House Beautiful Magazine's Next Wave of American Designers

The Next Wave of American interior designers with House Beautiful's Shax Riegler, Kate Kelly Smith and Newell Turner.  

I had the pleasure last week of attending a luncheon hosted by House Beautiful magazine at the Hearst Tower on 8th Avenue at 57th Street. The event was held to celebrate the interior designers who have been spotlighted on the magazine's popular "Next Wave" page which identifies emerging talent all over the country. In this month's issue, for example, young designer Patrick Mele is profiled –

House Beautiful, which is 118 years old this year, has been celebrating emerging talent since 1998 when then-editor Lou Gropp started a feature with a round-up which included, among others, Thomas Jayne, William Sofield and Barbara Barry, who, of course, have gone on to become well-recognized American designers. At the luncheon on the 44th floor of the Hearst Tower, 19 recent New Wave designers were in attendance along with a congenial crowd of the magazine's friends.

A trip to the Hearst Tower is always a treat. The views of the city from the 44th floor dining room are truly breathtaking.
Looking north with Central Park below –

Guests sat down to a lovely lunch of pumpkin and goat cheese croquettes with roasted baby beets and ruby grapefruit –

followed by pan-seared cod with spaghetti squash and roasted brussel sprouts –

Delicious!
Hearst Design Group Editorial Director Newell Turner took to the podium to welcome guests and introduce the Next Wave designers who had traveled from across the country to attend. He spoke about his passion for American decorating and the history of American decorating, and how House Beautiful was committed to nurturing rising talent. "And always bring your new projects to us first!" he said to laughter across the room.
Yours truly with Design Group Publishing Director Kate Kelly Smith –

When the luncheon was over, on the way out I marveled again at the Hearst Tower which is a stunning building. The original six floor building was constructed in 1928 by William Randolph Hearst. Architect Norman Foster added a 46 floor tower on top which was completed in 2006. Here you can see, in this picture of the company cafeteria, how the tower ingeniously rises over the original six story facade. An escalator goes down to the street level –

Here is the escalator going up. It's surrounded on both sides by a waterfall, which offers a quiet, peaceful way to enter a corporate office building –

It's great design. And here's to the future of American decorating!

Hearst Magazines Designer Visions at the Walker Tower

With pal Michael Boodro, the editor of Elle Decor.
Three interior designers recently did their magic in three residences for the Hearst Magazines Designer Visions showcase in the newly renovated Walker Tower on West 18th Street so I toddled over to the gala opening. After all, it's only three blocks from the apartment!

The Art Deco-style Walker Tower was built in 1929 by architect Ralph Walker for the New York Telephone Company.  The New York Times called Walker "the architect of the century," and Frank Lloyd Wright said he was "the only other honest architect." Later, Verizon used the building which was recently bought and converted into luxury residences. Very luxury. Just yesterday, the building's penthouse apartment went into contract for almost $55 million, which is a real estate record for downtown Manhattan. Verizon still occupies the first seven floors, and the new apartments in the upper floors have sold or are being sold; Cameron Diaz was spotted checking out the building.
Archival photo of the Walker Tower in Chelsea – 

For the Hearst Designer Visions showcase, designers Allesandra Branca decorated an apartment for Elle Decor, Jamie Drake created one for House Beautiful, and Carlos Aparicio went to work for Veranda. The party was mobbed with guests and it was hard to take pictures of the residences, which will be featured in upcoming issues of the magazines, but I did manage to get a few snaps. I ran into my friend Michael Boodro, the editor of Elle Decor, who told me more about the magazine's apartment.

Allesandra Branca, who designs a collection of fabrics for Schumacher, combined vivid reds and blues in a guest room for an Elle Decor residence.


"Allesandra took a huge raw space and made it into a colorful yet sophisticated family home," he said. "She used lots of pinks and reds, and showed how different fabrics and patterns can be harmonious and not clash. It's a practical but glamorous apartment."
A pretty vignette –

Designer Jamie Drake is renowned for his bold use of color, and he brought his signature touch to his apartment for House Beautiful. There was a golden foyer, a pink living room, a blue media room, and an aquamarine bedroom which was conveniently punctuated by this stylish guest in a scarlet red dress and matching bag. 

Across the hall I met Clinton Smith, the new editor of Veranda magazine. Clinton reported that designer Carlos Aparicio is the owner of Gallery BAC in Soho, which deals in 20th century European antiques. For the Veranda apartment, Aparicio mixed in pieces by masters including Jean-Michel Frank to create an interior that was inspired by the craftsmanship and quality of the period between the wars.

Throughout the three residences, a common feature was the jaw-dropping, 360 degree views. The building has new floor-to-ceiling windows, and the resulting site lines are fantastic. Here, a luxurious bathtub looks downtown toward the new Freedom Tower on the site of the World Trade Center.

On the other side of the building, a view uptown –

Many of the apartments in the Walker Tower have stunning outdoor terraces. I love the timeless, graceful Art Deco architecture – very "Gotham City."

"After you –" 

It's always fun to go out and see new designers and new buildings and new views –

And that is why we love New York.

Hearst Magazines Designer Visions

TD and I at Hearst's Gala - photo by Annie Watt
On a cold, rainy night TD and I headed down to Tribeca for some warm, colorful style at Hearst Magazine's Designer Visions showhouse which consisted of three designer apartments at 250 West Street, a turn-of-the-century warehouse building which faces the Hudson River and has been converted into luxury condos.

Three designers were enlisted to decorate apartments for three Hearst magazines - David Rockwell for House Beautiful, Matthew Patrick Smyth for Elle Decor, and Antony Todd for Veranda. We checked our coats and umbrellas and joined the throngs at the elevator which delivered us to the floor where the three apartments in different sizes and shapes are located.

A well-dressed crowd squeezed into the apartments as cocktails and hors d'oeuvres were passed. David Rockwell's apartment for House Beautiful featured dramatic gestures like a big chandelier and Baroque wallpaper in the bedroom. In Elle Decor's apartment by Matthew Patrick Smyth, I said hello to my friend editor-in-chief Michael Boodro. "I almost cried when I first saw this apartment," he confessed. "It has a room with no windows, and a big column in the middle of the living room. But Matthew did a great job. This is perfect proof of what a good decorator can do. It's design magic." The designer turned the windowless room into a dining room and cleverly layered it with three different striking patterns of Schumacher wallpaper which resemble black and white mosaics. The offending column was painted a dark grey to match the walls and so seems to disappear.

We grabbed a Bellini along the way and proceeded on to the Veranda apartment decorated by Antony Todd. The open living room was the largest "party" space so it was a good place to hang out. Nibbles were offered on a table lit by tall taper candles. 

I had interviewed Antony Todd before over the phone for Out magazine, so I said hello. Antony is a charming Australian with an appropriately attractive accent -

Antony told me that he wanted to treat the apartment as a "downtown loft, and keep it light and airy, almost as if it is undecorated." Throughout the apartment hung large paintings by Thomas Fougeirol, which give the space an artistic downtown attitude. A glowing red canvas by Fougeirol was hung by a tall window which revealed the West Side Highway glittering in the rain (below). Windows to the right faced the Hudson River. You can't go wrong in New York City with a river view.

Veranda editor-in-chief Dara Caponigro was enjoying the festiveness of the room. "Antony was the perfect designer for this space," she told me. "The decorating is laid-back and super chic. It's what Veranda stands for which is livable luxury."
Dara and Antony -

The showcase is shoppable too – you can buy furniture or accessories found in or inspired by the showhouse at the website Dering Hall. When the weather is not conducive to being outdoors, thinking about improving interiors is a lovely antidote to the gloomy days of winter.