Kips Bay Decorator Show House 2010: Cullman & Kravis

I could have spent all day in the dining room by Cullman & Kravis at the Kips Bay Decorator Show House and that was the point.  The designers behind this chic room told me that if someone owned this big townhouse, they would probably entertain a lot.  That prompted them to design a dining room that guests would never want to leave.  Clearrly it worked on me!  They are calling the room "Dinner at Eight" and it honors eight great chefs.  They each have their own place at the table and books and photos on the shelves.  It was another room that revealed itself in layers and little surprises.  What looked like a pagoda in the window was actually a stack of copper pots while the pops of turquoise add life to the neutral color palette.  I absolutely loved the large scale Candida Hofer photograph above the buffet and the Joel Meyerowitz above the fireplace as well as the artwork sprinkled throughout.  It's definitely a room that says bon appétit!

The very chic Tracy Pruzan and Elissa Cullman of Cullman & Kravis.

Photos by Heather Clawson for Habitually Chic 

Renovated House in the Hamptons

Built in the early 1980s, this 10 room house was so badly designed that it lacked even a proper front entrance. But it had one attribute that erased all of its defects: It was perfectly placed on one of the choicest spots in East Hampton. On one side was the Atlantic Ocean. On the other was an elegant wooden windmill, built in 1801. The owners appointed architect Andrew Pollock to renovate it and Cullman & Kravis for the interiors. This is how it turned out.



How about having a 19th-century windmill in your front garden?

The dining pergola offers unobstructed water views.


In the living room a large steel-and-ormolu Italian mirror from the 1930s was set just inches above an early-19th-century New England mantel.

Dark gray pietra serena Italian countertop, white cabinets and white subway tiles behind the range.

A new stair landing created space for a reading nook. The elmwood comb-back Windsor chair dates to the 1780s, and the candlestick table is from the late 19th century. Sisal carpet.


The residents collect contemporary photography, and the master suite includes works by Malick Sidibé, Lou Bernstein and Robert Frank. The sitting room’s five-foot-square double chaise provides an inviting place for two people to relax.

Neil Winokur portraits of the owners’ past and present dogs hang above the fireplace in the sitting area adjacent to the kitchen.

The guesthouse entrance is accessed through a manicured garden.

A bridge at the rear of the house leads to a “sunset deck” atop the poolhouse.

Landscape designer Jane E. Lappin surrounded a deck with salt-tolerant plants.

Architecture by Andrew Pollock/Interior Design by Cullman & Kravis

Photography by Durston Saylor

All images and information from here.