Away In New York City
Design, Discovery, and Adventure
Last month, the Emily June Designs team traded the Houston humidity for the crisp New York City air for a few days filled with design, discovery, and adventure. We returned to the New York Design Center for our fourth year as ambassadors for What’s New, What’s Next, where we spent the day connecting with the design community, hearing from talented industry professionals, and exploring showrooms from across the country. With the Kips Bay Decorator Show House happening at the same time, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity for even more design inspiration. Between sourcing trips, beautifully designed shops and restaurants, a visit to the Morgan Library & Museum, and, of course, a night seeing Hamilton on Broadway, we packed plenty of inspiration and plenty of fun into our NYC getaway.
Kicking Off Our NYC Adventure with Great Food and Broadway
After touching down in New York and checking into our hotel, we wasted no time exploring the city! Our first stop was Printemps, the beautifully designed department store we had been dying to visit. With incredible interiors at every turn, it was the perfect mix of shopping and design inspiration. From there, we headed to Kjun for lunch before wrapping up our first day with a true NYC must, seeing Hamilton on Broadway. It was the perfect start to a few days filled with design, inspiration, and adventure.
A Day of Showhouse Inspiration, Sourcing, and Shopping
Day two was all about soaking up design inspiration around the city! We started at the Kips Bay Decorator Show House, where a group of talented designers each transforms an individual space, bringing their own unique style and perspective to the home. We met up with a friend to explore the showhouse together, making the morning even more special. With something completely different around every corner, we loved taking it all in, swapping thoughts on our favorite details, and gathering plenty of creative inspiration to bring back to Houston.
Afterward, we stopped for lunch at Motek, where the gorgeous interiors were just as memorable as the food, before spending the afternoon sourcing and shopping. A favorite stop was John Derian, whose neighboring storefronts are filled with an eclectic mix of old and new from original art and textiles to antiques, books, and one-of-a-kind gifts. There was inspiration everywhere we looked!
What’s New, What’s Next: Back at NYDC for Year Four
We were so excited to return to What’s New, What’s Next at the New York Design Center as ambassadors for the fourth year in a row! WNWN brings together designers and industry professionals from across the country for a full day of inspiring events, engaging speaker panels, showroom tours, and conversations centered around what’s happening in the world of design. Throughout the day, we had the opportunity to hear from so many talented designers and creatives, learning about their perspectives, processes, and ideas shaping the industry. We also loved spending time exploring the NYDC showrooms, especially those we don’t have access to back home in Houston. Getting to see new collections, discover new vendors, and experience so much incredible design in one place always leaves us feeling inspired and excited to bring fresh ideas back to the studio.
A Morning at The Morgan: The Perfect End to NYC
It’s hard to visit New York City without making time for at least one museum, so before catching our flight back to Houston, we spent the morning exploring The Morgan Library & Museum. Originally built as the private library of financier and collector J. Pierpont Morgan, The Morgan is now a museum and research library filled with rare books, manuscripts, drawings, and works of art. Beyond the collection itself, the interiors are an experience all their own from richly detailed woodwork and soaring bookcases to ornate ceilings, historic furnishings, and incredible architectural details at every turn. It was the perfect final stop after a trip filled with so much creativity and design inspiration and such a beautiful way to wrap up our time in NYC before heading home to Houston.