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| Living Space/ Informal Meeting Space, Photography: Jonny Valiant |
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| Court"s Desk, Photography: Jonny Valiant |
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| Office/ Dining Space, Photography: Jonny Valiant |
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| Detail in Living Space, Photography: Jonny Valiant |
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| Detail in Office/ Dining, Photography: Jonny Valiant |
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| Detail in Living Room, Photography: Jonny Valiant |
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| Bedroom, Photography: Jonny Valiant |
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| Kim's amazing shoe collection, Photography: Jonny Valiant |
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| Bedroom looking through to Bathroom, Photography: Jonny Valiant |
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| Detail in Bedroom, Photography: Jonny Valiant |
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| The Kitchen, Photography: Jonny Valiant |
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| Kimberly Steward and Court Williams of Kess Agency |
When I first met Kimberly Steward quite some years ago, She
joined my team at Real Simple as a Intern where we quickly formed a firm
working bond, She assisted me very closely on a lot of shoots for the magazine.
When I went Freelance, Kim expressed interest in being my main Assistant and
for the next couple of years she became my right arm, showing wonderful
tenacity and an ability to make anything happen, essential skills when it comes
to being a Prop Styling Assistant.
I knew she had eyes on a bigger project for herself and as
her main passion is fashion, She and her friend Court Williams, who had been at
WWD for 4 years prior decided to open an agency, Kess Agency, they did it with
a bang with an amazing launch party in NYC in August 2010.
The Agency located permanently last year in NYC and Kim
asked me to design a living/ work space in Manhattan’s Financial District at
William Beaver House whose amenities are conceived and designed by famed hotelier Andre Balazs who also
is responsible for The Standard Hotel line, Chateau Marmont and The Mercer Hotel. The building is a 47-floor skyscraper and was built
from 2006-2009, its exterior designed by the firm Tsao & McKown.
The two level duplex to be occupied by Kess was a totally
blank canvas and Kim gave me free reign to design a space that would both work
for her to live upstairs in a private bedroom and downstairs, An office space
that could transform into a dining room by night to entertain dinner guests and
a living space that clients could relax in for informal meetings.
From working with Kim for many years I tapped into what I
know she likes, one of the main colors I chose for the scheme was pink because
she has always been MAD for it. Teaming it with soft oranges and grays, we
first painted the space to reflect these colors. Introducing pattern was also
important, Kim had some pieces including 2 antique Louis style chairs that we
transformed with graphic fabric from Marimekko. Taking the lead from the gold
gilding on the chairs frames, I introduced pieces reflective of this around the
apartment, I sourced many vintage pieces including a mid century gold gilded
mirror, Murano vases and blossom wall plaques. It was important to me that the
space felt playful but chic and reflective of Kim’s effervescent personality.
Mirrored side tables, metallic vases and artwork that felt modern and graphic
fill the space. The lighting is quite dramatic in the space; I chose a classic
gold Sputnik light from DWR for the bedroom so Kim could sleep under a sea of stars, a
shiny white lacquered horn fitting for above the workspace table and a very dramatic
girly birdcage chandelier for the living space. The amazing rug is from my friends at Madeline Weinrib.
In the space, there is also a wonderful outdoor patio that
we plan to develop this summer for work functions. Stay tuned.
The wonderful Jonny Valiant photographed these images and I
can’t thank him enough for his eye when shooting the space. The project was
also not possible without the help of my trusty Assistants Andrea Greco and
Mykl Cummins who spent hours and hours helping me source all the pieces for the
space, constructing some furniture and helping me install the lighting and
fixtures.
This was an exciting project and hopefully one of many
private commissions to come, Working in this area is very different to photo shoots
as somebody actually has to live/work in the space, Unlike many of my photo studio
shoots with sets, the space does not get torn down after being shot which
always leaves me feeling a bit sad, These spaces live, breathe and function.
