I’ve been fortunate to have been tapped as a member of Blogger 19, a group of internet-savvy writers and designers brought together by Brizo to attend Jason Wu‘s runway show during New York Fashion Week last February (see the video I shot here) and to learn about the artistry behind the company’s architectonic products. Yesterday, another design powerhouse, KraftMaid, invited us to the press lunch celebrating the unveiling of the House Beautiful Kitchen of the Year (there’s a great post about it on Shelter Pop). It was terrific to see the KraftMaid cabinets in the classically chic setting created by Jeff Lewis, the star of Bravo’s hit television series “Flipping Out.”
During the unveiling, Newell Turner, the editor in chief of House Beautiful, had some news about the direction the publication will be taking in the future (he makes the announcement in the video above). As someone who has followed Newell’s esteemed career and the magazine for years, I can’t wait to see how he infuses House Beautiful’s pages with his fine-tuned sense of aesthetics. After the presentation, I lunched with three other Blogger 19 pals, Susan Serra, Andie Day and Aston Smith (who has a nice post about the event/kitchen here), as we discussed our favorite elements in the space. Mine were the peppercorn finish on the cabinetry, which brought warmth to the cool serenity of the room, and the reclaimed wood table-top that was once in the Vanderbilt polo pony farm, for which Lewis designed z-shaped metal legs as supports. The Kitchen of the Year will remain open for viewing in Rockefeller Plaza (between the 30 Rock building and the skating rink) through Friday, July 23, but the venue will morph into Bar 30 by House Beautiful and will remain open through the summer. The kitchen will also be featured in the October issue of House Beautiful magazine. Congratulations to Jeff and his talented team of designers for creating such a serenely graceful space!