The design industry lost a legend earlier this year when Albert Hadley passed away in March at the ripe age of 91. So at this year’s Kips Bay Show House, his spirit was definitely alive as so many of the designers paid tribute to Mr. Hadley in their spaces. Above is a living room designed in honor of Hadley by Bunny Williams (who is also the event’s chair) along with Brian McCarthy and David Kleinberg. It features pops of red throughout which was Albert’s signature color. All three of the designers who collaborated on this room worked for Albert Hadley in their early careers and many of the other participating designers at this year’s show house also worked for or were mentored by Hadley over the years. Below is a look at some of the touching little tributes to Hadley that I spotted around the show house…

In the Albert Hadley tribute room, a photo of Hadley beaming sits on a side table by the sofa…

And a bar console in the room is styled with another framed photo of Hadley looking on…

 In decorative painter Chuck Fischer’s room, an inspiration board full of photos, post cards and art work includes a photo Chuck had taken with Albert years ago.

A few rooms in the show house included Albert’s signature “Don’t Forget” notepads scattered about in a subtle wink to the late designer. This photo is also from Chuck Fischer’s room.

Thom Filicia, who started out working for Parish-Hadley, featured four room sketches done by Albert in his gallery space that were lent to him by Bunny Williams. Below is a closer look…

_{L-R: Vicente Wolf, Thom FIlicia, Laura Kirar, Jonathan Adler}

The New York Times Store recently released a series of images from its 100+ year old photo archive, many of which have never been seen before and to celebrate, the Times tapped 5 celebrated interior designers Laura Kirar, Kelly Wearstler, Vicente Wolf, Jonathan Adler and Thom Filicia to curate a selection of 10 photos from the archive that reflects their design aesthetic and appreciation for the use of photography in interiors.  The collection is called 50 Photographs and is now available for purchase at The New York Times Store. I attended the launch party at the Staley-Wise Gallery on Monday and it was chock full of design stars including the 50 Photographs guest curators (minus Kelly Wearstler), style icon Iris Apfel, design maven Charlotte Moss, newly appointed Architectural Digest editor-in-chief Margaret Russell (sporting a cast on her right leg!), Barney’s Creative Director (& Jonathan Adler’s husband) Simon Doonan and fashion designer Naeem Kahn. Below are a few fun snaps from the party along with a several of images from the collection including my favorites from Jonathan Adler who chose nine photos of chic people wearing masks at high-society parties plus one of the New Jersey Turnpike. Says Adler, “I like to look at pictures of glamorous people having fun in kooky outfits and then when I get too carried away I like to remind myself of where I came from – hence the Jersey turnpike picture.” Check out the photos below and be sure to check out the full collection here. I just might have to add Adler’s whimsical pick featuring the masked leopard people to my own collection…so chic!

Left: Iris Apfel and husband Carl Apfel. Right: Laura Kirar

From L-R: Gallery Co-Owner Etheleen Staley, Margaret Russell, Naeem Kahn and wife Ranjana.

Left: Charlotte Moss. Right: Simon Doonan and Jonathan Adler

Oversized Cars, 1954, Eddie Hausner/The New York Times (Vicente Wolf)

Geisha – Tokyo, 2001, Gary Knight/VII (Vicente Wolf)

Park Benches, Vincent Laforet/The New York Times (Kelly Wearstler)

The Steeplechase, 1939, Andrew Herman (Laura Kirar)

World’s Fair Dinosaur Dismantled, 1965, Robert Walker/The New York Times (Laura Kirar)

Leopard People, 1966, Larry C. Morris/The New York Times (Jonathan Adler)

Going Groucho, 1974, John Sotomayor/The New York Times (Jonathan Adler)

Summer Reflections, 1997, Suzanne De Chillo/The New York Times (Thom Filicia)

I recently stopped by the D&D to check out Thom Filicia’s new fabrics for Kravet at the D&D the other day and I have to say, I really like it! The patterns and color combinations are fresh and modern yet the collection still has a timeless appeal. I’m especially a fan of the citron colored faux bois fabric shown on the bench above. You can see all of the collection swatches here and below are a few more photos from Kravet’s Inspired Talk blog. As a bonus, head over to Inspired Talk to watch a video of Filicia discussing his collaboration with Kravet and the making of the collection!

_{The Thom Filicia display at the D & D’s Kravet showroom}

_{Photo via NY Daily News}

The best example of eco-friendly design that I’ve seen is the 2500 square foot, three-bedroom model apartment designed last year by Thom Filicia for the Riverhouse condominium building in New York City. The LEED certified Riverhouse is a luxury high-rise overlooking Battery Park and probably one of New York City’s “greenest” buildings. It has attracted high-profile buyers including Leonardo DiCaprio and Tyra Banks and in a clever marketing effort, the developers tapped Filicia to create a stylish model apartment that embodied the idea of luxury, eco-friendly living.

The entire apartment was designed using environmentally friendly, sustainable materials such as natural fiber fabrics, FSC-certified woods, low-voc paints and wall paper glues, recycled objects and of course, antiques.

Filicia conceptualized the space with a fictitious couple in mind…a pair of empty-nesters re-locating downtown from the Upper East Side. “You know these people: they’re well-traveled, sophisticated, and curious, and they love to entertain family and friends,” Filicia says in his book, Thom Filicia Style. In the living room above, the rug is made from vintage kilm runners and cut up felt. The green glass lamp is made from recycled wine bottles and the telescope in the corner is vintage.

The apartment features a fairly neutral color palette infused with organic earth tones and rich, natural textures such as the biodegradeable grasscloth wallpaper that you see throughout the space. There are a few bright spots though, such as the yellow sofa pictured here. The dining table features a paperstone tabletop and a FSC certified wood base wrapped in recycled zinc panels. The chandelier above is made from recycled jet airplane parts and the floor lamp is made from recycled plumbing parts.

Many of the furnishings in the apartment were custom…like this sectional sofa in the library which has a FSC certified birch plywood frame and cusions made of organic latex. The coffee table that you se a peek of on the left is made from recycled aluminum.

Here in the guest room, the walls are covered in wood pulp wallpaper with eco-friendly metallic detail. The bedside tables are made from old sewing machine stands, the lamp base is unglazed ceramic and all of the bedding is eco-friendly.

I’ve always loved the look of sawhorse desks and the one shown here in the model apartment’s master bedroom is vintage. The rattan bench adds even more textural contrast to the space.

Filicia got very creative with the custom furnishings in the apartment. The orange bedside tables are actually linen sealed with a water-based lacquer. The table lamp was made from old ship’s chain. The sheets are made of naturally sustainable bamboo and even the Ecobamboo mattress, made by Magniflex, are environmentally friendly! I really tip my hat to Thom for this one. The space is beautiful and livable and proves that you don’t have to sacrifice style to design green.

_{Riverhouse apartment photos via Thom Filicia’s Facebook Fan Page}