The Lion

This is by no means new news, as it opened almost a year ago, but I still love the design of The Lion in New York and had to share. Owned by John de Lucie of the Waverley Inn and Mark Amadei of Delicatessen, The Lion was born for success.

Meg Sharpe, a former employee of Kelly Wearstler, designed the English hunting estate-meets-Paris salon-meets-Gentleman’s Club interiors, which are finished off with works including a Basquiat (“on loan from a friend”), a David LaChapelle portrait of Andy Warhol, prints of old “New York’s Most Wanted” photos, and antique oil portraits.

I also love this story about The Lion, via New York Social Diary:

“The space in its previous incarnation was a restaurant called Village. In the early 1960s it was a gay bar called … The Lion. It had a cabaret show in those days, and once the club’s hatcheck girl won the amateur night contest. The prize was a two week booking at … The Lion. That little girl was called Barbra Streisand.”

white, brown, black + art and books

My fixation with the restricted white/black/brown combo, generally with warm woods and leathers serving as the brown, just isn’t letting up. It’s amazing to me that without any color or pattern, just texture, style of furniture, architectural detail, finishes, and styling, this color story can communicate such a wide range of styles, from traditional cabin to modern industrial.

It’s like the little black dress of interior design.  There’s a million little black dresses out there, but depending on the cut and material, they can be appropriate for a variety of body types and occasions.  And then just changing the accessories can switch up the whole mood of the dress.

This time, a few examples that skillfully use art and books to keep the restricted palette from becoming too dry or impersonal.  A well-accessorized LBD, if you well.

Hockney