2011 A&D Opening Night Recap

Each year the Architects & Designers Building throws an Opening Night party that spotlight each showroom in its best light. This year's festivities kicked off with 35 showroom events and countless fixtures and furnishings to enhance your home. Upon entering the 200,000 square foot building, we noticed a bot of a shift from last year. Perhaps it was the wet weather, but the hallways were a little less populated. There were still plenty of people...just not so much as 2010 (see "Opening Night at Architects & Designers Building"). Regardless of the shift in attendance, many of the participating showrooms did not disappoint.

Best Showroom Experience: Miele & GE Monogram

It is always a pleasure to attend the Miele showroom because they know how to do it up. Featuring polished appliances and innovative technology, Miele wowed guests with savory bites from Top Chef, Angelo Sosa. To experience the Miele showroom is fuse luxe fixtures with a posh lounge-like setting. Its modernity is a truly unbelievable experience that takes premium appliances to the next level.

Just a floor above was another appliance showroom making a splash. The GE Monogram Design Center knows how to keep guests entertained. With an amazing showroom, gorgeous interior vignettes, to styled kitchens and flat screen televisions (allows for demonstration close ups), all design styles can find inspiration here. With their own Executive Chef (Tageré Southwell), GE Monogram kept festivities going with mixes by DJ Gatsby and an unforgettable experience.

Best Showroom Design: Bilotta Kitchens

No showroom captivated our attention quite like Bilotta Kitchens. If Charlotte York (character from Sex and the City) were real, she would fall in love with their Rutt Classic collection. The blue cabinetry paired with marble counters created such an exquisite kitchen. Did we mention how functional this cooking space was? The kitchen cabinets alone could store every dish in two Manhattan apartments. And the adjacent seating area? Gorgeous! Bilotta Kitchens demonstrated a consistency in luxury and sophistication that was unrivaled at the Opening Night event.

Honorable Mention: Davis & Warshow-Kitchen & Bath Center

If one product stole the show it was a "little" toilet at the Davis & Warshow-Kitchen & Bath Design Center. Only on display at the A&D Building, the NUMI toilet by Kohler takes toilet technology to the next level. NUMI amenities include: motion activated lid, bidet, deodorizer, heated seat and feet warmer, music attributes and more.

All in all the 2011 A&D Opening Night party was a wonderful event full of great design. Our critique? To make this a more closed event. It seems that every year we notice more of a focus on the passed hors d'oeuvres than the actual design. Want to see more photos of the event? Visit our Facebook Fanpage.