The Traveling Designer with Tobi Fairley

Posted on 21 July 2010

I am thrilled to write my inaugural post for The Traveling Designer with Tobi Fairley. With this exciting blog series I will bring to you all my favorite finds, shopping destinations, delicious meals, chic hotels and behind-the-scenes design news from around the globe. I’ll take you inside industry events, designer showhouses, furniture markets and much, much more.

So let’s jump right in with one of my favorite places in the world…New York City.

I had the great pleasure of designing a tabletop in April, along with 30 other designers including Philip Gorrivan (table shown above), for the Lenox Hill Neighborhood House Spring Gala. I don’t know about you, but I jump at any chance I get to trek up to the Big Apple and get a little taste of city life.

My home base is usually the Carlyle Hotel. The hotel’s style was created over the years by design greats like Dorothy Draper and Mark Hampton and is still very chic today.

It is perfectly situated on the Upper East Side at 76^th and Madison Avenue. It’s conveniently located near great restaurants, and it’s a stone’s throw away from here.

The Carlyle’s own restaurant and bar is a local hotspot for drinks and afternoon tea.

And speaking of restaurants, I rarely make a trip to the city without a visit to a few of my favorites including the Kelly Wearstler designed Café BG at Bergdorf Goodman. It’s the perfect spot for lunch!

Other favorites are Park Avenue NYC which changes its interiors and menu seasonally, and Sant Ambroeus, a see and be seen locale serving three delicious Italian meals a day and where I sat next to her on my last visit.

From Pantone to Eddie Ross, everyone is saying the hot colors of the season are turquoise and orange. Eddie set the tone with his window display for Bloomingdale’s New York around the time of my visit.

This season’s color trends of turquoise and orange were right on the mark showing up this spring and summer in New York fashion and design windows alike from Coach to Crate and Barrel to Gucci.

And speaking of turquoise, I bumped into Marjorie Skourus (designer of this fabulous turquoise chandelier) who was launching her gorgeous line at a cocktail event with the Dennis Miller Showroom at 200 Lex, one of the two New York to-the-trade design centers.

Design openings and events like DIFFA’s spring Dining by Design happen in the city daily. For the design industry there is never a lack of inspiration or new product ideas in New York. I was invited to two exciting design openings while in town.

First my friend and Arkansas native Brad Ford brought me to the new Rose Tarlow showroom opening at the D&D Center. It is a beautiful showcase of Rose’s designs mixing natural wood tones with neutral fabrics for a timeless and sophisticated look.

And speaking of fabulous, I had the pleasure of attending the Juan Montoya book signing at Frette linens on Madison and 66^th Street. Juan’s gorgeous new book is a must-buy.

With his unassuming and kind personality, you would never know Juan designed one of the most popular rooms (I agree) at the 2009 Kips Bay Showhouse.

I rounded out my trip with stops by my favorite book store, some great shopping for the little one, and drinks and dinner for two at one of the hottest spots in New York.

The Mark Hotel is newly opened and designed by famed French designer Jacques Grange.

The black and white marble floors are stunning.

The Mark Bar serves the best Kumquat Mojito ever. Be sure not to miss their rosemary popcorn. It is de-lish! The Jean-Georges restaurant inside is impossible to get into, with at least a month wait for reservations. I’m hoping to dine there my next trip.

Another must visit restaurant…Maialino at the Gramercy Park Hotel. Thanks to my talented friend Michael Devine, who lives on Gramercy Park, we got a reservation at this new Danny Meyer joint.

In all its simplicity, Maialino is a feast for the eyes, and the Italian-inspired fare left our taste buds soaring. And remember, you must save room for a bite of the olive oil cake, more moist than any butter cake you’ve ever tasted. I promise it’s worth the calories.

Well, there it is, my latest trip to the Big Apple in a nutshell. I hope you will check out some of these great places on your next visit. And I’ll be back soon with lots of exciting tips, trends and topics from other exciting cities. I’m off to pack now for another excursion. Until we meet again, Happy Travels!