The Stereo Lounge.

We recently had the honor of participating in this year's Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse. We always enjoy being a part of these events, because it not only allows you total creative flexibility it usually has a fantastic cause associated with it. In this particular case, the showhouse helps raise money for the Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club here in New York City (in fact...this annual event has raised over 17 million dollars since it's inception back in 1973).

For this particular project we were given one half of the penthouse to do with whatever we like. The space had great proportions and fantastic light. Our visceral reaction was that the room had a festive feel to it and we could imagine it as an area people would naturally gravitate towards. This led us to the thought of designing a room that involved some sort of social activity. We've always been passionate about music so we decided to create a tribute to the turntable, and design a "Stereo Lounge" to showcase this melodic icon. We liked the idea of vinyl records being played as the centerpiece of the room, with speakers lining the walls that become almost architectural. In addition we wanted to celebrate the art of craftsmanship and incorporated several elements that were made by hand. We had a lot of fun with the concept as well as the execution and so far the response has been terrific! But we certainly couldn't have pulled this off on our own without the help of a talented group of individuals. We'd like to thank the following people for their time and effort as well as their incredible generosity:

Contractor: Taconic Builders
Painter: Robert Star
Wood for Custom Speaker Wall Panels: LV Wood

Millwork: Minzner
Decorative Painting: See Painting
Sofas: BDDW
Coffee Table: BDDW
Rug: Stark Carpet
Hanging Light Fixture: Akari Lighting
Cowhide Rugs and Leather Pillows: Moore and Giles Leather
Drapery Fabric: Schumacher
Drapery Production: Martin Albert
Decorative Book Shelving: Chris Lehrecke
Pottery: Weinberg Modern
Leather Chair and Ottoman by Max Gottschalk: Weinberg Modern
Electrical: Apollo New York
Metal Work: Morgik Metal
Misc. Upholstery: Prestige Upholstery
Mongolian Lamb covered Stools: Brad Ford ID
Alpaca Throws: D. Bryant Archie Textiles
Audio Visual: Info@eeny.net

The showhouse is full of amazing talent and there's still two weeks left to stop by and check it out and support this wonderful cause. You can learn more about tickets, address, hours of operation, etc. by clicking here and also get a sneak preview of what you'll see by clicking here for a great review from the New York Times. Enjoy. (3rd and 4th photos above by Trevor Tondro, all others by Nick Johnson)