About a month ago, the Kuotes attended the Kips Bay Decorator Show House right here in Manhattan (you can read about it here). While there, we climbed to the very top of the Arthur Sachs Mansion (making us hyper-aware of how out-of-shape we were… where’s Richard Simmons when you need him most?), but the climb was TOTALLY worth the beautiful reveal: a breathtaking rooftop terrace designed by Lauren Rottet and her team at Rottet Studio. Rottet Studio is an international architecture and design firm who are ranked in Interior Design magazine’s Top 100 Design Giants, and we were lucky enough to get an exclusive interview with them about their design work at the show house. Check out their gorgeous work and inspiring insight below!
“Toit-Terrasse” at the 2015 Kips Bay Decorator Show House | Source: Rottet Studio
Meet Lauren Rottet:
Fun fact: Lauren is the only is the only woman in history to be a Fellow for both the American Institute of Architects and the International Interior Design Association. She also holds the coveted title of Designer of the Year at the Interior Design Hall of Fame and Interiors. Look at this girl go!
Q. List five words to describe your design style.
A. Clean, simple, thoughtful, open, and conscious.
Q. What is a major pain point for you as a designer?
A. Pricing is often quoted from the manufacturer at one price, but by the time it gets to the client it’s a different price due to mark ups.
*Are you a designer that feels Lauren’s pain? One easy solve for this is to shop at Kathy Kuo Home through our trade program! With KKH by your side, you won’t have to deal with manufacturers, and you’ll know exactly what price your client can expect and what savings you can pass on to them. To learn more, feel free to contact us!
“Toit-Terrasse” at the 2015 Kips Bay Decorator Show House | Source: Rikki Snyder
Q. How do you decide to take on a design project?
A. I see if the project is aligned with my design philosophy, and I see if it’ll be a challenge. You want to design something that will change a company or a city.
Q. What is design success to you?
A. When a project has discovered new territory and is not a copy of anything. It needs to please people and ensure they experience space in a way they never have before.
Q. What design trends do you see happening right now?
A. Home brought into the office—casual, but colorful with textures and patterns. Also, more humor for hospitality and a trend toward a more contemporary style.
About Kips Bay Decorator Show House
Rottet’s rooftop terrace is inspired by a 1921 Beaux Arts Upper East Side home. The space is loving and welcoming, featuring a wall mosaic of Sicis butterflies, rich greenery by Trillium Design Group, and a custom console of glass and ceramic. The terrace is all at once artful, sophisticated, spirited, and humorous. Photography above by Rafael Quirindongo.
Q. What was your eureka moment at Kips Bay?
A. When we discovered that we could use Sicis tile with panels already put together for us!
Q. Where there any accidents or surprises while installing?
A. Not a surprise…but going up six stories with the last flight of stairs being a very narrow passage made it difficult when carrying heavy planters and trees
Q. Why mosaic? What element did it bring to your design?
A. Mosaic has history behind it, and often floor patterns were done in mosaic. Mosaic also has nice patterns and colors that we found happy and uplifting.
Great Dane mosaic in honor of Lauren’s own dog named Lilly Bunny | Source: the Kuotes
Q. If you could do it all over again, is there anything you would change?
A. We would’ve put a cold refrigerator on the roof to serve cold rosé.
Q. Your favorite room (other than your own)?
A. The little room between the kitchen and the back stairs.
Lauren speaks to this room, Bennett Leifer’s “Lounge” | Source: the Kuotes
Q. What was your favorite element of your roof terrace?
A. The DIY console that we made out of four ceramic pots and a couple layers of glass. It received great comments because people could relate to it.
DIY ceramic and glass console table | source: theobserver.com
Designing for the Outdoors:
Beautiful mosaic butterflies | source: the Kuotes
Q. What is the biggest difference for designing for the outdoors?
A. You typically need to be closer to someone to hear them when you’re outdoors, so do not separate pieces too much for better conversation.
Q. What are your favorite materials and patterns for the outdoors?
A. White marble topped anything and furniture that does not require outdoor cushions to be comfortable—such as vintage cast concrete benches, rocking chairs, and oversized hammocks.
The Kuotes would like to thank Rottet Studio for sharing with us. We are LOSING IT over here at how beautiful their summer space is.
If you liked this interview, make sure to share it with your friends. And if you’re a designer who’d like to be featured like this, please contact the Kuotes at blog@kathykuohome.com
One thought on “Exclusive Interview with Celebrated Designer and Architect Lauren Rottet”
The Bennett Leifer’s Lounge is gorgeous *-* I especially love the wallpaper! I can think of a couple of sofas from KOKET that would look gorgeous on that space.