New York's celebrated design event transforms a historic Greenwich Village townhouse into a month-long showcase of interiors, art and architecture.
The 2026 Kips Bay Decorator Show House opens to the public September 16 at 80 West Washington Place, with 22 design teams taking over the Manhattan residence
1. A Historic Manhattan Home Gets a New Life
This year's show house brings contemporary design into the historic fabric of Greenwich Village. The property at 80 West Washington Place is an approximately 8,700-square-foot townhouse spanning six levels, with six bedrooms, nine bathrooms and more than 1,500 square feet of private terraces. The residence also includes a double-height great room, rooftop deck, wellness level and landscaped garden.
Rather than presenting visitors with a single designer's vision, Kips Bay turns the house into a collection of distinct creative environments. Designers are given individual spaces to reinterpret, allowing one Manhattan home to become an exhibition of different materials, colors, furnishings and approaches to contemporary living.
The result should feel less like walking through a conventional furniture showroom and more like exploring a series of ideas about what a New York home can become.
The 2026 roster brings together 22 participating design practices, including Aamir Khandwala Interior Design, Carrier and Company Interiors, Chad Dorsey Design, Peter Dunham & Associates, Marmol Radziner, Megan Grehl, Nicole Fisher Interiors and Vanessa Deleon Associates.
That diversity is central to the experience. There is no single aesthetic that visitors are expected to follow from one room to another. Instead, each designer can create an individual interpretation of luxury, comfort and contemporary residential design.
This year's event also pushes beyond furniture and decoration. Fine art is being incorporated more deliberately into the house, with curator Gay Gassmann selecting American works from galleries for the grand staircase—a first for the New York show house.
Behind the polished interiors is a philanthropic purpose. The Kips Bay Decorator Show House was established in 1973 to raise money for the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club, and the organization says more than 800 designers have participated during its five-decade history.
The New York show has raised more than $33 million, supporting programs serving thousands of young people in New York City. That connection gives the event a dimension beyond design: the rooms attract attention, but the proceeds are directed toward youth programs and opportunities.
The 2026 show runs from September 16 through October 13, with general admission starting at $50. An opening-night event takes place September 15.
Category: Design & Architecture · Location: Greenwich Village, Manhattan · Date: September 2026 · Reading time: 5 min
