Meet the Kips Bay Designer: Ovadia Design Group
Studio founder Jack Ovadia and his team transform the Kips Bay Decorator Show House New York foyer, stair, and landing
With two decades of experience in interior design, Jack Ovadia draws inspiration from a wide range of influences to craft timeless and unique residential and hospitality spaces as well as community projects.
His diverse portfolio includes a cozy coastal-meets-Miami bar and upscale restaurant on the Jersey Shore, and Friedman’s, a New York City staple with locations in Chelsea Market and the Upper West Side.
What was the inspiration for your room at this year’s Kips Bay Decorator Show House New York?
“We named the vestibule and stair hall A Midnight Check-In to evoke that hour of night when you’re at rest and your most imaginative dreams take flight — a moment suspended between wakefulness and sleep, intimate, evocative, and full of possibility. We leaned into what clients often call our signature: homes that feel like hotels, spaces that are tailored, sophisticated, and layered with meaning to make you feel transported. The Kips Bay Show House offered a rare opportunity to blend residential comfort with the scale and drama of hospitality, allowing our team at Ovadia Design Group to think outside the box. We also wanted this space to embody the mission of the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club and the belief that any dream is possible. If you can imagine it, it can happen.”
Please tell us about a significant piece that helps shape the mood of your space.
“The story of the space begins underfoot. A custom Tai Ping carpet—its bold tiger motif drawn from the brand’s archival designs of the 1980s and ’90s—establishes the tone for everything that follows. The tiger, a symbol of strength, courage, and protection, threads through the design like a quiet guardian, its presence felt as much as seen. Stepping into the vestibule, the mood deepens; the space exhales into something richer, more deliberate. Along the walls, artist Jennifer Hansen Rolli builds an imaginative, tactile panorama, where geometric forms meet organic rhythm, her motifs subtly recalling the tiger’s spirit and lending the vestibule a moment of intrigue and welcome. Jennifer’s hand brings more than artistry; it brings presence. It’s work that doesn’t simply adorn a space, but inhabits it, shaping the room’s character as much as any architectural detail.”
How does your work for this Kips Bay project exemplify your style as a designer – or is it just the opposite, something you have always wanted to try as a designer but haven’t found the client?
“This project is classic us, our signature style of tailored, sophisticated, yet hotel-like residential spaces is at the core of A Midnight Check-In. But it also gave us a twist: the opportunity to push that signature into a slightly more dramatic, immersive experience, blending residential comfort with the scale and storytelling of hospitality. It’s a rare chance to think outside the box while staying true to who we are as designers, and for the result to feel like a natural extension of our aesthetic—sophisticated, layered, and full of narrative—with just a hint of dreamlike imagination we don’t often get to explore in a residential setting.”
What are you most looking forward to in the Kips Bay experience?
“Being part of Kips Bay for the first time is truly an honor. For our team at Ovadia Design Group, it’s about more than designing a room; it’s always about telling a story through every detail, every texture, and every choice. This initiative gave us the rare chance to share a broader vision, to layer narrative, craft, and imagination into a space that anyone can experience and feel transported by. What makes this vision even more meaningful is the community around it—the collaborators and sponsors who helped bring it to life. Each partner contributed a unique perspective to the story. For our first year at Kips Bay New York, being able to create something that celebrates creativity, possibility, and imagination—and to do so in a way that inspires others, including the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club—is deeply rewarding and something we will always remember.”
What does it mean to you to be part of the 50th anniversary of Kips Bay Decorator Show House New York?
“Being part of this showhouse on its 50th anniversary is a true honor. It’s a rare opportunity to bring our vision to life in a place that celebrates creativity, craft, and imagination. Even more meaningful is knowing that the space we’ve created can inspire others—especially the kids at the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club— showing that dreams are possible when courage meets imagination. For us, being entrusted with this moment is not just exciting, it’s deeply humbling, and a reminder of why we do what we do at Ovadia Design Group.”