The talented design team at Cullman & Kravis Associates was inspired by bustling contemporary art galleries for this year’s Kips Bay Decorator Show House in New York City. The firm designed a dining room titled “Rhapsody in Blue,” an exuberant space filled with incredible collections.
This fantastic space was brought to life by design partners Lee Cavanaugh and Alyssa Urban with senior designers Katie Sutton and Dani Mazza, in collaboration with architect Douglas Wright.
Their goal in this room was to redefine a classic formal dining space in a younger, sexier, and more glamorous new way – and highlight custom pieces and the phenomenally innovative work of cutting-edge artisans and craftsmen along the way.
The House Tipster Industry team was able to speak exclusively with senior designer Dani Mazza at the charity-benefiting show house’s press day unveiling in Manhattan. She walked us through the dramatic midnight blue room to point out its grand sculptures, gold embellishments, modern art finds, and vintage furniture.
“We thought of [the inspiration for this space] as putting on your evening gown and jewelry at night,” Mazza explained. “That’s how we wanted the viewer to feel when they were in here.”
When Cullman & Kravis was assigned their room for the Kips Bay show house this season, they knew they wanted to completely overhaul what was already existing.
“We started off this space by redefining the architecture of the whole room,” Mazza said. “When we first got this room, it had this crusty old wall covering on the walls, and no real trim that was worth saving.”
“So we worked with Douglas Wright Architects and Interior Management Contracting to totally redefine this space architecturally,” the designer said. “We came up with this concept of a circle within the square, which is emulated in the ceiling details, creating a space within the space. The circle helps to articulate this midpoint of the space with the round area rug and round table.”
While there are certainly elements of traditional formal dining rooms present in the grand display, there are also fresh and unique elements rounding out the area. This can be seen in clever custom furniture pieces, like the gold-painted blue Dedar benches.
“Instead of doing a very traditional static table seating with a bunch of chairs around a round table, we came up with these curved benches to kind of do something a little different, modern, and a little more intimate.” Mazza said.
To see more details from Cullman & Kravis’ artistic dining room space at the 2019 Kips Bay Decorator Show House NYC, make sure to catch a recap of our live video stream guided by senior designer Dani Mazza in the Facebook player below.
Guests will be able to attend the 47th Annual Kips Bay Decorator Show House, located at 36-38 East 74th Street, New York, NY, now through May 30, 2019. Stay tuned for more of House Tipster Industry’s exclusive coverage of the show, including more virtual tours guided by the season’s top designers.
