A Currey & Company pendant illuminates the table set with linens made from Stroheim and Ed Harris textiles.
The event was open from April 8 to May 9, virtually and to a limited number of in-person visitors.
Principal of her eponymous interiors firm, Gross transformed the dining room of the Mediterranean-style villa into a fanciful, animal-inspired aerie. The annual show house, which benefits the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club, has been a must-see event for thousands of design enthusiasts for more than four decades in New York, with recent show houses also taking place in Palm Beach and Dallas.
What motivated you to take part in Kips Bay?
After participating in seven local show houses, designing for the Kips show was on my radar as a goal. I had visited the New York show many times and love the Boys & Girls Club that it benefits.
Where did the animal inspiration come from?
I really needed a lift from the pandemic and the harsh winter. The carpet from New Moon Rugs was created for the show house and its pattern hosted the loveliest birds and butterflies. When I came across the metallic Clarke & Clarke wallpaper, featuring creatures such as horned zebras and multi-tailed giraffes, I knew I was on to something.
How did the remaining design elements come together?
At some point, I began thinking of the space as Tinker Bell’s room and added elements that she would love—an early-1900s Limoges tea set, vivid green Depression-era glasses and dragonfly napkin rings. And there’s more fantasy in the pearlized top of the table from Century and the chairs richly upholstered in Stroheim fabric.
The turn-around time is so intense that it can make your head spin. I had sketched glamorous barn doors, which we finally installed on the last day. They wound up being the highlight of the room, and underscored my statement that barn doors don’t always have to be rustic. They can be elegant and even sexy.