I first became acquainted with Ryan Korban and his work when my friends from
Flair invited me to the anniversary party for
Edon Manor in December. Seems Ryan is also a fan of Flair and shops their regularly and as not only an interior designer but also creative director of Edon Manor, he purchased quite a few beautiful pieces and vintage artwork from the store.
I should have known when the one of the hosts of the party was Victoria Traina (Danielle Steele's daughter) that it was going to be a very cool downtown soiree and boy was I right. Even my chic friend from Conde Nast who accompanied me was a little intimidated by the crowd which included Peaches Geldof, Erin Wasson and Alexander Wang, who informed me that Ryan is working on updating his apartment. I can't wait to see the results!
So, I was delighted to see Ryan Korban and his beautiful 550 square studio in Soho is profiled in the February 2009 issue of
Domino. Don't worry, only the photo above is from the magazine so you'll have plenty to see. All other images are from
The Selby, who also profiled the apartment. I love spotting the changes. Every designer tinkers with their space and moves things around and Ryan is no different. He also seems to have acquired more books.
This shot is from The Selby and gives you a view of the lovely rug. You can also notice in the Domino piece that Ryan has used fabric to hang some of his paintings. He admits a love of English decorating and 1970's chrome which is evident throughout his home and Edon Manor.
Ryan is also fond of Hermes ashtrays which are perfect for corralling small items. You can see that in this instance that it is sitting on Kelly Wearstler's
Domicilium Decoratus. (I'm really glad I also bought the collector's edition when it came out since I just saw how much it is selling for on Amazon! Good grief!) Kelly, David Hicks and Tony Duquette are Ryan's favorite interior designers.
You might think that someone so cool would live in a clean modern apartment so it's pleasantly surprising that there are so many vintage and antique pieces.
In some of the other photos that I didn't post, you can see that Ryan collects blue and white china and I especially love it against the grey walls of the kitchen. The bedside table changes to black and lamp switches from brass to chrome in the Domino spread.
Ryan used a Mongolian lambskin throw to hide a messy bed and in doing so creates a chic retreat.
A very Kelly Wearstler tablescape sits a top the coffee table.
Ryan manages to fit a lot of furniture and items into his studio but it's so well edited that it doesn't ever look cluttered, unlike real English decorating!
I love the over scaled mirror which I'm sure opens up the small space.
It would be very curious to see the final product of this inspiration wall in the bathroom!
As I mentioned at the beginning of my post, Ryan is the creative director of
Edon Manor, a chic accessories shop in Tribeca that is owned by the ridiculously chic Davinia Wang, who was wearing the most fabulous to die for Preen outfit at the party! Davinia was born in Hong Kong, raised in London and educated at Parsons. She opened the shop after noticing that the hottest accessories from the runway rarely made it into stores and if they did, they were immediately sold out. (The photo above has recently been replaced by vintage art from Flair.)
Davinia named the shop Edon Manor after her family's estate in the English countryside near Oxford so of course the decor had to have an English feeling as well. But as her website states, "Edon Manor is more than just a store. It is a community, a vision, and an attitude...It is a place where women can find all the trimmings of the season in one place." And from the community that showed up to toast her first year in business, the concept is definitely a winner!
This is definitely not just another shoe shop and Ryan made sure that the decor which also includes books and intimate seating arrangements has depth. But he gives the what could have been a stuff English interior a youthful and glamorous vibe.
I couldn't find a website for Ryan but I'm sure if you stop by Flair or Edon Manor, I'm sure you'd be able to find him. I hear he hangs out at both a lot. I am definitely looking forward to following his career and seeing what else he has up his chic sleeve!
"The English are great collectors of the precious, the exotic or the just plain eccentric. Collections personally amassed, and lovingly displayed..." - S. Griffiths
Not that you need another excuse to go to Italy but just in case, Flair, my favorite store, just opened a new outpost in Rome. Unlike their stores in Florence, Milan and Capri that have the signature black walls, this one has a lighter color scheme but don't worry, the furniture and art will remain a mix of old and new. I might have to plan a trip soon but until I do, I will continue to visit their only American shop on Grand Street in Soho. And no, they didn't pay me to write about them! Although, I think they did give me one of their fabulous smelling candles once. Ciao!
