The 2025 Kips Bay Decorator Show House New York has finally arrived. The hotly anticipated interior design spectacle—which is celebrating its landmark 50th anniversary—usually takes place every spring, but this year, it's part of fall’s jam-packed cultural season. Open through October 19, the Show House has also traded uptown for downtown for the first time ever, completely transforming a 9,000-square-foot Greenwich Village brownstone. The star-studded roster of design firms, each of which is assigned a designated room, includes ELLE Decor A-List members Branca, Corey Damen Jenkins & Associates, Huniford Design Studio, Jamie Drake, Mark Hampton, and Vicente Wolf Associates.
Founded in 1973, the annual event—which has since spawned satellite Show Houses in Palm Beach and Dallas—has raised over $30 million for the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club, a nonprofit that provides educational programming to underserved students in the Bronx. Among those in the design community, the Show House has developed a reputation as a place where creativity and experimentation reign supreme. It’s here that many designers, free of client demands, are able to take risks and express fresh ideas, offering a glimpse of where the industry is heading going into 2026.
Below, take a look at five trends we spotted at this year’s Show House.
Cork Drenching
You’ve heard of color drenching (and double drenching). Now, get ready for the cork version. On the top floor of the Show House, Ford Huniford of New York–based Huniford Design Studio conceived a loft sheathed entirely—including the ceiling, lights, shelving, and window sill—in cork, specifically a wall covering from Phillip Jeffries' Cork Couture collection. The hand-crafted material is infused with a marble effect that gives the space an enhanced luster. The result provides visual intrigue without being too loud, creating an ideal backdrop to allow for the sculptural furnishings and works of art to shine.
Read more: https://www.elledecor.com/design-decorate/trends/a68132088/kips-bay-show-house-new-york-trends-2025/