2013 Holiday House: Part I

I had a great time with my family on Black Friday visiting the 2013 Holiday House, an annual design showhouse which raises money for The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. I guess everyone was busy shopping, because the showhouse was so blissfully empty, we felt like we were getting a private tour! It was absolutely lovely, especially after the chaos of the crowded Frick museum, which we visited first. Oh yeah, there did happen to be one other person checking out the showhouse with her family-Tyra Banks. No big deal. #totallyabigdeal. All of the designers who were there to represent their rooms were so friendly, warm, and happy to talk about their work. They also invited us to take pictures, which was very nice!

Gorgeous holiday decorations adorn the outside of the townhouse.

An interesting thing about showhouses is that every space is decorated-designers make the most of closets, alcoves, hallways, and other oft-forgotten spaces. This glittery piece is in a hallway by Kelley Jackson Interior Design.

Amazing works of art, everywhere. This unusual piece hangs in a serene bedroom designed by Campion Platt in collaboration with Sleep Studio.

Amazing feather pendants add a textural touch to the same room.

The bedroom also has this gorgeous tonal piece of art, which the designer explained to us is composed of pages from old books. It was hard to notice, but when you got up close, you could see some text showing through. So cool.


A beautiful bouquet adds a feminine touch to a moody, masculine room by Darrin Varden Design.


Glamorous light fixture.


Cool gold skull on a bookshelf in a room by J. Cohler Mason Design.

The pink room by Gregory Allan Cramer (or as I refer to it-the Tyra Room: where we first encountered Tyra) has cool airbrushed, grafitti covered walls. The whole room was bathed in a pink glow from the neon “celebrate” sign on the wall-it was hard to tell what in the room was actually pink and what was just colored pink from the lights!


Here’s a really cool metallic, textural wall covering in a space by Deborah Martin Designs.


A festive, celebratory space by Cullman and Kravis.

The Holiday House doesn’t just decorate for Christmas – each space is actually decorated for a different holiday. Here Michael McKinnon uses tartan and macarons to represent St. Andrew’s Day, a Scottish holiday.
There are so many wonderful spaces that I have to break this up into two posts-check back tomorrow for more of my personal favorites. And if you’re in NYC, definitely consider making a trip to visit the Holiday House. Located on 63rd between Fifth and Madison, the house is open daily until December 18th. Besides all the eye candy, it’s also a great way to support a good cause. Believe me, the pictures really don’t do it justice – seeing these rooms in person is a whole different ballgame!

all photographs by me

Leave a Comment

  1. I may just drop by this little gem in the next couple of weeks! Your photographs are amazing – what camera do you use?
    Also, looks like someone's switched to a ".com"! 🙂

    Published 12.2.13 · Reply
  2. Becky M wrote:

    Such pretty pictures! It makes me want to go!

    agirlandhersparkles.blogspot.com

    Published 12.2.13 · Reply
  3. Hunter wrote:

    This is so cool!

    Hunter
    http://www.preponabudget.com

    Published 12.2.13 · Reply
  4. Χριστίνα wrote:

    Beautiful pictures!

    Published 12.2.13 · Reply
  5. Holly Kvinge wrote:

    BEAUTIFUL! I absolutely love the feathered pendant light- amazing piece!

    Published 12.2.13 · Reply
  6. Alyssa wrote:

    I've never even heard of this–I'm going to have to stop by. How cool!

    Published 12.2.13 · Reply
  7. viviana88 wrote:

    This is so great! And I'm with Alyssa – I'll have to stop by!
    http://www.fashiontruffles.com

    Published 12.2.13 · Reply
  8. Rachel wrote:

    This posts SO put me in the holiday mood!

    Published 12.2.13 · Reply
  9. Hah, thanks for noticing! Yup, made the switch to a custom domain…there were a few bumps along the way but hopefully everything is working. And thank you SO much for complimenting my photographs! I'm still learning so that's so nice to hear. I'm using a Canon Rebel T3i with a 50 mm lens (not the kit lens). It's a great starter DSLR, I think, and I'm really enjoying learning about it. Thanks so much!

    Published 12.2.13 · Reply
  10. Thank you so much!

    Published 12.2.13 · Reply
  11. Thanks Hunter!

    Published 12.2.13 · Reply
  12. Thank you so much!

    Published 12.2.13 · Reply
  13. Thanks Holly! That's one of my favorites too.

    Published 12.2.13 · Reply
  14. Cool, I hope you do! I would never know about these things if it weren't for my Mom, she's always gone to all of the showhouses and she's gotten me hooked!

    Published 12.2.13 · Reply
  15. Great, I hope you do Viv! Your husband might even like it, we dragged my Dad along and he was really bored until he got to the top floor which was a total man cave/guy's dream come true 🙂

    Published 12.2.13 · Reply
  16. Me too 🙂

    Published 12.2.13 · Reply
  17. Alli wrote:

    Wow, the decorations are gorgeous! Congratulations on getting your own domain!

    Published 12.2.13 · Reply
  18. Bhreagh wrote:

    Thats so beautiful! It definitely put me in a holiday mood. Great post!
    http://www.bhreaghwho.com
    Cheers,
    Bhreagh

    Published 12.2.13 · Reply
  19. What gorgeous detail shots of all the spaces!! You have a great eye and thank you for visiting Holiday House!

    Published 12.4.13 · Reply
  20. Thank you so much, that is such a nice compliment coming from such a talented designer :). Made my day!

    Published 12.5.13 · Reply