Interior designer David Scott of New York-based David Scott Interiors has created a lively and inviting dining space for Kips Bay Decorator Show House Palm Beach 2019, which recently celebrated its opening in West Palm Beach, Florida.
The House Tipster Industry team was able to speak exclusively with Scott at the show house’s unveiling event, and he shared the inspiration and vendors that made the imaginative space jump to life.
David Scott. Photo by House Tipster
“I started with the idea that I would create a neutral background for the Larry Poons painting, which is one of the great abstract expressionist artists,” Scott said of the focal piece that started it all.
“From all that color, I wanted to create this background that was soothing and that allow all of the pieces in the room to stand out,” he explained. “I tend to be more of a curator of interiors than a decorator. I think a lot about the individual pieces and the art, and how that all comes together.”
While the space is filled with luxurious, warm neutrals, there are exquisite pops of color throughout that add vibrancy to the room. Scott recommends playing with color to all clients – including those unsure about going bold.
“I think that color is a really important part of what makes people happy,” he said. “So if they’re hesitant to work with color, they should first identify what, emotionally, they want to feel in a space. Color influences that.”
“If you use color in a measured way, like say you have a neutral room you just want to add pillows, start with that,” Scott suggested. “Add the colors into accessories, or flowers. You don’t actually have to envelop the room in color. After that, you can decide if you really want to be surrounded by a single color.”
While Scott’s space fits beautifully with the Palm Beach surroundings, the designer’s New York roots also drive his design aesthetic.
“Living and working in New York, you have the most incredible resources,” Scott said. “Every day, everything’s changing, so your attention is always going to different things. You’re able to see the best of design in New York, and it’s an international city so you have all the cultural influences as well, like great museums and dealers. So I’m stimulated all the time.”
To furnish and decorate the Kips Bay show house dining area, Scott reached out to the wonderful companies he uses in his other work. This mix of brands and galleries brings an added
“I worked with all of our greatest vendors that we work with all the time,” Scott said. “The wallcovering is from Phillip Jeffries, made in Japan. It’s raffia that’s glazed. The number of dealers we have used include Gerald Bland for the directoire 1790 antique chairs around the dining room table, the sideboard is from Donzella, which is Italian mid-century by Giovanni Garibaldi.”
“All of the ceramics are mostly from Hostler Burrows, a gallery in New York,” the designer added. “They are Scandinavian women artists mostly. We work with John Salibello for vintage lighting, and Nathan Orsman for our lighting effects like the ceiling cove. The chandelier is from R & Company by Jeff Zimmerman, one of the great glassblowers that is around right now. We have Chinese art from Gallery ALL, and the table itself, which is very special, is O’Brien Benches. [We used] Holland & Sherry textiles for the window treatments, with The Shade Store executing it all, and the carpet is leather, woven custom for us by Doris Leslie Blau.”
