From one city to the next! New York is in full bloom this month and, for fans of interiors and architecture, there’s no better time to be in the city. Anchored by the annual NYCxDesign festival, New York is buzzing with design happenings spread across its five boroughs. The festival officially runs from 10-22 May but additional events are underway all month long. Here’s what’s on our radar:
Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse - Now in it’s 47th year, this is one of the city's most prestigious affairs. Twenty-two of the country’s top interior designers have taken over a 1920’s Georgian townhouse, transforming its rooms into jaw-dropping spaces that will make your heart sing. Estimated to be worth £23M, the home once belonged to Dorothy Hearst Paley, a local socialite sketched by Matisse in 1936. Favourite rooms include an artist’s aerie by Young Huh, a graphic tiled bathroom by Studio DB, a heavily patterned bedroom by Peter Pennoyer and an Italian palazzo style sitting room by Pappas Miron. Proceeds from the event go to benefit the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club. Open 2-30 May.
TWA Hotel - In 1962, legendary architect Eero Saarinen completed a midcentury masterpiece for Trans World Airline at JFK airport. The TWA Flight Center, with its sweeping winged roof, towering glass walls, and sunken lobby lounge, captured the glamour of air travel and the spirit of the Jet Age. Placed on the National Register of Historic Places, the terminal has sat largely unoccupied for the past 16 years – until now. On 15 May it reopens as a hotel, complete with Saarinen’s iconic Knoll furnishings, chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s reimagining of the terminal's original Paris Café, and a rooftop infinity pool overlooking the runway (heated to Jacuzzi temperature in winter). It’s the most highly anticipated hotel opening in recent memory - and a select set of fashion revelers are getting a preview on 8 May, when fashion designer Nicolas Ghesquière stages Louis Vuitton’s Cruise 2020 show in the newly restored building before it opens to the public.
Hudson Yards - Gentrification has taken over the old railway storage yards of west Midtown with this new, ultra-futuristic shopping center rising up as the gem of Manhattan's New West Side. It houses the hottest stores, blue-chip restaurants (think Thomas Keller and José Andrés), rotating art installations (current exhibits include works by Francesco Clemente, Will Cotton and Donald Robertson), a performing arts center, and the pièce de résistance – The Vessel – a free form sculpture by British designer Thomas Heatherwick composed of 154 interconnected flights of stairs. The ambitious development is just a stone’s throw from the Jacob Javits Center, where the International Contemporary Furniture Fair sets up camp from 19-22 May. Featuring over 900 exhibitors, ICFF is the design festival’s landmark trade show.
The Terminal Building - Two blocks south of Hudson Yards you’ll find the new 45,000 square foot Gallery of online antiques emporium 1stDibs. Think of it like London’s beloved Alfies Antique Market, but swankier. Located in the penthouse of this 19th century warehouse, digging through it’s treasures is a thoroughly modern antiquing experience – there are iPad stations throughout, QR codes to scan on your smartphone, and if you’re not ready to buy now, click to tag an item, then use the app’s virtual reality feature to see how the piece looks in your space later. Time your visit to coincide with Wanted Design, a boutique show aimed at bringing together smaller design studios from around the globe as well as emerging talents. It takes place on the ground floor of the Terminal building from 18-21 May.
Christie’s Design Auction - Stick around until the end of the month when previews for Christie’s Design auction begin on 31 May. The sale boasts a covetable selection of work spanning the turn of the 20th century to Contemporary design. Coming under the hammer are rarities by Diego Giacometti, sculpture by Harry Bertoia, sheep and Trois Oies by Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne, and a host of Art Deco treasures leading up to the era’s centennial next year. The sale commences at the Rockefeller Center gallery on 4 June. The next day, head over to The High Line – the former elevated train tracks turned linear garden - where the last section opens to visitors at 10th Avenue and 30th Street. Dubbed the Spur, this final stretch boasts a lush woodland environment and a bridge for displaying large-scale art. Simone Leigh’s Brick House, a sixteen foot bronze bust, will be unveiled as the inaugural installation on 5 June.
Photographs: Kips Bay/Young Huh © Ngoc Minh Ngo; Hudson Yards courtesy image, 1stDibs Gallery © Domino, TWA Hotel courtesy image