How Sasha Bikoff brings Italian Memphis Milano to Show House

New York-based interior designer Sasha Bikoff brings the 1980’s Italian Memphis Milano style to this year’s 46th Annual Kips Bay Decorator Show House, and it is electrifying! The show has been on since 1973, inviting designers to transform a home in Manhattan to exhibit design, art, and technology. However, while the show is annual, this year marks Bikoff’s first participation in the show, being offered a chance to redesign the famed Show House’s stairway.

images by Genevieve garruppo

Initially, the project was launched to benefit after-school programs at the “Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club”. However, the event has become trendsetting, in the past four decades, attracting thousands of designers annually. Yet, aware of the charity programs at the club, Bikoff was primarily keen on developing a design that would ignite inspiration and creativity within the students.

By spending time with the children, the designer noticed their interest in dance, art, and music. To translate this in the stairway, the designer was inspired by the 1980s Italian Memphis Milano movement, claiming that it greatly references music. As for the color palette, the designer was inspired by the 1980s Miami Art Deco revival, creating an explosion of colors that makes the stairway appear young, bright, and exciting.

images by Genevieve garruppo

While Bikoff claims that her mantra in design is to not have any rules, she still affirms her love for referencing the past. As the designer explains: “When I was designing the space, I saw myself dancing up the stairs, and all these graphics came to my head. It all turned into an explosion of color”. Consequently, the outcome is a new take on older moments in design history.

Moreover, Bikoff embraced challenges such as the complexity of the winding organization and the narrowness of floor landings. She did that by emphasizing dynamism and a sense of movement, using shapes that play into the stair’s circulatory nature. Also, the old European architecture setting is merged with the 80’s style through the overwhelming use of patterns along with vivid colors. However, it is important to note that the patterns used are not random, and are influenced by original Milano designers such as Ettore Sottsass and Alessandro Mendini.

images by Genevieve garrupp

While taking the stairs, Bikoff wanted the guests of the Kips Bay to view a “Technicoloured Dream”. The evident fearlessness in her design to create this effect was made possible by various collaborations. For the stairs flooring, Bikoff worked with “Custom Rug”, creating playful modern pastel flooring that highlights the space. As for the walls and ceilings, there are Polaroids of pop artists and models, mirrors by famous artists, vintage light fixtures, and bold farrow & ball gloss painting, all of which are integrated together with the help of “Vousta Design Studio”.

images by Genevieve garruppo

Bikoff implies that design should be “as it is both worldly and intellectual”; in this case, it is safe to say that the final outcome is both. Looking at this impressive piece of work, one may wonder; is it possible to incorporate such bold colors and shapes in our own homes? According to Bikoff, the most important thing is to be fearless with a design. Leaving off with some advice from the designer:

“I always tell people, if they’re afraid to use color, they should really look into what their favorite colors are and be bold, be brave, and just go for it,” she advises. “If your favorite color is purple, don’t be afraid to paint your room purple. And don’t be afraid to mix different colors together. I find that my favorite color combination is pink and green, but it’s really, really important to be fearless with design, and if you take that approach you will create something super unique that you can call your own.”