculpture from Hostler Burrows is framed by pieces of emerald quartzine from Artistic Tile.
Photo: Marco Ricca
A quiet nook, ideal for solo reflection or a cocktail.
Photo: Marco Ricca
5. “A Patch of Peace:” Jamie Drake’s Masterclass in Living with Art and Sculpture Outside
A longtime Kips Bay force, Drake turned the multi-level outdoor space into an alfresco gallery, paying homage to Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Pavilion. Opposite the kitchen, a leafy 1960s Richard Filipowski bronze-and-silver sculpture from Hostler Burrows rises within emerald quartzite panels by Artistic Tile, setting the scene’s rhythm.
In a secluded nook meant for a solo cocktail, John Koga’s wavy Pau Hana lounge chair meets Jakob Jørgensen’s totemic steel-and-graphite column—industrial, tactile, and quietly dramatic against the soft drapery and greenery.
An adventurer’s “Sanctuary of Thoughts.”
Photo: Nick Sargent
Dove’s eclectic hallway with wooden cabinets, artwork, decorative items, and a glimpse of Ovadia’s staircase landing in the background.
Photo: Nick Sargent
6. A “Sanctuary of Thoughts” Fit for a Museum Trustee
Jim Dove recast a long, narrow office into a retreat for a tasteful collector who splits time between archives, airports, and astronomical observatories. Art-anchored and maximizing each inch, references to Sir John Soane’s Museum are layered with Moroccan finds and treasures from farther afield.
As celestial studies tune sightlines, ARTE’s black-and-gold constellation-like wallcovering holds the room at dusk, while their colorful Myriad design on the ceiling and lampshade adds tactile depth. Seating and storage yield to the art: a base for looking, reading, and mapping what’s next.
ARTE’s constellation and Myriad wall coverings.
Photo: Nick Sargent
The Japanese 1850s tapestry that inspired the design of the rest of the space.
Photo: David Mitchell
7. Olivia Williams Studio’s Japanese Tapestry-Inspired Studio Apartment
Olivia Williams Studio designed her 250-square-foot studio around a 1850s Japanese tapestry from Rug & Kilim—featuring three dragons and a pearl—set between the kitchenette and bed to key palette and plan. Two rare 1981 Pierre Paulin consoles join a Dimorestudio lantern, while Brooklyn-based Anna Karlin stools add a funky, New York edge. The bed slips behind high-glass lacquer walls fitted with handmade brass; spare, well-spaced sketches and black-and-white photographs keep the room feeling open.
Design echoing a Jennifer Hansen Rolli tiger mural.
Photo: Christopher Delaney
Louise Nevelson’s untitled works from 1963 and 1970 pictured through an eclectic mirror.
Photo: Christopher Delaney
8. A “Midnight Check-in” with Pace Gallery-Curated Works
Ovadia Design Group’s “Midnight Check-in” turned the entrance foyer, first-floor stairwell, and second-floor hall into a museum-grade promenade through their collaboration with Pace Gallery. A smoky palette and custom Tai Ping runner echo Jennifer Hansen Rolli’s tiger mural—guardian energy at the threshold. On the first floor, paired Sol LeWitt pieces from the 1970s set a cadence that fosters dialogue across eras. Upstairs, Jim Dine’s Five Silver Ties (1963) converses with Louise Nevelson’s Untitled works (1963, 1970, 1978). A midnight check-in under collector light.
Ellsworth Kelly’s Colored Paper Images XVIII (Green Square with Dark Gray) and XX (brown Square with Blue) pictured to the right above a sofa.
Photo: Courtesy of Eve Robinson
9. Ellsworth Kelly Bedroom Calm
In Eve Robinson’s serene bedroom, a pair of Ellsworth Kelly Colored Paper images—XVII (Green Square with Dark Gray) and XX (Brown Square with Blue)—serve as the quiet focal point. Consulting with Cromwell Art to bring emotion to the room’s design, Robinson hung the prints low, with breathing room above a deep blue-velvet built-in, thereby tightening the palette and proportion, and lending the space a measured, modern calm.
Schumacher’s “Pink Rhino Club.”
Photo: Marco Ricca
10. Andrea Schumacher’s Ode to Her Artist Grandmother
Schumacher’s story-forward speakeasy is built around the art of her grandmother, Elizabeth Monath, who studied under Salvador Dalí and Fernand Léger. A Monath painting crowns a cherry blossom marble fireplace while a suite of her block prints lines an alcove.
The room takes its cue from a mask Monath sketched during her granddaughter’s childhood in Nigeria, now reimagined for Schmacher’s upcoming collection with The Vale London as wallpaper. Morocco-tinged details and a rhinoceros-shaped dry bar from Sylvan San Francisco complete the homage.
Additional Artful Moments from Kips Bay Decorator Show House New York 2025
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Funky art and accessories pictured at Corey Damen Jenkins & Associates Alice in Wonderland inspired dining room.
Photograph by Gogo Taubman
A leafy, metal sculpture covers the fireplace in Jenkins & Associates’s dining room.
Photograph by Gogo Taubman
“You could spend half an hour or more talking about that painting, that sculpture, or this gorgeous Marie Perga cabinet.” – Leyden Lewis on this area of his modern-day salon.
Photograph by Gogo Taubman
Details of the metal animal-footed Marie Perga cabinet, pony hair-trimmed stool, and colorful rug that was crafted from three existing Tai Ping rugs.
Photograph by Gogo Taubman
The salon’s coffee table book selection among other objects, featuring Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz’s book Emotional Rooms, which reflects Lewis’s intention to craft a room that evokes emotionality.
Photograph by Gogo Taubman
A closer look at the Marguerite Zorach watercolors at Ford Huniford’s penthouse.
Photograph by Gogo Taubman
The hallway from the kitchen to living area on the top floor, featuring a 1970s-style glass-block partition.
Photograph by Gogo Taubman
Details of Ovadia Design Studio’s Sol LeWitt works, curated by Pace Gallery.
Photograph by Gogo Taubman
See it before it closes this Sunday, October 19th, at 20 W 12th Street, New York, NY.