The holidays are the most wonderful time of the year, and designing for the Holiday House Showhouse was one of the most wonderful opportunities! I had just launched my eponymous Robin Baron Collection of home furnishings, offering hardware, casegoods, upholstery and rugs I’d designed over many months and years. Here, for the first time, I saw it all come together in one cohesive, fabulous look. This showhouse event, located in the famed Academy Mansion in NYC, invited the public to experience the talent of prestigious interior designers while benefiting important breast cancer research. I was honored to be selected as one of the designers, with the task of transforming the Grand Salon and the small-but-intriguing ante-foyer approaching the salon.
I started by looking at my new collection: what pieces held the most opportunity for high drama? What would wow guests touring the home and leave them wanting more? The result was a feast for the eyes. To see my pieces all together, creating impact in those two extraordinary spaces, was such a thrill, as was working alongside my peers and colleagues while giving back to an important cause.
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The grand living room in this gracious Manhattan mansion features traditional panel molding. Robin installed mirrors inside the molding on the fireplace wall, giving the room a modern-meets-traditional look. Robin placed a large-scale painting over the Old World-style fireplace to make the room come alive with a dramatic focal point.
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The living room’s soft-yet-rich jewel tone palette—in window treatments, fabrics, and art—keeps the eye moving through the space. The Luna Closed Back Sofa and a pair of Luna Open Back Chairs are exclusive upholstery pieces from the Robin Baron Collection.
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Here, beautiful vintage hand-blown glass sconces flank the living room fireplace in scintillating glory. The fireplace screen perfectly balances the painting above it.
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For a sophisticated-yet-casual look, Robin loves using two coordinating fabrics on one piece of upholstery. These gorgeous Luna Open Back Chairs from Robin’s collection are a prime example. The Tibetan-weave wool-and-silk Shimmer Rug in Orchid, also from Robin’s collection, continues the room’s color story.
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Talk about drama! Robin was influenced by the trend in biophilic design and chose this dramatic over-scaled wall covering for the ante-foyer. The bold colors give contrast to the subtle color palette used in the living room.
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Smaller spaces, like this ante-foyer, are places to show some personality and think big. It’s fun to mix looks, try new styles, and incorporate vintage finds (like these large candlesticks).
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The ante-foyer features the Robin Baron Collection’s Chloe Credenza in signature Baroness Orange, with Robin’s Looped Large cabinet hardware. A mix of bronze lamps and very special vintage pottery completes the compelling look.