2007 HC&G IDEA HOUSE TOUR

Walking into Philip Gorrivan's dining room is like seeing brilliant fireworks pop against a twilight sky. Against a backdrop of gray Venetian plaster walls, a charcoal-and-white carpet (of Gorrivan's design) and a lacquered gray ceiling, the designer has installed neon orange bookcases by Bruno de Caumont, 19th-century Swedish antique chairs with mint-blue cushions and a mélange of purple, green, teal and deep blue accents on accessories around the room. Then there is the smoldering orange dining chair upholstery and mod green drapes—dramatic fabrics from Gorrivan's new collection for Duralee/Highland Court, which will hit the market in January but are debuting here.

"The idea for the dining room started with fabric—I designed the fabrics specifically for the room," Gorrivan says. "The curtain fabric is a lettuce green with a flocked velvet flower and silver metallic paint. And the seats of the Robsjohn-Gibbings chairs surrounding the dining table are covered with hot orange goatskin patent leather. It's very rich—a burst of color in a sea of grays."

To add to the sensuously moody atmosphere, Gorrivan arranged for the ceiling to be hand-lacquered to a glossy finish so it shimmers even in the dimmest light. "What you achieve is this amazing reflective sense," Gorrivan says. "I love the richness the lacquer provides when you apply it to the ceiling. It gives it this amazing sense of depth and height, and a great sense of space and definition." The mahogany and chrome dining table, an ebonized cabinet with gold accents and mirrored inlays and ghost-like Serge Roche plaster sconces and torchiere lamps in the shape of palm trees add to the allure.

Having designed interiors ranging from New York townhouses to country residences, Gorrivan is very conscious of scale. "The Idea House is really more of a cottage," he says, "but I don't think there's anything wrong with creating a formal dining room here. It makes entertaining an uplifting experience."