Observer Home Spring 2010

Seven Kids, Country House and a Bravo TV Show ■ Inside the World of Real Estate Staging
spring 2010
A Young Family’s Park Avenue

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Contents
An antique Biedermeier
chest and muted colors
bring a sensuality to
Sandra Nunnerley’s bedroom
in an East Side townhouse (p. 42).
52 A Family Affair
In a Park Avenue apartment that once
belonged to Barbara Walters, a young
family’s urbane taste creates a very
contempory-looking classic.
60 Rustic Hideaway
Juan Montoya’s Dutchess County retreat
encompasses 110 acres, lake included.
66 A Nest Grows in Brooklyn

Artist Patrick Dougherty searches for the
perfect saplings and then weaves fantasy
shelters. His arrival this summer at the
Brooklyn Botanic Garden will be greeted
by much tweeting from both species.
72 Same but Different

Lusting after one of those glamorous
Saarinen pedestal tables? Fear not. We
show you how to live happily ever after
with substitutes.
Seven children, six bikes

at the Novogratz house
in Great Barrington (p. 34).
FEATURES
34 Nine is Enough
Robert and Cortney Novogratz, along with
their seven kids, have moved more than
15 times, renovating and flipping
properties in the city. Their 100-year-old
country farmhouse is a keeper, though.
42 Art and Commerce

For this modish bird feeder
Sandra Nunnerley, a onetime art dealer–
from MoMA and bench from Room
turned–decorator, brings her connoisseur’s
and Board in Soho, see pages 10 and 12.
eye to an Upper East Side townhouse.
48 Small is Beautiful
Russell Bush has lived in a tiny, one-bed-
room, prewar apartment for more than 30
years. The size hasn’t stopped him from
collecting all of his favorite things.
Cover photograph by Tim Street-Porter
4 the home observer spring 2010

HQ 101 Washington Street Paterson, NJ 973-279-3000 | 1105 Mt. Kemble Ave. Rt. 202 Morristown, NJ 973-425-5500
greenbauminteriors.com
Architecture outlier Zaha Hadid with designer Karl Lagerfeld.
in the shops
10 Decked Out
This season’s fresh crop of outdoor furnishings.
By Marianne Rohrlich
Collecting
14 Staged, Startled and Photographed
A selection of current photo gallery shows, including edgy
newby Hasted Hunt in Chelsea. By Alex Taylor
real estate
18 When All the World’s Real Estate Is Staged
Not content to ask clients to use their imaginations when
viewing their empty new buildings, developers employ
professionals to create super-model apartments.
By Chloe Malle.
22 The Mighty Starchitects

A brief history, including some pointed hobnobbing with
the A-listers. By Tim Street-Porter
23 My Life With the Power Brokers

The highs and lows of a beat reporter following the
stratospheric Manhattan market. By Max Abelson
on the shelves
24 Zaha’s Aha! Moments
A review of Zaha Hadid Complete Works.
By Chloe Malle
28 A Feast of All Things Ponti

A newly repackaged book on the design legend.
By Tim Street-Porter
32 A Clearing in the Woods

A photo-driven book on 25 contemporary gardens.
Exclusive US Distribution BY
Country Gear Ltd.

By Nancy Butkus
in the neighborhood
80 Mucho Musto
2408 Main Street, bridgehampton, ny 11932 The dean of downtown nightlife lives—who would have
631.537.1032 guessed?—in Murry Hill. By Annie Kelly
www.countrygearltd.com

INSTANT APPEAL
Iconic images by the 20th century’s
most talented artists
Those in search of works by the 20th century’s
foremost talents need look no further than
our April sale of Prints & Multiples, where
you can find masterpieces for your home
with estimates starting at $1,000. Look for
eye-catching works by Andy Warhol, Pablo
Picasso, Edvard Munch, George Bellows and
Martin Lewis, whose spontaneous moments
of daily life in New York City offer a nostalgic
look at a bygone era.
Prints & Multiples

APRIL 26–27
Viewing: April 23–25
Inquiries: +1 212 636 2290
left: right:
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NEW YORK
APRIL 2010
20 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020
+1 212 636 2000
NY Observer:Home Observer - Spring 2010 3/11/10 10:21 AM Page 1
silas seandel studio

FINE SCULPTURED FURNITURE
A signed original sculpture by
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editorial Director Nancy Butkus
Editors annie kelly and tim street-porter
art director BARBARA SULLIVAN
production director Tyler Rush
contributors max abelson

Chloe Malle
Joshua Mchugh
Marianne Rohrlich
Alex Taylor
Sara vilkomerson
Photo editor peter lettre
Copy editor Chris cronis

“SUNSPOTS TOO”
A cocktail table executed in cast bronze
with copper, brass, bronze and steel accents. Associate Publisher betty shaw lederman
Shown with a 60" x 30" x 3/4" glass top.
The HOme Observer
Available in any size.
Account Managers
551 WEST 22nd ST, NEW YORK, NY 10011 • Tel: 212.645.5286 David Gursky
View the collection at www.SilasSeandel.com Michelle Morgan
FREE INDOOR PARKING David Wolff
Sales Assistant Elana Delasos
Publisher Jared Kushner
editor, the New york observer kyle pope
President, Observer Media Group Christopher Barnes
Senior Vice President Stephen Goldberg
Executive Vice President Barry Lewis
THE NEW YORK OBSERVER

915 Broadway, 9th Floor
New York, NY 10010
212.755.2400
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We’ve happily added some new contributors to this issue.

Marianne Rohrlich, of New York Times Personal Shopper fame,
scouted the city for colorful outdoor furnishings (pp. 10, 12). Alex
Taylor, contributor to ARTnews, checked out the new photography
show at cutting-edge Chelsea gallery Hasted Hunt (pp. 14, 16).
Observer culture editor Sara Vilkomerson interviewed Cortney
Novogratz, mother of seven, about their family retreat in Great Bar-
rington and their new Bravo show (p. 34). Chloe Malle, Observer
residential real estate reporter, navigated the world of staging for
Introducing Upholstery! condo developers (pp. 18, 20), and another reporter down the hall,
Max Abelson, reminiced about his days with a special New York
breed—high-end realtors (p. 23). Finally, the intrepid husband-and-
15% trade discount on fabric wife duo, Tim Street-Porter and Annie Kelly, took us uptown
for registered design professionals and down, uncovering many dream apartments. Their new book,
Rooms to Inspire in the City (Rizzoli), is due out this month.
www.RobertaRollerRabbit.com

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in the shops
Modern Wing
A folding bird feeder of
white painted steel is $50
at MoMA. Momastore.org,
800-851-4509; 81 Spring
Street (at Crosby Street),
or 44 West 53rd Street. Faux Fleurs A 10-inch square
patch of fake green grass,
with or without flowers, is
$20 at CITE. Citenyc.com,
866-764-0888; 131 Greene
Street (at Houston Street).
Decked Out
With longer days and warmer
nights, the desire to stay outside Shine a Little Light
can be downright overwhelming, Solig, a set of three 2-inch-wide,
just like when we were kids, battery-operated LED lights are
ignoring our mother’s call to come $2.99 (they shine for about 90 hours
home. The new crop of colorful and are not rechargeable) at Ikea
stores. Ikea.com or call 800-434-
furnishings for outdoor living
4532 for store locations.
provides the perfect excuse to stay
out after dark, light up the barbecue
and check out the night sky.
by marianne rohrlich Perch
The Shadowy Chair by Tord
Boontje is made in Senegal of
woven nylon cord on a steel frame
and goes for $2,898 at Anthropolo-
gie. Anthropologie.com or call 800-
309-2500 for store locations.
Plated and Popped

Sorrento, Melamine dinner
plates in a choice of four colors
are $5.95 each or $19.95 for a set
of four at Crate & Barrel. Crate
andbarrel.com or call 800-967- At Your Service
6696 for store locations. Garcon, a rolling cart
with two removable
serving trays, is $69.95
at CB2. Cb2.com or call
800-606-6252; 451 Broad
way (at Broome Street).

in the shops
A Seussical Pot
Sky pots hold plants upside down
and have an internal reservoir for self-
watering. In three sizes: small, $55;
medium, $75; and large, $95. At Flora
N.Y. Florany.com or call 212-274-1887;
85 Franklin Street (at Church Street).
Baby Bar-B
Bodum’s 15-inch barbecue
Sunshine grill is $55 at Mxyplyzyk.
A string of eight Mxyplyzyk.com or call 800-
solar-powered LED 243-9810; 125 Greenwich
globe lights will stay Avenue (at 13th Street) or
lit for about nine 10 Columbus Circle (Time
hours when fully Warner Center).
charged; $19.99 at
Ikea stores. ikea.com
or call 800-434-4532
for locations.
Red, Rustic and Recycled

Emmet, a modern
version of a rustic-style
sofa, made of recycled
plastic, is $649 at Room
& Board. Roomandboard.
com or call 800-301-9720;
105 Wooster Street (at
Spring Street).
By the Yard, Olé

Outdoor fabric in-
spired by Mexican
textiles is $54-$136
a yard, from Sina
Pearson. Sinapear-
son.com or call
212-366-1146; 150
Varick Street (at
Spring Street).
Salad Days
A large plastic bowl shaped like a lettuce leaf
is $9.99 (a small one is $4.99) at Tarzian West.
Tarzian-west.com or call 718-788-4213; 194
Seventh Avenue (at Second Street) Brooklyn.

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collecting
Staged, Startled and Photographed

by Alex Taylor well known, and about half have re-
Contemporary photography is moving ceived lavish retrospective treatment
so fast that it’s easy to forget that the in New York in recent years. Robert
medium, invented in the late 1830s, is Frank, fresh off last fall’s triumph at the
still in its youth. Has it really only been Met, is represented by two images from
170 years? It seems longer. This is part- The Americans, his traveling, late-’50s
ly because mass culture and art culture dispatch from the American Empire of
are saturated with images, and because Solitude. And yet it’s Avedon, forever
technological tricks like Photoshop gracious, who comes across as the su-
continue to crush painting in terms of perbly adept figure of the last half of the
formal inventiveness and fictive manip- past century. His portraits of power and
ulation. More changes are on the way, beauty types combine courtly manners
as digital replaces film and further al- with an almost interrogatory formal
ters the meaning of the medium, which candor derived from his use of silver
used to mean a kind of documentary backdrops and sets. Attention from
“truth” but no longer does. This is creating all small, handsome show of work by eminences Avedon equals eminence, even if the subject
sorts of impossible philosophical problems for including Robert Frank, Richard Avedon, Irving was as slickly exotic as the German actress Nas-
artists, curators and the public to think about. In Penn, Helen Levitt, William Eggleston, Garry tassja Kinski posed with a happy-to-see-her boa
the meantime, the gallery Hasted Hunt Kraeut- Winogrand and Lee Friedlander. The show runs constrictor. The photo, Nastassja Kinski and
ler in Chelsea organized “Great Photographs until May 1. the serpent, Los Angeles, California (1981), origi-
of the 20th century: Staged and Startled,” a All the photographers in the exhibition are nally ran in Vogue and has been included in the
Still startling after

all these years:
Richard Avedon’s
Nastassja Kinski and
the serpent (1981);
and above, Joel Sternfeld’s
McLean, Virginia,
December 4, 1978.
Courtesy HASTED HUNT KRAEUTLER/NYC.

38 Annualth
2010
Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club Decorator Show House, originally scheduled
for April 30 - May 28, has been postponed until Fall 2010.
Please check www.kipsbay.org for updates on the revised schedule.
Thank you for your continued support of this time-honored tradition and important
fundraiser. The Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club Decorator Show House raises critical
funds for the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club, which provides much needed afterschool
and enrichment programs for 13,000 children throughout the Bronx.
Sponsored by:
collecting
On the Watch List

James Welling
at David Zwirner
For this show, Welling’s fifth
at the gallery, the artist has
trained his camera on to Philip
Johnson’s 1949 Glass House,
that swank suburban hideaway
home of postwar architecture in
New Canaan, Conn. Departing
from some of his more doggedly experimental procedures, Welling photo-
graphed the building and it’s surrounding 47-acre compound with a series
of color filters between the lenses. The resulting series achieve luminous,
almost psychedelic affects as Welling captures the building at morning
daybreak and its radiant reflection. These pictures are so sublimely beau-
tiful that they become a little useless, too. Come to think of it: Wasn’t that
the idea behind Johnson’s design?
“Glass House” continues through April 24 at David Zwirner, 525 West 19th
Lisette Model’a Fashion Show, Hotel Pierre, 1940-46.
Street, Chelsea, 212-727-2070, davidzwirner.com.
Ryan McGinley
“Staged and Started” as a glossy, plus-size print.
at Team Gallery
Also included in the show are a series of contrastable When the book is written on the
works by Eggleston and Friedlander, both masters whose youth craze in contemporary
subject may be fairly termed the nova of everyday but of art, the 32-year-old McGinley
wildly different temperaments. Eggleston is a Southern bred may well merit a chapter. (His
friend, the artist Dash Snow, who
raconteur in love with the lush, dye-transfer color. Fried-
died last summer at the age of
lander is a rigorous formalist (he works in black and white) 27, merits a chapter, too, albeit
who works with a swiveled rhythm and hipster humor. In a cautionary one.) Since his debut at the Whitney Museum seven years
New York City (1966), the artist appears, as a hovering shad- ago, with photos of young downtown types caught in exquisite states of
ow, on the back of a woman’s coat. A photograph by Fried- stupidity, McGinley has had a much-in-demand career as the chief life-
lander of, say, a dense street scene, rarely gives itself up for style photographer of youth. Since then he’s shot assignments for Vice
and The Times. This latest show, of black-and-white nudes, stretches his
Courtesy HASTED HUNT KRAEUTLER/NYC; Courtesy David Zwirner, New York; Courtesy Team Gallery and Ryan McGinley;
first impressions. Come to think of it, neither does life.
range. It will be interesting to see how McGinley develops from here.
Most of the works in “Staged and Startled” fall within “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere” continues through April 17 at Team
the documentary tradition of photography. An exception Gallery, 83 Grand Street, Soho, 212-29-9219, teamgal.com.
is a photograph of the celebrity couple Angelina Jolie and
JoAnn Verburg
Brad Pitt by Steven Klein, the newest in the show. Titled at Pace/MacGill
Case Study #13 no. 18 (2005), the photo recycles Bonnie and In 2007-2008, Verburg had a mid-ca-
Ledge, 2009: Copyright JoAnn Verburg, Courtesy Pace/MacGill Gallery, New York
Clyde–style glamour—Pitt points a handgun; Jolie bares reer survey at MoMA and the Walker
a tattooed arm and mugs for the camera—in a stripped- Art Center in Minneapolis that covered
down, blank setting that may either be a cheap motel suite a career that’s moved from early, con-
ceptually under documentary images of
or, more likely, a set for a shoot. It’s anyone’s guess. This is
the American West to immersive, multi-
photography surrounded by invisible quotation marks—a paneled triptychs of Mediterranean olive
distinctly 21st-century picture coming out of the image trees. Her recent work from the ancient
glut and indistinct memories. Haven’t we seen this before? Italian hill town of Spoleto is among her
Haven’t we seen everything before? That is one of those best. Her multilayered photos of the city
capture it’s narrow streets, angled al-
questions photography will have to answer as it heads into
leyways and classically decrepit stucco
a unnerving new decade. fronts. These images are, on the surface,
materially minded. They tell a deeper story about the time lapsing and the
“Great Photographs of the 20th Century: Staged and Startled” movement of time, as do portraits of certain Spoleto citizens.
continues through May 1 at the Hasted Hunt Kraeutler, 537 W. “Interruptions” continues through May 1 at Pace MacGill, 32 East 57th
24th St., Chelsea, 212-627-0006, hastedhuntkraeutler.com. Street, ninth floor, midtown, 212-759-7999, pacemacgill.com. —A.T.

220 East 60th Street bet. 2nd & 3rd Aves. •
Please join us for an art preview and cocktail reception on
April 21 & 22, 2010 • 5-9 pm
real estate
When All the World’s

Real Estate Is Staged
By Chloe Malle But as the nuances and complexities of resi-
Model, or “staged,” apartments are no new addi- dential real estate development continue to mul-
tion to the world of luxury real estate marketing. tiply like bacteria in a Petri dish, the motivation
The artfully staged apartment is a furniture-laden behind model apartments varies per project.
showcase providing prospective buyers the abil- Five Thirty-five West End Avenue employed
ity to imagine actually living in the space their a collaborative (or competitive, depending
Robin Standefer, one-half of broker hopes they will decide to call home. Corc- on how you look at it) approach to its model
Roman and Williams, shopped for oran agent Leslie Marshall, who handles sales at apartments: Each one of 15 high-end interior
all the furniture and objects for Third + Bond, a new development that contains designers were assigned the task of decorating
the 211 Elizabeth Street apart- one of the model apartments shown on these one room. The completion of the designs were
ment herself, explaining, “There pages, with interiors “curated” by Pratt students celebrated with a charity gala, and the finished
is a certain spontaneity to it; the and faculty, told The Observer: “People have a dif- spaces were on display for a month. Designer In-
place got very layered.” Fresh ficult time imagining living in a space if it is just son Wood, who decorated one the largest spaces,
flowers and expensive hand soap empty, bare rooms. They wonder, ‘Is this room told The Observer: “We had up to 200 people a
mark the Calcatta Gold marble big enough for a dining table?’ Or, ‘Could a king- day, every day. It was so popular! It’s a great way
bathrooms as lived in. size bed fit in the master bedroom?’ The model of getting press for the building.”
apartment answers those questions for them. It At 211 Elizabeth Street, the bespoke, historical-
helps people envision themselves there.” ly conscious apartment building in Nolita, archi-

REPRESENTING MANHATTAN’S
NIKKI FIELD P R E M I E R P RO P E RT I E S
The Field Team

Nikki Field, Senior Vice President, Associate Broker, 212.606.7669
Kevin B. Brown, Senior Vice President, Associate Broker, 212.606.7748
Helen Marcos, Associate Broker, 212.606.7747
Jeanne H. Bucknam, Associate Broker, 212.606.7717
Zoe Haydock, Sales Associate, 212.606.7727
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real estate
Inson Wood, one of the

interior designers at
535 WEA, “tried to take
it [the design] very
personally.” The walls
are treated with a five-
layer strie glaze, and the
pricey art is on loan.
tects Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch of Ro-

man and Williams were asked by the developers
to design a model apartment in the building with
themselves as the envisioned inhabitants. The
finished product featured black, hand-lacquered
walnut cabinets, replete with Italian tomato At Third and Bond,
sauce and a tall bottle of San Pellegrino stowed the model apartments
inside, and luxurious area rugs drawing attention provide Pratt students
to the walnut-herringbone parquet floors. Ms. with the opportunity to
Stadefer confessed to The Observer: “Steven and display their own eco-
I are not that fond of model apartments. They friendly designs, such as
always seem extremely generic with very little the dual-height bench
character.” So the dynamic design-duo—whose from David Zachary fea-
other credits include the Standard and Ace hotels tured here.
—insisted on one condition. “We told them, ‘We
need you to let us make this a very real home as
opposed to a home/sales office.’ So we embarked
on it and really thought of it with ourselves as the
owners. We used ourselves as the benchmark,
which is really something that every designer
does to a certain extent.”

MANHATTAN PROPERTIES
Local Experts Worldw ide
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240 EAST 47TH STREET: Extensively renovated 3,600± 980 FIFTH AVENUE: Exceptionally large 6-room on the HAMPSHIRE HOUSE GLAMOUR: CPS. Triple mint
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real estate
The Mighty
Starchitects
By Tim Street-Porter
“Starchitects Conquer New York” is the title of
a recent, well-researched blog post on Curbed
NY’s Web site. (For the uninitiated: This is an
indispensable source for architecture and real
estate news and gossip.) The piece’s New York Jean Nouvel conquers New
Post–style heading spells out the state of play York. Below: Frank Gehry
between the city’s major developers and the addresses the faithful.
architectural community. Not all architects are

nerdy like Steve Martin’s stereotypical charac-
ter in It’s Complicated. They can be glamorous!
Well, a few anyway. Fortune only knocks on about successful protagonists of the “Mother
the door of a chosen few: those with talent to I asked a very dignified of the Arts,” as architecture was traditionally
spare, huge entrepreneurial skills and the right James Stirling, a senior British described? Well, yes. There was more politesse
connections. However, the purpose of this in the Renaissance, or whenever that phrase was
excellent blog was to show us that New York
A-lister if he ever signed coined. But they didn’t have dental care then,
is finally getting some exciting new buildings autographs. “I don’t do those”, and the word “hip” didn’t exist, so I’m happy
after decades of mediocrity. was his pointed reply. living in today’s world, putting up as gracefully
In the three decades leading up to the pres- as possible with today’s tabloid-isms. There are
ent century, important new architecture was some who really do get upset, though, and one of
created in most places (London, Berlin, Paris, seen on Curbed NY’s post (including the New them is Frank Gehry. As reported in Curbed NY,
Tokyo and so on), but not in New York. (On Museum in the Bowery, whose architects, Sanaa, when asked in an interview with the London
a walking tour around midtown 10 years ago are this year’s Pritzker Prize winners), not to Independent newspaper if he was a starchitect,
with Herbert Muschamp, the late architecture mention myriad projects that tragically never he replied, “I don’t know who invented that
critic of The New York Times, we passed Eero made it to fruition, thanks to the credit crunch f*****g word starchitect. I am not a star-chitect.
Saarinen’s CBS building and agreed that it was (including brilliant high-rises by Calatrava and I’m an architect!” Well, perhaps, but Frank has
the city’s last decent skyscraper; it was built in Herzog & Meuron). New York is now a proud not always been shy of courting his legend. Dur-
1965.) Then, as the new century dawned, New patron of the new architecture; radical buildings ing the earlier days of his A-list status, while he
York’s property developers finally discovered by A-list designers are now commonplace in the exhibited models of his Disney Concert Hall at
that putting big-name, Pritzker Prize–winning Big Apple. This is so welcome. Recent architec- the Venice Biennale, I witnessed him outside the
designers on the marquee gave a cachet to your ture, hitherto the dull background of our envi- U.S. pavilion, autographing programs for a line of
next co-op project, as had ronmental consciousness, can fans stretching around the entire building, then
already proved to be the case now be as hip and sophisticated posing at a window from the inside as more fans
in Europe. Good for business, as the contents of art galleries outside took his photo. I also remember hanging
in other words. In the blink and store window displays, the out with Suzanne Stephens, the distinguished
of an eye, the international ads on billboards and the sar- Progressive Architecture editor who, during the
A-listers—Renzo Piano, Fe- torial gestures of fashionable early ’80s, had championed the fledgling careers
lix Calatrava, Jean Nouvel, pedestrians. And an antidote to of the New York Seven, a group of young archi-
Sir Norman Foster, Richard the soullessness of so much of tects, many of whom—including Gehry—are now
Meier, Frank Gehry, Herzog our surroundings, like the row A-listers. She could barely get the time of day
Tim Street-Porter; getty images
and Meuron, et al.—were all of Trump Palaces that line an from all the starchitects wafting grandly around
to be seen disembarking at interminable stretch of the up- the receptions with their entourages. As a foot-
Kennedy, brandishing plans. per West Side Highway. note, I asked a very dignified James Stirling, a
The results of this enlight- “Starchitects,” though? senior British A-lister, if he ever signed auto-
ened business activity can be Isn’t this a vulgar way to talk graphs. “I don’t do those,” was his pointed reply.

New York Observer:Home Observer - Spring 3/10/10 12:46 PM Page 1
The MANHATTAN
ART & ANTIQUES CENTER
www.the-maac.com
Celebrating our 35th Anniversary
My Life With the Power Brokers
L ast November, after three years of writing

about magnificently overpriced New York
residential real estate, I moved to the Wall Street
beat. It is sober and civilized by comparison.
What I feel nostalgic for isn’t the real es-
tate itself. Even though it’s fun to visit cosmic “Stockholm III” chandelier, by Rene Lalique. Dia. 37". “Child’s Chair” by Charles & Ray Eames. Ca. 1945.
Manhattan homes—like the hand-built third PAUL STAMATI GALLERY • 212.754.4533 ART & INDUSTRY • 212.207.8077
floor of the Plaza, the $34 million penthouse
at 1020 Fifth Avenue or Brooke Astor’s Park
Avenue duplex—I only went when they were on
the market. So they tended to be hollowed, or
staged with fake furniture, and sometimes en-
tirely empty. It was very kingly but slightly sad.
What I miss much more are the real es-
tate brokers themselves, especially the few at
the top. They were eloquent, acrobatic, cruel,
connected, imaginative, well bred and ill-man- Louis XVI style gilt-bronze commode. Paris, ca. 1900. Painting by W. Verschuur. Signed. Dutch, 19th century.
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bow tie. Carrie Chiang was a competitive ball-
room dancer. John Burger liked talking on the
phone about the subtleties of Park Avenue co-op
design, even if he was poolside in the Hamptons.
Dolly Lenz was the genius power broker
who explained over lunch at the Four Seasons
that she doesn’t have tirades; she just cuts
people out of her life. After I wrote a story that
described how the recession had made her
into a mere mortal, she stopped talking to me.
A. Laurance Kaiser IV, whose father died af-
ter leaving his Park Avenue club and stepping
New York’s
into a pothole, sold a single duplex at 834 Fifth
Avenue four times—first for $225,000; then
to John DeLorean; then to Reginald Lewis, the
first African-American allowed into a so-called Source
Good Building; then to Carl Icahn’s old chief
investor, who paid $33,444,500.
“They lie, the brokers—they lie to brokers,
for Custom
they lie to clients. There’s lying. Lying,” Linda
Stein, probably the first New York celebrity
and Ready Made
real estate agent, told me in the spring of 2007.
“There is no high except the money, which is
Lampshades
extremely taxable.” She was found murdered
by her assistant that October.
And Edward Lee Cave was the pristinely
genteel agent whose eponymous brokerage 21 Spring Street
was taken over last year by Brown Harris Ste- New York, NY 10012
vens. “When I first started, all the doormen had
(212) 966-2757
white gloves,” he sighed then. “And they don’t
anymore. It’s called change.”
—Max Abelson w w w. j u s t s h a d e s n y. c o m
on the shelves
Zaha’s Aha!
Moments
By Chloe Malle
“Duchamp’s Nude Descending a Staircase is Zaha
Hadid’s grandmother.” So declares Aaron Betsky,
director of the Cincinnati Art Museum, and au-
thor of the recently released edition of the ac-
claimed Anglo-Iraqi architect complete works.
Like Duchamp’s Nude, Hadid’s work is
collage-like, planar, multi-faceted—and so is this
book; a complex layering of plans, photos and
ideas, often one indiscernible from the other.
As renowned for her unbuilt designs as for her
built ones, this sharp-cornered coffee table
tome makes little distinction between the two,
seamlessly—and confusingly—weaving between
the built and the abstract. While organized
chronologically by project with Hadid’s formu-
Above: Plans for
laic descriptions of each project, this is not a
the London Aquatic
handheld tour through the architect’s work, but
Centre for the London
2012 Olympic games.
rather a montage of what inspired it and what
Left: Hadid with de- it, in turn, inspired. With photographs of the
Zaha Hadid Complete Works
signer Karl Lagerfeld. models—or, gasp, finished buildings—the excep-
by Zaha Hadid
tion to the rule, the book is more a collection of
Rizzoli, $50
In collaboration with abstract paintings and drawings than traditional
Patrik Schumacher: blueprints and architect renderings.
below left, Icone Bag Her paintings and drawings are angular, post-
(Louis Vuitton), and impressionist works with deftly woven architec-
below right, Melissa
tural tilts. Her drawings imagine the aftermath
shoe.
of the explosion—or implosion—of a modernist
Utopia where only fragments remain; mobile,
definitive, the only narrative today’s urbanism
can provide. Her drawing titled New York, Man-
hattan: A New Calligraphy of Plan is a somber
take on Mondrian’s Broadway Boogie, this one
with large swatches of black space and curled,
diagonal lines creeping through.
Flipping through the pages of abstracted
paintings and Futurist renderings, one thing
becomes clear: Zaha Hadid builds flows motion.
In fact, perhaps in deference to this, the entire
volume seems to be in flux, a compendium
of dynamics and motion. Even the
Walter Benjamin quotation about the
invention of film changing the very
nature of time that prefaces Betsky’s
introduction is in sharp italics, zealously
pushing the eye to the next page before we have

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Hadid’s imagining for a new
urban planning scheme for
London’s Trafalger Square.
finished with this one. But Hadid’s secret weapon

is the deliberateness of this flux. This is not diapha-
nous, curling movement, this is specific, staccato
and determined. As Betsky lyrically notes of her
structures, “There are now shards and planes that
slice through the landscape to open up a space we
did know could exist.”
Ms. Hadid is architecture’s defiant dowager
empress. Most renowned for her Vitra Fire Station
in Germany and the Contemporary Arts Center in
Cincinnati, she was the first woman to win archi-
500 RARE tecture’s premier Pritzker Prize in 2004, predating
Kathryn Bigelow syndrome by six years. The Con-
POSTERS temporary Arts Center is certainly the most acces-
AT sible of Hadid’s designs (likely one of the reasons it,
unlike so many others, actually got built).
AUCTION Included in this latest edition are designs for
Viewing her most recent commissions, the Guggenheim-
Hermitage Museum in Lithuania and the Aquatics
Daily To May 1
Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm; Center for the 2012 London Olympic Games, as well
Sat-Sun, 11am-6pm as examples of the architect’s forays into interior
SALE design, fashion and even automobiles. The plans for

the London Aquatic Center are sinuous and spec-
Sunday, May 2 tacular, a hovering blue whale over London’s gray
at 11am skyline, and her object design, near the back of the
volume, is combative and almost frightening. Her
The 200-page hardcover book
illustrating all posters in full black, asymmetrical jelly shoes are best suited as
color, with annotations, is now beach footwear for the Witches of Eastwick. And
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on the shelves
Above: Ponti sketching

at an improvised desk on
a construction site.
Gio Ponti’s own apartment in

Milan. Below: On the book’s
cover, Ponti is peering through
one of his mass-produced
1950s “Superleggera” chairs.
A Feast of All Thing Ponti

By Tim Street-Porter the focus of attention diverted to entrepre-
Giovanni “Gio” Ponti was one of the great neurial figures such as Ettore Sottsass, whose
20th-century design luminaries; his career, attention-grabbing range of Memphis furni-
based in Milan—the epicenter of Italy’s design ture, launched in 1981, was dominating the
community—successfully embraced publish- headlines. The arrival of the Ponti monograph
ing, teaching and the industrial and visual restored luster to a much-loved design mae-
arts. The 400-page Gio Ponti, published by stro whose career spanned more than 50 years
Rizzoli, is a newly revised version of the of productive brilliance.
monograph published in Italy in 1988, a time This newly repackaged (but not re-
Gio Ponti when the great man had become a neglected designed) version of Gio Ponti has the same
by Ugo La Pietra figure following his death, in 1979. Perhaps catalog-like feel as the 1988 original, and feels a
Rizzoli, $85 he had been taken for granted for too long, as little dated in its production values. There are

Beautiful Greenhouses & Solariums
He created costumes for La
Scala opera and designed his own
clothes, even appearing on Italian
best-dressed lists. He was a
prolific product designer, and drew
an automobile for Alfa Romeo.
just two full-bleed, whole-page illustrations, for

example. Nonetheless it is packed with invaluable
images of his products, drawing and paintings: a
feast of all things Ponti. To fully enjoy this won-
Custom Design • Greenhouses • Solariums
derful designer, however, I would suggest adding
Skylights • Glass Enclosures
Taschen’s stylish $9.99 Ponti to the shopping cart
Under GlaSS MFG. Corp. as a companion volume. With one of Ponti’s signa-
High Falls, New York • 845.687.4700 ture ’50s interiors on the cover, and a sophisticated
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recently taken color photographs of the terminally
chic ’50s villas in Caracas (Oscar Neimeyer was
Over 150 years of History an inspiration here) and the brilliant 1960s Parco
dei Principe hotels in Rome and Sorrento; the big
volume feels bereft without these key images. This
Finest selection of brave little book will hook you on Ponti, leaving
you ready to tackle the serious heft (and riches) of
contemporary
its companion. (Finally, check out the new Trien-
European stoves, nale NYC Museum at 40 53rd Street, the site of the
fireplaces, old American Craft Museum, whose opening show
and grills in May is on Gio Ponti.)
Even if had Ponti been an architect and noth-
ing more, his place in history would have been
Phoenix secured with his 1956 Pirelli Building in Milan,
Grill one of the most rational and elegant skyscrap-
ers ever designed, of which Ponti himself said,
“Nothing can be added and nothing can be taken
away.” However, as we learn in Gio Ponti, this
was just one of his many hats in a career span-
ning more than 50 years. Editor Ugo La Pietra
provides an introduction and lead-ins to the
chapters (arranged by decade), and there are es-
says by Italian design luminaries, as well as text
by Ponti himself. It opens with the 1920s, notable
for Ponti’s early success as head designer of ce-
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Also notable in the ’20s chapter were sophisti-
cated designs for houses and furniture, as well

on the shelves
as his creation of the legendary Domus A sense of joie de vivre infused ev-
The lobby of the Hotel Parco
magazine in 1928, which he continued erything Ponti turned his attention to,
dei Principe in Sorrento.
to produce, on and off, until his death. and this alone makes Gio Ponti irresist-
Besides the multitude of photographs of ible. Which is just as well: Much of the
Ponti’s productions, there are his draw- writing is difficult and vague. Italian
ings; he drew ceaselessly and captivat- commentaries and postulations on
ingly throughout his life, demonstrating design tend not to make much sense,
further his stylistic genius as a form- emanating as they do from the opaque
maker. Ponti also served as a university cauldron of Milanese intellectualism.
professor, and was the author of nu- Which reminds me of an article I once
merous books and innumerable articles. wrote for Domus that was translated
He created costumes for La Scala opera and published in Italian, and then re-
and designed his own clothes, even ap- translated into English at the back of
pearing on Italian best-dressed lists. the magazine for English-language
He was a prolific product designer, and readers. When I read the latter, I was
drew an automobile for Alfa Romeo. As surprised to find that my straightfor-
a furniture designer he was already es- ward text, with its carefully constructed
tablished in the 1920s, featuring motifs analogies, had emerged from the blend-
that anticipated those of the 1940s, and er wonderfully atmospheric and poet-
his vibrant ’50s collaborations with For- ic—I remember wishing I could write
nasseti are especially notable. like that—but making no sense at all.
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10 home observer spring 2010

the
the home observer SPRING 2009
31
on the shelves
Edwina von Gal’s minimalist

East Hampton garden, where
the visitor becomes “acutely
aware of the beauty of the
basic elements of nature.”
Modern Gardening
By Nancy Butkus elements like low stone walls, fields of tall switch
This book invites you to take a spin around 25 grass and an isolated tree or three; the overall
of the most luxurious contemporary gardens in effect is breathtakingly beautiful, with a decidely
America—courtesy of veteran garden photogra- Shaker appeal. She wants the visitor to become
pher Roger Foley. His cinematic photographs aware of “the bark on a tree, to just stop a sec-
capture the distinct beauty of each garden, from ond.” These 12 acres, void of all ornamention,
the soft blur of seaside grasses in a Long Island just shimmers with its quiet beauty.
meadow to the man-made limestone grottoes of The garden at Mount Sharon in Virgina
a Coral Gables extravaganza. The acompanying pulls out all the stops. Designed by Charles
A Clearing in the Woods: text, also written by Foley, lays out the design Stick for a private client, it incoroporates four
Creating Contemporary Gardens brief and the guiding inspiration and mentions terraces of formal parterres, gushing fountains,
by Roger Foley, many of the primary plants and trees utilized, rose-smothered pergolas, Italian statuary and
The Monacelli Press
but more on this a bit later. clipped hornbeam trees à la Française. Because
$50
Edwina von Gal, a gardening superstar whose the property also encompasses long views of
clients include Calvin Klein and Steven Spiel- the rolling Virginia hills, it achieves the perfect
berg, created a minimalist landscape for her own yin-yang of garden design—wide open areas
home in East Hampton. She relied on simple complemented by manicured and detailed in-

timate spaces like the Chinese Chippendale-style
We just look expensive.
pavillion. But this is also where an editorial flaw
in the book becomes painfully apparent: There is
not one caption in the entire 200-page book. All
of the plant information is presented on the open-
ing spread; after that, you’re on your own. I kept
turning back to the text, desperate to know what I
was looking at: Is this the winding path that leads
to the Ellipse pavillion? And what are those multi-
trunked trees with blotchy bark in the double-
perennial border? Garden plans, especially when
presenting multi-acre properties with different
“rooms,” would also have helped.
The Coral Gables garden designed by Raymond
Jungles (for a landscaper who works in the tropics,
could there be a better name?) is a masterpeice of
built environment. The 2-acre garden, surrounded
by eight adjacent properties, is a series of sink
holes, ponds, streams, waterfalls and a lake, all cut
from the local limestone. Excavating down 20 feet,
Jungles was able to create a Disney-like fantasy,
utterly private, with dramatic changes of scale
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the home observer fall 2009 33

Clockwise from
bottom left: Cortney
(holding Major), Five,
Tallulah, Holleder,
Breaker, Robert,
Wolfgang, and
Bellamy
Tim Geaney
The Novogratz family, when not

renovating, moving or filming their own
Bravo TV show, escape to a 100-year-old
farmhouse outside Great Barrington.
This is a place they can really call home
By Sara Vilkomerson
For locals in Great Barrington, Mass., it’s known as the house

with the yellow shutters. “People were like, ‘Are you really go-
ing to keep them?’” laughed Cortney Novogratz. “I love New
England, but things there are pretty chill and conservative, and
you see a lot of antiques and dark floors. We wanted to bright-
en it up and do the complete opposite.” Ms. Novogratz, 38, and High and low mix in the
her husband Robert, 47, are not just the owners of the NYC- loft-like downstairs. The blue
based design firm Sixx Design, they’re also soon-to-be reality swivel chairs were bought for
stars once Bravo starts airing 9 by Design on April 13, which $50 and then reupholstered.
follows this busy couple and their seven children—Wolfgang, An expensive Cappellini table
12; twins Bellamy and Tallulah, 11; Breaker, 9; twins Holleder is surrounded by Kartell
and Five, 4; and baby Major, 15 months (at the start of 9 by De- Ghost chairs. Floors and
sign, Ms. Novogratz is eight-and-a-half-months pregnant)—as walls were painted white to
they renovate and design achingly-cool properties in Lower brighten the space.
Manhattan and beyond.
photography by Joshua McHugh

Nine Is
Enough
the home observer spring 2010 35
While the family just celebrated their one-year anniversary
in their current 8,000-square-foot West Village townhouse,
it’s the Great Barrington 100-year-old house they purchased
eight years ago that is their oasis of choice. “To be honest, I
think [the house] is the how we’ve been able to add more chil-
dren and continue to live in the city,” said Ms. Novogratz. “We
love the city, don’t get me wrong, but there are times you re-
ally need to step out of it, and the house has been incredible.”
Due to the nature of their business—which has expanded to
designing hotels on the Jersey shore and an upcoming project
in Mexico—the family, which live in a property as they reno-
vate before “flipping” it, have adjusted to having their living
quarters constantly change. In fact, they’ve moved more than
15 times, reportedly even three times in one year … twice (“I’m
Top: Simplicity was key for the kitchen where the sure one of my kids will grow up and buy a place and never
family spends a lot of their time. Colorful art leave it,” Ms. Novogratz joked). “We get to enjoy the house,
contrasts with the white laminate cabinets, which and then it’s time to move on to the next project,” she said.
were fitted with expensive hardware. “I wouldn’t stop doing this because we move quite a bit—we
Above: Yellow shutters and porch curtains made with choose to do this, and it’s not for everyone, but it’s fun. We get
umbrella fabric brighten the farmhouse facade. to do what we love and get to spend time with the kids.”

The chair with the faux
zebra upholstery once
belonged to Cortney’s
grandmother.

Above and right: The children’s
bedrooms are all painted in bright,
bold colors with white or neutral-
colored bedding. Their trophies
and keepsakes are displayed in the
country house to avoid clutter in
their city residence. The paintings
of women adorning one wall
are flea market finds.
Opposite: Robert and Cortney’s

bedroom also uses bold color com-
bined with graphic art.

The large wooden plat-
form allows for a lot of
horseplay and is inspired
by the docks in the
nearby Berkshire lakes.
Opposite: The sunroom
is everybody’s favorite
room in the house
to settle in with a
good book.
But the New England home, which the family uses year-
round and occasionally rents out to help fund family vacations,
is a constant. “It could be we only spend two nights, or three
weeks, but we feel recharged when we come back to the city.
We eat so healthily—in the summertime everyone has gor-
geous gardens,” Ms. Novogratz said. “We constantly just kind
of relax when we’re up there.” Except when it’s time to pack
up 7 kids to go skiing. “For me to take seven kids out West?
Forget it,” she said. “[Up in Great Barrington] it’s just five min-
utes from our house—I can get [the kids’] boots on in the car.”
She paused for a moment. “It can be a little overwhelming, but
we know how to manage it.”

Art and
Commerce
Sandra’s Nunnerly townhouse apartment is filled with bold art
and muted tones, reflecting a life lived in on three continents.
By Annie Kelly
It must seem a long way from New Zealand for Sandra Nun- Noland painting from that period hangs in her living room to-
nerley, who has followed a gently winding path around the day.) “I really loved the art world,” explains Nunnerley, “espe-
world to find herself in New York as a successful decorator. cially during the 1980s, with the photorealists like Don Eddy.”
She first studied architecture in Sydney, but soon became fas- But then she started thinking about decorating as an inter-
cinated with the art world, eventually moving to New York via esting career move, “It wasn’t an option in New Zealand when
Europe, to work at the legendary Marlborough Gallery in the I was growing up,” she says. A large Manhattan corporate de-
landmark Fuller Building on the Upper East Side. Here, Nun- sign firm (now closed) proved an ideal learning environment.
nerley promoted the Color Field painting school (a Kenneth Soon, Nunnerley was heading their special projects depart-
photography by Tim Street-Porter

A large print by Richard
Serra anchors the
living room. Furniture
designed by Nunnerley.
Opposite: Decorator
Sandra Nunnerley
in her living room, in
front of a painting by
Kenneth Noland.

A black Jansen table
sits at the living room
window, surrounded
by Jean-Michel Frank
chairs. A Jean Royere
light fitting hangs
above upholstered
furniture designed by
Nunnerley.
A portrait of Nunnerley
by McGough and
McDermott hangs above
a Japanese bowl.
Below: A model of a Maori
canoe sits in the living
room next to a Venetian
glass lamp.
ment, and was encouraged to branch out on her own. “I was

fortunate that my work was published right away. I also did
Kips Bay and other showhouses,” she explains, which gave
her a chance to meet fellow designers. “I’ve had great mentors
as well, people like Albert Hadley, and art dealers Leo Castelli
and Holly Solomon.”
Today Nunnerley runs a “high-end boutique residential
decorating firm, with really great clients. There’s nothing that
escapes her eye, from a building elevation to the trim on a pil-
low.” She loves her home on the Upper East Side. “I came to
this townhouse from a 53rd floor apartment, and I don’t miss
the view at all.” With her art collection, and cool tailored in-
teriors, it is easy to see why Nunnerley prefers her “indoor”
views, and in summer the large tree behind the building is full
of birdlife from nearby Central Park.
The apartment opens directly from the elevator, and a
large living and dining area spreads out to the right. An elegant
black-laquered Jansen dining table sits by the front window—
for large dinner parties it can be wheeled into the center of the
room. Jean-Michel Frank dining chairs are spread discreetly
against the walls, ready to be pulled up at a moment’s notice for
a meal. The sleek, modern kitchen, set into an alcove, separates
the public and private spaces. This was once two apartments,
but Nunnerley has seamlessly incorporated them so that she
has two bedrooms, both with a view of the back garden. Here
an endless stream of friends from all over the world come
to stay. “Every year I love to travel, adventure-travel, places
like Africa and Burma—and everywhere I go, I find fabrics,”
explains the decorator. These fabrics can be seen around the
apartment, as pillows and placed over ottomans, contrasting
with her favorite muted linens and cool-toned silk velvets.
Today, she finds she has come full circle, as her offices are in
the same Fuller Building that housed the Malborough Galler-
ies during her first years in Manhattan. “I can walk to work!”
exclaims Nunnerly.

The master bedroom,
with its Scalamandre
fabric headboard
and Empire chest of
drawers, is at the
peaceful rear of the
apartment.

Bush’s home office
opens onto a book-filled
workroom. One of a pair of
Madeleine Castaing chairs
sits in front of the table.
Small Is
Beautiful
Russell Bush has lived in this prewar
jewelbox for more than 30 years, proving
small spaces can deliver big statements.
“I always begin with the fabrics, rather than the furniture,”

explains Russell Bush, a dapper, elegant decorator, sitting be-
hind a long, felt-covered table at home, wearing a shirt of his
own design. His first career was as a fashion designer, which
explains his love of fabrics, and why the red lacquer Chinese
cabinet in his living space is filled to the brim with the latest
from Rogers and Goffigon, John Rosselli, Carolina Irving and
Pierre Frey—among others. His next career was with New
York decorator Peter Marino; he eventually decided to leave,
in hopes of leading a less stressful life, but he soon discovered
the opposite: “I really wanted to keep my life simple, but my
phone started ringing and I found people wanted my help—I
am still working with them to this day.”
Bush lives in one-bedroom prewar apartment on lower Park
Avenue, in a building that originated as the Vanderbilt Hotel,
built by the Commodore’s great-grandson Alfred Gwynne. It
was designed by Warren and Wetmore, who also built Grand
Central Station for the Vanderbilts. After 30 years in this el-
egant but tiny apartment, Bush still harbors a desire to some-
day live in Paris—perhaps inspired by the famous Oscar Wilde
remark: “When good Americans die, they go to Paris.”

Cecil Beaton’s bed, bought
at auction in England,
takes pride of place in the
bedroom.
Opposite: A set of four
18th-century mezzotints
by Thomas Frye hang on
the passage wall.
The front door opens directly to the someday. Years later he spotted a bed
main living space, passing a small kitch- in a friend’s apartment that he recog-
en, masquerading as a built-in cupboard. nized as being from the Beaton estate.
In his home office space, Bush has set Somehow he persuaded the owner to
up a long table that doubles as a dining part with it. So now, even though the
table, draped in an olive-green felt cloth purchase of Ashcome House escaped
cut with a decorative edge. Books are him (it was bought by Madonna in 2001
everywhere, in towering stacks at the for a small fortune), at least he sleeps in
entrance to the room, filling the book Cecil Beaton’s bed. Today it is covered
shelves, and even cleverly concealed in a leopard print bedspread and over-
behind the four screens in each corner looked by a portrait painted by Law-
upholstered with “Les Colonnes” from rence Mynott of Beaton’s great friend,
Braquenie (found at Pierre Frey fabrics). “Screens make great Stephen Tennant.
storage spaces!” exclaims the decorator. What’s next for this cultivated decorator? More personal
One of a pair of treasured 19th-century chairs from the projects. Bush has always been fascinated by 19th-century
great French decorator Madeleine Castaing sits near the table. photography and has started to try “almost everything from
“I would visit her at her store in the sixth arrondissment ev- daguerreotypes to digital, wet-plate collodian images, hand-
ery time I went to Paris,” explains Bush, “ and I saw them in a painted silver gelatin prints using oil paints, and polaroid lifts
storage room. Of course, nothing was ever really for sale unless and transfers,” says the designer. He especially loves to print
she liked you.” After expressing a wary interest in them during in the traditional silver gelatin way, providing the same type of
several trips to Paris, the purchase was negotiated, and today reseach challenge that he invariably undergoes for each deco-
they add a touch of exoticism to the small space. rating project.
When Bush was growing up in the Pennsylvania coun- This charming little apartment shows that if space is lack-
tryside, he was inspired by a Vogue magazine story on Cecil ing, style becomes the essence. Beaton and his friends would
Beaton’s two houses and vowed that he would live like that have approved. —A.K.

A Family Affair
A young couple with two children find
serenity and style in a Park Avenue Classic 8 that once
belonged to Barbara Walters
Back in 2005, New York decorator Timothy Whealon got a call nearby office to take a look, Whealon realized that not much
from a stylish couple in their mid-30s who needed help with a rearranging was needed—the three main rooms lined up in an
new apartment. “They heard about me from a mutual friend, attractive enfilade, and three of its four bedrooms had great
and they liked a published house I decorated,” he explains. The views over Park Avenue.
couple were moving from a downtown loft, but didn’t want to “The big changes were really cosmetic, “ explains Wheal-
sacrifice their hip urban lifestyle in the transition to their new on’s assistant, Sarah Klug, “but we totally redid the kitchen,
Upper East Side apartment, with its formal and conventional bar and bathrooms. Every room in the apartment has new wall
layout. After all, it did once belong to Barbara Walters, who is treatments which include decorative painting, combing and
from quite another generation. When he walked over from his wallpaper.” This is obvious right from the entry, which has

The dining room is anchored
by a Hurvin Anderson painting.
Opposite: A demilune table
occupies a corner of the
main living room.

In the living room,
Bridgewater chairs in Lee
Jofa’s Herbert’s Carnation
Weave flank a sturdy
brown sofa. An abaca rug
provides texture.

The library, paneled
in reclaimed pine wood,
has a view through to
the dining room at the
other end of the
apartment. The sofa
is covered in Velvet
Mogador in Foret from
Old World Weavers,
and the ottoman is
covered in a
pale cowhide.
been hand-stenciled in a dramatic tree pattern, based on 18th- comfortable armchairs upholstered in Lee Jofa’s Herbert’s
century wallpaper in Sweden’s Drottningholm Palace, the cur- Carnation Weave, which flank a sturdy brown corduroy-vel-
rent home of the Swedish Royal Family. The main dining and vet sofa. Whealon brought the formality of the room down
living rooms lead off to the right, where Whealon has given with a rustic abaca rug, and gave the walls a pale cream yellow
the couple a fresh contemporary style of decorating that suits treatment to keep it fresh. This room leads onto a comfortable
their new uptown lives. Especially as they have now had two library with reclaimed pine paneling, designed by architect
children in quick succession. “Their mother kept the original Leonard Woods; it includes bookcases full of books and baby
guest bedrooms as they were, she just gave them children’s pictures. A cowhide ottoman holds piles of magazines and
beds and added her own personal touches,” adds Whealon. flowers, and a round table by the window struggles to support
The dining room came together all at once when the couple mounds of books.
bought a graphic painting by Hurvin Anderson, which an- The master bedroom is incredibly peaceful, considering it
chored the whole apartment, as it can be seen from all of the overlooks busy, traffic-filled Park Avenue, and Whealon deco-
main rooms. The living room is a fresh and pretty space, with rated it to be a calm space, adding the large comfortable bed.

Above the living room
fireplace hangs a
glass-framed mirror
from the 1920s.

The former guest
bedroom was adapted
by the client for her
new baby.
Below: The powder
room was wallpapered
to create a jewel-box
feeling in
this tiny space.
“My client had a lot of interest in this room; she loved the
new Lulu DK fabric, which we used for the curtains and ot-
toman,” says Whealon. “I wanted to bring more geometry
into the room, so we added a blue-and-cream David Hicks
carpet.” Whealon painted the walls a pale blue, then de-
cided to give the woodwork a warm, cream-colored trim to
balance the cool hues of the room. He hung an early 20th-
century raw crystal chandelier to bring a bit of glamour and
reflected light into the space.
After months of work, this is now the sophisticated apart-
ment of a well-traveled couple who were lucky enough to
find the right decorator to help them create a family home in
enviable comfort and style. —A.K.
Styled by Carlos Mota, whose new book Flowers, Chic and

Cheap, is coming out on May 4 from Random House.
58
For the tranquil master
bedroom, Whealon designed
the bed and used Paradiso
fabric by Lulu DK for
the curtains and bench.

Rustic Hideaway
Juan Montoya’s 110-acre retreat in the Hudson
River Valley—with its very own lake—
is a rich mix of earthy materials and Asian antiques
Designer Juan Montoya’s work—often seen in the pages of have work everywhere, and it is convenient for everyone if I
Architectural Digest—is unerringly elegant and refined, but have a place nearby.” In addition, Montoya has a new furniture
when it comes to his country retreat, the designer turned to collection for Century, as well as fabric, carpet and accessories
a more rustic palette. Montoya, born in Bogota, Colombia, has collections for other manufacturers—not to mention design
a degree in environmental design from Parsons and was, for a projects that stretch from Punta Mita, Mexico, to France, San
while, a practicing artist and sculptor—which informs and in- Francisco and, of course, New York.
fluences his current work. A true cosmopolitan, he has apart- Hidden in the hills of the Hudson River Valley, Montoya’s
ments in Paris, Miami, New York and Bogota. When asked country retreat on 110 acres overlooks his own lake. He dis-
how he manages to spend time in all of them, he replies, “I covered the property back in 1981, and over the years has ex-

The main living room
is a rich mixtures of
Asian influences.
Opposite: The stone-
walled main house
overlooks the lake.

In the dining room, Mon-
toya used stone from the
property for the floor.
Opposite: The guest house
was originally planned as
the designer’s studio.

tensively reworked the rather plain original house beyond rec-
ognition. Today the sweeping driveway leads up to the main
house, past the lake and into a granite brick courtyard. The
guest house on the left, added some years ago, sits on top of a
stone loggia, which serves as a sheltered spot for cars.
Entered from the stone staircase, the main house is
multilevel, with a highly eclectic décor reflecting Montoya’s
cosmopolitan life. He has created a rich, rustic opulence, us-
ing an earthy palette of browns, beige and orange, crisply ac-
cented with white. His skill as an architect is revealed through
his sense of spatial relationships and the varied combination of
textures—the reed-covered cathedral ceilings, sisal carpet and
dark, reclaimed wood—making the house feel distinctly Asian,
despite the very European mix of furniture.
The three bedrooms have views of the hillside, where
large boulders are randomly scattered. The two smaller bed-
rooms sit side by side; their beds are hung with blue tick-
ing, and the low-beamed ceilings give the rooms the feel of a

The guest bedroom, much older house. On the top floor, the master bedroom sits
with twin four-poster in an “A” framed space, with its own deck, overlooking the
beds in the main surrounding forest.
house, has a nautical, On a lower level, Montoya has positioned a large living
Scandinavian feel. space, punctuated by a tall tropical fig tree that reaches up
Opposite: Montoya to a skylight. This is a rich, masculine room, where dark fur-
based the design of his niture echoes the woodwork and overhead beams. A large
swimming pool on a central stone fireplace anchors the rustic mood. Evident
floor pattern in throughout the house is the designer’s love of books, and at
a Swedish palace. one end of this space, Montoya keeps most of them corralled
in a small library. On the ground floor, a stone-walled dining
room has views through a rustic loggia, next to a busy and
much-used kitchen. Here, Montoya’s partner, Urban Karls-
son, often cooks meals at home for the couple, who, despite
all their travels, manage most weekends to escape to this qui-
et corner of New York State. —A.K.

A Nest
Grows in
Brooklyn
Stick artist Patrick Dougherty will
weave a giant nest at the Brooklyn
Botanic Garden this summer.
It’s a perfect match for the borough’s
environmentalist mindset.
By Nancy Butkus
Not only are Patrick Dougherty’s sculptures 100 percent

non-toxic—no paint, no metals, no animals suspended in
formaldehyde—they will eventually go back to the earth
whence they sprang, as a composted pile of saplings, leaving
no trace behind.
Mr. Dougherty, a mild-mannered,
boyish-looking 65-year-old has built
more than 200 stick sculptures since
1988, but this is his first New York City
commission. Scot Medbury, president
of the BBG, looks on the commission,
part of the Garden’s centenary celebra-
tion, as “an exhibition that is uniquely
ours, with plants at its core,” and plans
Richard Wunsch
to site it in the Plant Family Collec-

tion, the sweeping landscape that, no
coincidence, happens to be highly vis-
ible from the Terrace Cafe, a popular eating spot.
Garden visitors can watch the nest take shape on Au-
gust 1, when a rotating team of volunteers will begin the
giant weave under Mr. Dougherty’s direction. A tractor-
trailer load of “weed trees” harvested from different sites
in the New York area will be built into a unique sculpture
that “fits the site and has the right scale,” according to Mr.
Paul Kodama

Saplings from strawberry guava,
considered a weed in Hawaii, and rose
apple, whose fruit in no way resemble
apples, are woven to form a 30-footer
at the Contemporary Art Museum in
Honolulu.
Opposite: The artist in front of a
pair of 30-foot-high willow and maple
sapling sculptures, at the Woodson
Art Museum in Wausau, Wis.

Dougherty. Each of his creations, for insti-
tutions and those lucky private clients, is
unique and site-specific, but all are hand-
made laboriously over a three-week period
using techniques heretofore known only to
birds and beavers. Mr. Dougherty admit-
ted “the base at the bottom is hard to do,”
but the morning and afternoon teams of
three or four volunteers will find the rest
“easy”—assuming they’ll be wearing prick-
le-proof gloves and have full-up Nalgene
water bottles at the ready! Visitors to the
garden will be able to ask questions and
observe up close, as Mr. Dougherty consid-
ers the building phase just another aspect
of his creative process.
The stick sculpture will live in the gar-
den for one year, with no special attempts
to prolong its existence by propping it up
with nails, screws or Krazy Glue. Visitors
will have complete access to it until the gar-
den staff feeds it into its new Morbark Wood
Hog, which will grind it down and send it to
the compost pile. An ignominious end to
what will have been, for a brief time, a fan-
tasy shelter made of sticks and dreams.
George Vasquez
Top left: These maple saplings—deemed

“irresistable” by the artist—were harvested
from a nearby prison. Topping out at 70 feet,
this instillation at the Decordova Museum in
Lincoln, Mass., was built in 1990.
Bottom left: Summer Palace (2009), at the

Morris Arboretum at the University of Pennsyl-
vania, fits any childhood fantasy, wicked witch
not included.
Opposite: Be It Ever So Humble (1999), a

24-foot-high Palladian stick villa, was built at
the College of Art in Savannah, Ga.
Star Kotowski
Rob Cardillo

Mole and Ratty will live
happily ever after at Toad
Hall, woven from willow
saplings—what else!— in
2005 at the Santa Barbara
Botanic Garden.
Childhood Dreams (2007)

turns ominous at the Desert
Botanic Gardens in Phoenix.

Nell Campbell
Adam Rodriguez

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www.countrygearltd.com www.dwny.com www.elgotkitchens.com
“Live with Fine Design” provided by the

Greenbaum team of 18 talented designers. Over
2000 resources and our own Workrooms with 30 Just Shades has been in business for over 40
Artisans capable of creating your desires. Visit our JMB Design Group is a full service boutique years, so it comes as no surprise that Just Shades
stores with over 140,000 square feet of magnificent Design/Build firm in Locust Valley on the North offers the largest selection of ready-made shades
home furnishings only 30 minutes from the City. Shore of LI. As the head designer, Mr. Novak’s in New York City. From traditional pleats and silks
Visit our website for our complete story meticulous attention to details transforms to the more contemporary parchment shades, we
the concept of his design into reality. Whether carry a shade for every lighting situation. We cater
residential or commercial, JMB offers the not only to top designers and decorators, but to
same high level of service. The sister company individuals looking for that perfect shade. For the
Wilcox Construction Management affords the hard to please, we also create custom shades from
client a well run construction project with the our fabrics or from your own fabrics. 21 Spring
advantage of having their architect on the job until Street, NY, NY 10012; 212-966-2757;
completion. To schedule a consult call 516.671.1171 www.justshadesny.com
101 Washington Street

Paterson, NJ 973-279-3000
1105 Mount Kemble Avenue 21 Spring Street,
Morristown, NJ New York, NY 10012
973-425-5500 516-671-1171 212-966-2757
www.greenbauminteriors.com jmbdesigninc.com www.justshadesny.com

HOME Gallery
Kravet is a fourth generation, privately held

family business with headquarters in Bethpage,
New York. The company offers the widest range of
fabrics in the decorative fabrics industry. Recent
acquisitions of several other textile companies
have further enhanced the Kravet Inc. brand
offerings to the trade. The company continues to Lerebours Antiques features an eclectic Lighting By Gregory is the nation’s premier
focus their efforts on introductions of designer collection of Continental as well as American distributor of designer lighting and fans. On the
inspired collections, fabric, furniture, trimmings, antique, vintage and mid-century modern web, LBG provides a comprehensive selection
as well as new categories of carpet, lighting, and furniture, lighting and art. Open Monday thru of the industry’s finest brand names. And at our
decorative hardware. through Friday 10am-6pm, Saturday and Sunday famed NYC showroom, Lighting By Gregory is the
by appointment. Please view our website, www. nexus point for world-renowned designers to share
lereboursantiques.com. Matthew Patrick Smyth their insight with the everyday consumer. Lighting
recently described Lerebours Antiques as “one of
By Gregory has been at the forefront of forward-
the nicest shops in NYC.”
thinking lighting design for four decades.
158 Bowery,
220 East 60th St.,
225 Central Avenue South, New York, NY 10012
Bethpage, NY 11714
NYC 10022
917- 749-5866
I N T E R I O R S
Tel: 800-807-1826 I
www.kravet.com www.lereboursantiques.com www.lightingbygregory.com
The Manhattan Art & Antiques Center

I N T E R I O R S I
Both of Ligne Roset’s Manhattan locations is New York’s largest antique center, housing 100 Marc Tash Interiors is your source for all
display Europe’s largest collection of brilliant galleries on three levels the length of an entire your home decorating needs. We do all kinds
contemporary furniture designs. We are proud city block with varied collections from America, of reupholstery, fabric slipcovers, and window
to introduce new groups of upholstered chairs Europe, Africa and Asia. They specialize in fine treatments including Roman, Balloon and Austrian
created by the late, renowned Pierre Paulin just furniture, silver, jewelry, tapestries, paintings, shades. Our reputation was established by
before his death last spring. Our talented design clocks and many other objects of art. Featured providing excellent craftsmanship, reliable on-time
staffs are always ready to work with you on that in the photo from European Decorative Arts service, attention to detail and competitive pricing.
one needed piece or on a total plan for your new Company is a Duvinage and Maison Alphonse As a leader in our field, we can develop home décor
condominium. For the full Roset collection and Giroux decorative panel. Ivory, engraved brass, solutions for all situations & budgets. Call us to
Quick Ship program: www.lignerosetny.com. maple, pearwood on laminated wood, gilt bronze schedule a FREE shop-at-home consultation. You’ll
frame. Signed. French. C. 1877-1883. have a very pleasant decorating experience!
Second Ave. (between 55th & 56th Sts.)

Tel: 212-355-4400
250 Park Avenue South at 20th Fax: 212-355-4403
212-375-1036 Website: www.the-maac.com
155 Wooster Street at Houston Street Email: info@the-maac.com
212-253-5629 Open Monday thru Saturday 10:30AM to 6PM, 1-800-MARCTASH (627-2827)
www.lignerosetny.com Sunday 12 Noon to 6PM. www.marctashinteriors.com

HOME Gallery
POSTERS PLEASE May 2: 50th Anniversary

Auction of Rare Vintage Posters. Includes many
of the best & most sought after Art Nouveau &
Art Deco posters. Largest collections of Mele,
Metropolitan Lighting imports a complete Schnackenberg, Cheret & Automobile posters
collection of the finest quality designer oriented ever assembled! Special sections on Propaganda, Roberta Roller Rabbit is a sunny bazaar
lighting in all periods and styles. Illuminating fine posters on silk, Mistinguett, Buffalo Bill, Aviation & packed with colorful chic apparel, life style
interiors since 1939. WPA. Featured artists: Toulouse-Lautrec, Cassandre, accessories, and furniture and home furnishings.
Colin, Mucha, Steinlen, Livemont, Cappiello, Loupot, The products feature Indian hand block prints,
Broders, Dudovich, & more! Viewing now thru May 1. inspired by the cultural curiosity of New York
designer Roberta Freymann. Roberta’s whimsical
601 W. 26th St., 13th Floor outlook, vivid imagination and effortlessly
New York Design Center, New York, NY 10001 sophisticated style translates to each piece. Visit
Showroom #512 212-787-4000 us for design inspiration or just to get away from it
at 200 Lexington Avenue, alippert@postersplease.com all - New York, The Hampton’s, Santa Monica or on
NY, NY 10016 Follow us on Twitter @PostersPlease the web www.RobertaRollerRabbit.com
1-800-233-4500 or 212-545-0032 Read our Poster Blog Beautiful Greenhouses & Sola
www.minka.com; www.nydc.com. http://www.postersplease.com/posterblog www.RobertaRollerRabbit.com
Distinctive one-of-a-kind handmade pieces are Beautiful Greenhouses & Solariums

the hallmark of Silas Seandel’s furniture. He Custom
Over 150 years ofDesign • Greenhouses
history in building custom • Solariu
is known world wide for incorporating sculptural designed greenhouses, solariums, skylights and
techniques into furniture design. His uniquely Skylights • Glass Enclosures
glass enclosures
original custom pieces have enhanced many Under Glass Mfg. Corp. is the exclusive
private residences, as well as high-end corporate Because New Yorkers’ have everything but space: Under GlaSS MFG. Corp.
manufacturer of the original Lord & Burnham
environments. Executed in antique steel, his techline Studio- furniture that fits. Architect greenhouses and solariums.
cocktail table, “Remembrance”, is featured here. owned, we measure, design, and install our High Falls, New York • 845.687.47
We were established in 1989 after acquiring the
His exclusive sculptural furniture is crafted in solid modular systems for a custom fit solution. Our job www.underglassusa.com
Lord & Burnham product line. At Under Glass we
metals such as brass, bronze, steel and copper. is to help you make the most of your home and are committed to our
office space. And to find spaces and places for the Motto: “Elegance and Function”. The growing
Exclusive manufacturer of the original Lord & Burnha
things that matter. environment cannot be compromised.
Over 150 years of History

Under Glass Mfg. Corp.,
PO Box 81,
551-3 West 22nd St., 35 East 19th Street, High Falls, NY 12440, 845- 687-4700.
New York, NY 10011 NY, NY 10003 Email: ugmfg@aol.com,
Tel: 212-645-5286 212-674-1813 www.underglassusa.com
www.SilasSeandel.com www.techlinestudio.com

HOME Gallery
Wendell Castle: Rockin’ – May 6 – June 26,

2010. Wendell Castle’s groundbreaking unification
of sculpture and furniture galvanized generations Established in 1938, Jaguar of Great Neck
of artists and designers and contributed to the was the first Jaguar dealership in the Country.
acceptance of design as an art form in its own Our experience has led to a reputation of value,
right. While the organic, curvilinear forms of personal service and after-sale support that is
this new collection link it to many of his past Wittus – Fire by Design has the finest unrivaled. For 70+ years we have been selling to
masterworks, there is a confidence and quickness selection of European contemporary indoor and and servicing the New York area with the pride
of gesture that suggest a new dimensionality. outdoor fireplaces, stoves, and accessories. and attention it deserves. Model for model,
A fully illustrated catalogue will accompany the option for option, no one is more competitive
exhibition. than us. We will beat any advertised price in
New York...Guaranteed! Fulfill your passion
Barry Friedman Ltd. for perfection with one of our awesome 2010
515 West 26th Street 40 Westchester Ave., Jaguar XF or XK models. One is waiting for you
New York, New York 10001 POB 120, at Jaguar of Great Neck.
T: 212.239.8600 F: 212.239.8670 Pound Ridge, NY 10576
contact@barryfriedmanltd.com 914-764-5679 www.GreatNeckJaguar.com
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 10-6 www.wittus.com 888-263-4158
Reserve Space Now

For the October 13th
Issue of Observer Home
For advertising information contact
Betty Lederman, Associate Publisher, Home Observer
212.407.9359 BLederman@observer.com

in the neighborhood
photographs by Tim Street-Porter

Mucho Musto
Downtown scenester Michael Musto lives the life of a monk (excluding
his 3 a.m. bedtime) in his spare Murry Hill co-op
For the past 25 years, writer Michael Musto got rid of a lot of clutter. I had collected a lot of traits: a 1980s-style portrait of himself by Romero
has been a fixture on the New York night- kitch: palm trees, a doll collection and even a Britto, and another on a laminated tabletop (“It
life scene, faithfully recording the downtown working fountain.” doesn’t have legs; otherwise, I would love to eat
high life for his Village Voice column La Dolce The long living room, furnished with a com- on a painting of myself”) by Anthony Zito. When
Musto. Musto hasn’t strayed far from his child- fortable sofa, is perfect for entertaining. “Every he travels for his column, he visits places with a
hood Brooklyn home; he rented his first apart- two weeks, I host a movie club with four friends pecularly American sense of aesthetics—Miami,
ment in Manhattan after graduating in English where we watch really bad movies,” says Musto, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Atlantic City. “I love
literature at Columbia University in the late “like Jacqueline Susann’s Once Is Not Enough the casino culture, especially as I don’t gamble. I
1970s and now, many moves later, lives in what from the Joan Collins Video Selection, and my like the shows, the buffet tables and the glitz.”
he calls the “Switzerland” of New York, Murry personal favorite, The Ghost Goes Gear, from the Back home, he enjoys the empty spaces of his
Hill (for its neutral vibe.) “People always as- Spencer Davis Group.” apartment. When asked to describe his personal
sume I live downtown, not in a one-bedroom His bedroom has curtains that block out the style, Musto replies, “My taste is store-bought,
co-op in Murray Hill,” he explains, “ but when morning light, as Musto generally attends five to but the combination is very me and can’t be rep-
I leave the apartment, I am equidistant from six events a night, usually coming home around licated. I call it ‘Early Reign of Terror’!”
the midtown Broadway premieres and the Vil- 2:30 a.m. He owes his stamina to good habits—“I —A.K.
lage Voice downtown.” Musto has owned this don’t drink or do drugs, as I need to have a clear
apartment for two years, and it’s surprisingly head in the morning to write about what hap- Michael Musto’s upcoming book, Fork on the
empty of possessions. “During my last move, I pened.” Around the bedroom are various por- Left, Knife in the Back, is from Alyson Books.

More Fresh Thinking
Liebherr offers fresh design ideas with its freestanding product line in 24”, 30”, 36”, 48” and 60” widths. With stainless steel sides, the
refrigerator can go anywhere in the kitchen, or taking advantage of cabinet-depth dimensions, can create the look of a built-in without
the price of building in. And, Liebherr’s commitment to responsible manufacturing and energy efficiency is exemplified by the new 30”
CS1660 (shown here) which goes beyond Energy Star® with energy consumption 25% better than federal requirements.
The Cooling Specialist for over 55 years.
Liebherr products available at these fine New York retailers:
Elgot Kitchen Krup’s Kitchen and Bath Drimmers @ MCKB Gringer & Son
937 Lexington Ave. The SBS 26S1 model shown.
11 West 18Th Street 29 E. 19th Street 29 First Ave.
212-879-1200 212-243-5787 212-995-0500 212-475-0600
Design, Quality and Innovation
Distributed by: Almo Specialty - Exclusive Distributor | www.almospecialty.com | 800-836-2522 | specialtysales@almo.com

optimistically inspired. kravet
fabrics. furniture. trimmings. kravet.com

Observer Home Spring 2010

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Seven Kids, Country House and a Bravo TV Show ■ Inside the World of Real Estate Staging

A Young Family’s Park Avenue

207 E. 119th St.

Qu ic k Sh ip, De sig n S er v ic e s, Fi n a nci n g Ava i l a ble O. A .C .

A Minka Group® Company

212.545.0032 Fax: 212.545.0031 www.minkagroup.net

66 A Nest Grows in Brooklyn

72 Same but Different

Seven children, six bikes

42 Art and Commerce

Cover photograph by Tim Street-Porter

4 the home observer spring 2010

22 The Mighty Starchitects

23 My Life With the Power Brokers

28 A Feast of All Things Ponti

32 A Clearing in the Woods

Country Gear Ltd.

6 the home observer spring 2010

Prints & Multiples

silas seandel studio

Editors annie kelly and tim street-porter

art director BARBARA SULLIVAN

production director Tyler Rush

contributors max abelson

Photo editor peter lettre

Copy editor Chris cronis

Sales Assistant Elana Delasos

Publisher Jared Kushner

editor, the New york observer kyle pope

President, Observer Media Group Christopher Barnes

Senior Vice President Stephen Goldberg

Executive Vice President Barry Lewis

THE NEW YORK OBSERVER

We’ve happily added some new contributors to this issue.

8 the home observer spring 2010

Antique Heart Pine

Antique & Vintage Woods SAleS OFFiCe

Plated and Popped

10 the home observer spring 2010

Red, Rustic and Recycled

By the Yard, Olé

12 the home observer spring 2010

Manhattan’s Premier Kitchen and Bath Designers

Staged, Startled and Photographed

Still startling after

Courtesy HASTED HUNT KRAEUTLER/NYC.

14 the home observer spring 2010

Please check www.kipsbay.org for updates on the revised schedule.

On the Watch List

16 the home observer spring 2010

When All the World’s

18 the home observer spring 2010

The Field Team

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL*

The United Nations Plaza Collection

14 ROOMS: $4,995,000 7 ROOM DUPLEX: $4,500,000

7 ROOM DUPLEX: $4,000,000 5 ROOMS: $1,800,000

EAST SIDE MANHATTAN BROKERAGE I sothebyshomes.com/nyc

Inson Wood, one of the

tects Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch of Ro-

20 the home observer spring 2010

MANHATTAN BROKERAGES I sothebyshomes.com/nyc

architectural community. Not all architects are