Kips Bay was where a lot of these ideas first saw the light. This year's show house served for 30 years as the Manhattan office of late philanthropist Paul Mellon, according to Barbara Anderson Terry, the sales broker who is showing the 1915 house through Douglas Elliman. During press week, held before the bronze doors of 713 Park Ave. were opened to the public, the rooms were a flurry of activity as designers rearranged vases overflowing with tulips, vacuumed their finished spaces and greeted small groups of editors who were making the rounds. You never know who is around the corner. It turned out to be Architectural Digest Editor in Chief Paige Rense and her husband, abstract expressionist artist Kenneth Noland, who were checking out the pair of Noland paintings Britt had installed on the pale gray walls of the room.
Asian things can go both ways.
The third-floor kitchen contained a surprising Asian touch. The company's sleeker line combines the warmth of wood with some fun extras. Some of the latest details from Smallbone showcased here include drawers custom-fitted to hold cups, plates and bowls in your collection as well as functional and stylish drawer liners made of ribbed black rubber. Just in case the imaginary owners of this house actually want to dine in, Matthew Patrick Smyth's crisp dining room would be the perfect place. The room has a wall of framed 18th-century engravings of Paris and a large round table covered in a kiwi plaid cloth that looks like a ballgown.