Tis the season! Showhouse season. The annual Kips Bay Showhouse has just opened and it is filled with beautiful design and ideas aplenty. I am going to be taking you through some of my favorite spaces, touring the house in detailed doses. Starting with Alessandra Branca,  whose room was in her signature red, white and black color scheme, the large living room was filled with the best of the best antiquities, pops of great art and a playful mix of prints. Above all, the room is meant to be used and enjoyed, with seating areas that encourage conversation and a game table for cards. A master at making antiques appear fresh and now, take a look at Branca's fantastic mix that appears both livable and sophisticated.

A game table and seating area flank the fireplace and an array of elegant patterns and solids break up the space.  A black Spoon Back Chair floats in the room giving the eye a place to rest.

A Robert Polidori photo anchors the room over the mantel

The sisal rug adds a casual element to an over the top antique 7 paneled screen. A neutral sofa, something many people have, can be instantly their transformed with a throw made from a pattern, as Branca did with the classic Braquenie Le Grand Genois Tree of Life print (The fabrics are now available through Pierre Frey.)

Perfect black and white Anemones on a parchment coffee table with Fornasetti objects is such a great moment. One of my favorite Braquenie prints makes the settee have a wonderful symmetry to it.

Placing a cozy banquet on either side of the fireplace, multiple seating areas make for intimate moments and encourage reading or just hanging out for a chat