Metropolitan Home's Showtime House

Metropolitan Home and Showtime Networks present the Metropolitan Home's Showtime House: a transformation of a 19th century Gramercy Park townhouse into a beacon of modernism inspired by six Showtime original series. To create this fusion of entertainment and high style, Metropolitan Home has enlisted design’s top stars –Jamie Drake, Tori Golub, Laura Kirar, Amy Lau, White Webb, Vicente Wolf, Johnny Grey, Luca Andrisani, Kirsten Brant, Jim Zivic and Enea. This September, these exceptional talents will create visionary spaces that evoke the spirit of these cutting-edge shows: Californication, Dexter™, The L Word®, The Tudors, United States of Tara and Weeds.

The door to decadent design is open to the public September 13-October 26. Stop by 23 Gramercy Park South for a tour; all proceeds from ticket sales ($25 each) benefit the charity partner Happy Hearts Fund, which focuses on improving children's lives through education, sustainability and technology. Can’t make it to New York City? PointClickhome.com is your destination for Showtime-inspired style. For the next three months you’ll find behind-the-scenes videos, room galleries, shopping guides, designer secrets, sweepstakes, and even a design tool to recreate the featured rooms.

INSIDE THE HOUSE
THE TUDORS: Living Room by Laura Kirar
Perhaps fewer heads would have rolled if only Henry VIII (portrayed by Golden Globe winner Jonathan Rhys Meyers) had dialed down his inner drama king during his younger years in a provocative, yet contemplative space like the one Laura Kirar is designing. Although inspired by the romantic decoration of the Tudor period, Kirar is sure to lighten the heavy look with a modern touch.

A designer with the soul of an artist, Laura Kirar is the founder of TRU Design which specializes in high-end interior architecture and design for clients such as Westin Hotels. Her product design firm, KLDL Miami, has produced collections for the likes of Ann Sacks, Baker, Kallista, Carnegie Fabrics and Tufenkian Carpets.

CALIFORNICATION: Writer's Study and Spa by Jamie Drake
Californication’s Hank Moody (portrayed by Golden Globe winner David Duchovny) is a quick-witted, once-successful writer whom aspires to pen again but is a guy who just can’t say no to booze, drugs and his libido. Perhaps Hank will take a break from his amorous activities (or at least stylishly relocate them) and break his writer’s block in the sophisticated, slightly hedonistic writer’s study and spa conjured up for him by Jamie Drake.

A driving force in design, Jamie Drake has a natural gift for making modern interiors inviting and infusing traditional spaces with a fresh mix of contemporary elements. Drake’s clientele list reads like a Who’s Who of notables from the recent renovation and restoration of the mayor of New York City’s home (Gracie Mansion) to Madonna’s.

THE L WORD: Boudoir by Vicente Wolf
Whether it’s romance or restorative refuge on their radar, the sexy, glamorous women of The L Word will be irresistibly drawn to the chic master bedroom suite designed by Vicente Wolf. This alluring boudoir, with a built-in corner spa, will serve as visual foreplay to a climatic Rodeo Drive-worthy boutique closet that’s a wickedly delightful answer to every girl’s prayers.

In the design world, Vicente Wolf has been at the top for over three decades. His global clientele ranges from Hong Kong’s LS Store, the Beverly Hills’ Luxe Hotel and the executive office of J Records’ Clive Davis to the homes of Prince and Princess von Furstenburg and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Carl Bernstein. Wolf also designs product for luxury brands such as Baccarat, Kravet and Niedermaier.

UNITED STATES OF TARA: Master Bedroom by Tori Golub
One day she’ll be a wife and mom of two teenagers, the next an aggressive male biker or hormone-raging teenager. Whatever alter personality awakens in Tara (portrayed by Academy Award-nominated Toni Collette) at the day’s start will step out into the world from a stylishly surreal master bedroom suite created for her by Tori Golub.

Tori Golub began her career as a fashion stylist in London and Paris, then returned to New York two decades ago to focus on residential design—where she has become known for her carefully edited and modern, yet inviting aesthetic.

WEEDS: Lounge by White Webb
Now that Nancy (portrayed by Emmy, Golden Globe and Tony winner Mary-Louise Parker) has torched her home, she’s left suburban life behind in flaming style but not her pot-growing and dealing ways, an addictive means-to-an-end for this widowed mom of two to maintain her lifestyle. Never at a loss for words, Nancy will no doubt exclaim “Holy smokes!” to the swank living room lounge being created for her by Matthew White and Frank Webb. By tapping into the gorgeous drug dealer’s “green thumb” and embracing all things organic, elements like grasscloth covered walls, hemp carpeting and verdant greens will fill the room which contains, like Nancy, its own dirty little secret which will be cleverly masked by the design duo.

The blending of old with new is the hallmark of White Webb. Co-owners Matthew White and Frank Webb aspire to bring a sense of history to each project while balancing it with an appreciation for modern life for clients such as New York City’s Carlyle Hotel and the Studio 54 VIP Lounge, now home to Broadway’s Roundabout Theatre Company.

DEXTER
Dining Room by Amy Lau
If Dexter can get the meal to the table on-time without taking a deadly detour, Amy Lau will serve up a dining room in which he can spill red wine without anyone noticing and discard the chicken bones with abandon. Lau’s attention to detail promises to be deliciously disturbing down to the table covering itself, which will be creatively conceived for the serial killer on-the-go.

Spotlighted by Met Home in their “Who’s Next” Young Designer series, Amy Lau specializes in creating refined and optimistic modern spaces that look more curated than decorated, {comma sted semicolon}with residential and commercial clients ranging from Elvis Costello to Elie Tahari.

Kitchen by Johnny Grey Studios
Dexter (portrayed by two-time Golden Globe winner Michael C. Hall) may be a Miami P.D. blood splatter expert by day and vigilante serial killer by night, but Johnny Grey sees no reason why the room in which he cooks shouldn't be to die for. Perhaps Grey's retro kitchen will inspire tortured, yet surprisingly sympathetic, Dexter to slice and dice only veggies instead of South Florida bad guys.

Johnny Grey and Chuck Wheelock (design director for UK-based Johnny Grey Studios), is part of a team renowned for their innovative kitchen design with a worldwide client roster such as rock star Sting and Apple founder Steve Jobs.

VISIT METROPOLITAN HOME’S SHOWTIME HOUSE
When: September 13-October 26, 2008; open Saturdays and Sundays, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Where: 23 Gramercy Park South, New York, NY, 10003. See it on Google Maps

Tickets: $25 per person, purchased at the door. No children under 12, and no strollers are permitted. All proceeds from ticket sales benefit the Happy Hearts Fund

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