You’re Invited: Holiday Decorations Tour, from Iris Bell
You're invited to come along on my Holiday Decorations Tour.
On the day after Thanksgiving I visit NYC shops to admire their holiday windows and holiday interiors. It's about seeing beautiful things, not shopping. It's also a time to notice how businesses entice people to enter, how they use their space to present groups of items and to appreciate how they light their space and merchandise.
Friday, November 28, 2013
If you're coming, just meet us at 10:00am outside Anthropologie on 3rd Ave. at 71st St., NW corner.
Best wishes,
Iris Bell
Anthropologie
3rd Ave. at 71st St., NW corner
This is an unusual use of space. About half the floor of the main level has been removed, creating a lower level "great room" instead of a normal basement. The great room changes the way we see all the spaces in this shop. Last year there was a splendid Xmas tree on the balcony. Except that the "balcony" is actually below street level.
Ralph Lauren Men
Madison at 72nd St., SE corner
This mansion's interior was created in 1983 to the taste of Ralph Lauren. It's inside the shell of this 1890s building. The windows, all the floors and even the decor of the back stairways are worth seeing.
Ralph Lauren Women, Home and Children
Madison at 72nd St., SW corner
This mansion was built in 2010, to the taste of Ralph Lauren. It was inspired by the 1758 building in Paris where Lauren has his shop. All it's windows and floors are worth seeing. Every detail, from the hinges on the counters to the handrail supports have been chosen to create elegance and beauty.
Donna Karan NY
Madison, between 68th and 69th Sts., E. side, mid-block
The windows have dramatic holiday decorations. The back of the main floor has a Zen style outdoor garden with an indoor/outside pool.
Crate & Barrel
Madison at 60th St., NW corner
The main design element I appreciate are its walls, which create many partial rooms throughout the main floor. They're at a slight angle. This angle makes the space seem open, keeping the eye from noticing the many pillars, in a tight grid, holding up the building. We'll look at these walls on the main floor as we walk through toward 5th Ave.
Bergdorf Goodman
Fifth Ave. between 57th and 58th Sts., NW corner
The windows are some of the largest and most heavily decorated in the world. The top floor has a display of ornaments under a skylight.