Robin Baron Design

I love design showcases! They are always so inspirational, especially the ones that combines fashion with interior design! After all they are so related… well I may be biased since I started my career as a fashion designer! The American Fashion: Designers at the Aldyn Showhouse seems to agree with me though!

The American Fashion Showcase was based in the apartments from the new Upper West Side Extell property, The Aldyn. Many of the rooms were a collaboration between a fashion and interior designer, blending the two worlds. Some room were created by an interior designer inspired by a fashion legend.

The event benefited The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), an organization consisting of over 370 of America’s foremost fashion designers that offer programs which support professional development and scholarships, as well as raising funds for various charitable causes.

The Richard Avedon  inspired foyer by Sean Johnson Interior Decoration was as fabulous as the famous photographer’s photos themselves!

The mod feeling of this “Op Art” rug lured me into this mod office, designed by Nicole Miller with Jennifer Garrigues and Diana El Daher! Complete with flower power walls and a funky fashion filled closet… that literally feels like you’ve been pulled into the 1960s! The fun pops of color would keep me going all day and who wouldn’t want to make calls on a phone as fun as that stand up orange phone is?!

This Liz Lange/Jonathan Adler kids room collaboration was great fun! Filled with colors and bold patterns it would spark any child’s creativity. My favorite detail was the artwork done by children hanging whimsically on the walls.

{All photos thanks to Jessica Kelly Photography}

Diane Von Furstenburg’s clothes always have great patterned fabrics, so I wouldn’t expect anything less in her collaboration with the Delrose Design Group for this living space. Creatively separating the bedroom space from the fab living area are wonderful graphic features including the drapes that divide the spaces and the zebra patterned rug. Plus the view from the windows only enhance the luxe feel of this penthouse apartment.

I love Robert Kuo! He’s an artist and designer of fabulous furniture and accessories. Whether its his repousse hammered metal technique which dates back to the Han Dynasty or his Cloisonné technique of the Song Dynasty each piece holds its roots in ancient Chinese heritage and creates extraordinary pieces for a home.

The way he juxtaposes texture in contrast with his lacquered finishes like one of these red detailed pieces above is intoxicating… and the strawberry sculpture (which you would expect to be red) is a wonderful play on the senses. Known for his impeccable craftmanship, (this table top alone has 120 layers of the tree sap used to create the lacquer, and many of his pieces take over one year to produce) each piece is truly a work of art!

I recently attended a wonderful launch party for the new Robert Kuo fabric line for S. Harris. Robert has very successfully transformed his signature artistic style into fabric form and the outcome is stunning!

I just loved how Robert interpreted  his signature textures from his furniture collection to his new fabric patterns…this cloud pattern is a wonderful example. I can’t wait to use some of these exciting new fabrics from Robert Kuo’s collaboration with S. Harris in my clients’ homes!

Leave it to Martha Stewart to inspire! She been inspiring all of us for many years and has done it again with the launch of her new cabinetry collection with Home Depot for Martha Stewart Living. I went to the opening party at her Chelsea offices to check it out. It was an exciting event with signature cocktails, decorative paint technique demonstrations, and most importantly a beautiful array of her new cabinetry line… the looks, the material, and the detailing are about the best I’ve seen anywhere for the money.

Martha Stewart Living is doing it all…cabinets, countertops, hardware, glass…everything but the kitchen sink, but I’m sure that’s on its way! She even has displays showing how you can reinterpret the cabinetry to be used in laundry rooms, offices, or anywhere else you can think of! Martha introduced her line at the opening, and it was fun to see her personally. I enjoyed hearing about her favorite nuances in the line first hand and seeing her unquestionable enthusiasm.

As I mentioned, the collection goes beyond just cabinetry. The  counter tops for her new line are made from Corian. Now let me just say that this is a material that I’ve never honestly liked before, but I’ve never seen it look so good! The new stone-like looks of her Martha Stewart Living Corian gives this material by Dupont a more natural, textured feeling making it very appealing.

The cabinetry itself comes in a variety of style options and finishes enabling you to create your own dream kitchen. Not to mention the detailing that is available , like the great painted colors, glass selection, and custom looking brackets pictured below from the Seal Harbor style in the Picket Fence color.

All in all I must say… I am impressed. Kudos to Martha Stewart Living!

A: This is not the first time I’ve been asked to save a marriage through design! Yes, you can make this work by making it look intentional. Make sure the other hardware in the room mixes the two finishes.  Use chrome towel bars and put out brass accessories like a soap dish, tissue box or small vases. Sometimes these innocent mistakes make for the most interesting design choices.