The Show House, running from May 1 to May 29, not only salutes a good cause — The Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club — it also salutes good architecture, namely the venerable Villard Houses where it will be held for the first time.
Built by McKim, Mead & White in 1884, the Villard Houses have been known for flashy tenants like The Palace Hotel and Le Cirque. But under the auspices of the Show House’s 22 designers — such as Juan Montoya, Vicente Wolf and Christopher Peacock — the Villard Houses have been reborn.
As she prepares for the Show House’s debut, we spoke with Russell about everything from philanthropy and architecture to Instagram and Armani…
Anything that raises interest in design is vital, but the Kips Bay Show House is truly special. There is something so important and different about walking through a (designed) space rather than just seeing it in a magazine or online. Not only is the Show House transportative, its shows you how to create rooms and fills you with terrific design ideas. By walking through the show, you learn about color, space, lighting and floor plans — how to integrate details such as art into a room. The Show House is inspiration — for a good cause.
We are very excited about the Show House being set within The Villard Houses. The building is smack in the middle of town — so everyone can easily find it. But it’s also this amazing, historic space with soaring ceilings, extraordinary architectural details and beautifully scaled rooms. The Show House team has totally transformed the Villard Houses and even though its scale may be grand, the results are not pretentious or ostentatious. There are also a few very small spaces that designers made absolutely magical.
The city with the most exciting architecture remains New York. I just moved from uptown to Midtown — and our offices will move from Midtown to downtown — so I am constantly discovering new buildings across our ever-changing skyline. I recently had a hard-hat tour of the 9/11 Memorial Museum which I found to be beautifully and mindfully done; people who’ve not yet been should definitely visit once it opens next month.
I grew up in New Canaan, CT, but could never visit Philip Johnson’s Glass House back then because he still lived there. Although I am now very involved with The Glass House, I would have loved to have visited while Johnson was still there — what a magical experience that would have been. I am also an admirer of classicism, and I would also have loved to have met 16th century Italian architect Andrea Palladio.
I am not really on Facebook, but I love Instagram. Because of Instagram, I now notice many more types of architectural details. I find it to be a fascinating medium for people in creative fields; Instagram is a way to capture a moment — a flash of something — that makes you want to go someplace new or find out more.
I just moved into a new apartment — so my entire home has been a bit of a splurge. The artisan Stephen Antonson made some plaster chandeliers for my dining room and every night when I walk through the door it’s a pleasure to see them.
I was recently in Milan and visited the Armani Hotel there. From the moment you walk in, it’s a transporting experience. You can see the entire city from the restaurant and bar. All of my friends are also talking about Andre Balazs’ new Chiltern Firehouse hotel in London — so it’s one of my next stops, as is the upcoming London property from the fantastic designer Kip Kemp and Firmdale Hotels.