The mother of all show houses is now open in New York…the 42nd Annual Kips Bay Decorator Show House 2014. This year top designers have transformed and revived The Villard Mansion on Madison. Adjacent via a grand courtyard to the luxury hotel The New York Palace, this gilded-era mansion is situated in the most luxurious shopping district in the heart of Manhattan.

An icon of old New York, the building was designed and constructed in 1884 on the Southeast corner of 51st Street and Madison Avenue, and renovated in 2011. Architectural details within the six-story and 26,190 square- foot space include a grand staircase, 16-foot high ceilings, several Italian marble fireplaces, marble floored hallways, and a carved panel room with barrel-vaulted ceilings.

Proceeds from the Decorator Show House benefit the Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club which helps more than 11,000 youth ages 6-18 in ten locations throughout the Bronx with after-school and enrichment programs.

Open May 1 through May 29 – it’s sure to be a must see event if you are in, near, or visiting the New York area. It’s a worthy cause, and a wealth of beauty to behold and ideas be inspired by.