As the year draws to a close, we find ourselves reminiscing on the most clever design ideas that emerged in 2024. Its no surprise that many of these memorable interiors spawned from decorator show houses, where once-blank slates present an opportunity for participating designers to experiment with new patterns, materials, and sources of inspirationall without client input. The results are a bounty of smartly imaginative moments. Read on for 11 creative design ideas we clocked this season.Curtaining this and thatBedroom by Cusp Interiors at the San Francisco Decorator ShowcaseR. Brad Knipstein PhotographyDraperyused to great effect secluding the shower in designer Benjamin Vandivers en suite bathroom at the Kips Bay Decorator Show House New York, as well as in the enveloping canopy bed in Veere Grenney Associates courtyard bedroom at Wow!housemade an especially dramatic impact in the DuoA Room for Two bedroom at the San Francisco Decorator Showcase. A passage from the 1955 Crockett Johnson book Harold and the Purple Crayon inspired Ashi Waliany, principal and founder of Cusp Interiors, to conjure a cozy sleeping nook with curtains.I interpreted his bedroom as a place where Harold felt safe and secure, and wanted to create that feeling wherethe beds were situated, says Waliany. One side of the curtains, framing the room-within-a-room nook like a theater stage, was a lush bordeaux-hue velvet from Kerry Joyce. The other side was a classic taupe and gray ticking stripe from Perennials, a fabric that also wraps the walls within the sleeping quarters. There was a practical reason Waliany opted for her centerpiece design feature too: There were multiple doorways and off-center windows that influenced the setup of the beds being toe to toe and pushed all the way to the wall. To create a strong visual separation, I utilized the drapery.Craving contrast? Add a recessed nicheLounge by Sara Story at the Kips Bay Decorator Show House Palm BeachNickolas SargentAt the Kips Bay Decorator Show House Palm Beach, AD100 designer Sara Story brought to life the Shangri-La lounge, an oasis of cacti and sculptural furniture that paid homage to Mexican architect Luis Barragns penchant for texture and color blocking. In the midst was this cabinet by Reynold Rodriguez from the Charles Burnand Gallery, which sat in an undulating niche. It created such a unique focal point, almost like a wink, she says of one the interiors many clever design ideas. Rodriguezs curio, crafted from sculpted and molded plaster, sat on a base of hurricane-felled mahogany, and Story loved how it offered a strong juxtaposition to the rooms patterns and vivid hues. The curves of the cabinet echoed those in the sofa andPercival Lafer chairs, she explains. It was important to me to have all of these contrasting elements but keep a sense of balance.Embracing the fifth wallVenus Drawing Room by Kate Figler Interiors at the Kips Bay Decorator Show House DallasNICK SARGENTA Study in Serenity by Robert Frank Interiors at the Kips Bay Decorator Show House DallasNICK SARGENTAs weve stated before: Ceilings can, and should, dazzle. Inside the Kips Bay Decorator Show House Dallas, AD PRO Directory firm Robert Frank Interiors reimagined the acoustical-tile-grid ceilings by building out a new architectural tray ceiling with a custom perimeter frieze in a vintage motif, adding a dramatic flourish to the salon. Meanwhile, fellow Dallas show house designer and AD PRO Directory talent Kate Figler Interiors originally planned to tent the ceiling of her drawing room, but code restrictions prohibited it. We pivoted to coving and lacquering it with Benjamin Moores Coastal Cottage, Figler tells AD PRO. We love how the light now shimmers off its surface, and that the whole look references the soft pinks seen inside of a seashell.An emergence of floral plasterworkPrimary bedroom by Landed Interiors at the Brooklyn Heights Designer ShowhousePhoto: Brett WoodInspiration struck Lynn Kloythanomsup, of Landed Interiors, as she drove through the Cotswolds daydreaming of the Regency plasterwork of English manors and Wedgwood Jasperware. When she returned home and scored the primary bedroom at the Brooklyn Heights Designer Showhouse, the designer collaborated with Brooklyn-based plaster artists Arkada Plus to create an ornamental plaster field of flowers climbing up the walls. Layered atop a coating of Hay, a soft honey yellow by Farrow & Ball, the bucolic wall treatment is transportive.Elsewhere, Abigail Kahan featured plaster flowers ascending the wall of a bedroom at Holiday House Hamptons, but in a soothing tone-on-tone palette. And at the Kips Bay Decorator Show House Dallas, AD PRO Directory talent Creative Tonic Design partnered with Segreto Finishes to incorporate intricate flora and fauna plasterwork on the island and ceiling in the show homes kitchen. Segreto even surprised me with the scale and depth of the lemons hanging off the ceiling, principal Courtnay Tartt Elias says.A closer look at countertopsKitchen by Ingui Architecture and BIA Interiors on the ground floor at the Brooklyn Heights Designer ShowhousePhoto: Tori Sikkema PhotographyThe difference is in the details, as proven by the decorative edge profiles that had us taking a second look at this years designer show houses. There was the triple bullnose edge on the Verde Alpi marble atop of the kitchen island of the Brooklyn Heights Designer Showhouse, which kitchen designers Ingui Architecture and BIA Interiors contrasted with the flat-edge Cipolloino Apuana marble of the main countertops. And in the jewel box kitchen in the San Francisco Decorator Showcase, AD PRO Directory firm K Interiors enlisted Fox Marble to fabricate the edge of the counters from DaVinci Marble to mimic the carved hood detail, adding an element of romance to the kitchen.Ingenious storage solutionsGuest suite by Lark + Palm at the San Francisco Decorator ShowcaseJohn Merkl PhotographyA rounded wall in Lark + Palms guest suite at the San Francisco Decorator Showcase afforded the Sausalito-based AD PRO Directory studio the opportunity to brighten the corner with a striking oak desk and bookshelves. Considering it was a petite bedroom, founding principals Ansley Majit and Stephanie Waskins knew that the wall needed to make a statement as bold as the one behind the adjacent twin beds.We wanted to create the feeling of a classic writing table with a contemporary spin, which is why we decided to float the pieces rather than add bracketing or legs. Wrapping them around the wall was a given, but we spent a lot of time poring over the details of the drawer placement and the steps of the beading detail, says Majit. Custom-designed by Lark + Palm, fabricated by Di Build, and adorned with Nest Studio hardware, the desk and shelves were bolstered by a bespoke chair that nodded to the screen-like headboard and angles on the bed wall. The corner served as a reflection of the whole room, adds Majit, a combination of masculine and feminine, contemporary and traditional.Dual-function dining roomsThe Timeless Dining Room by AD PRO Directory firm Kim Scodro Interiors at Kips Bay Decorator Show House DallasNICK SARGENTThe dining half of Kim Scodro Interiors room.NICK SARGENTFor those who lament that their dining room only gets used a few times a year, consider a dining lounge. In the Brooklyn Heights Designer Showhouse, Rinehardt Miller Interiors created a custom 14-foot tufted velvet banquette against one wall of the dining room. One side has a table and two chairs, while the other has a cocktail table for more informal bites. In the Kips Bay Decorator Show House Dallas, AD PRO Directory practice Kim Scodro Interiors turned the assigned room, which was a long narrow space with a walkway that leads to a salon, into two spaces in one: a festive area to have drinks and relax before stepping into the other half of the room for an intimate dinner with friends, Scodro tells AD PRO. Hickory Chair created unique custom furniture, like a rufous-tone armless sofa with detailed box pleats in the cocktail area. Scodro was inspired by a Cecil Beaton 1948 Vogue magazine cover depicting beautifully adorned women prepping for a glamorous evening.Wall-to-wall carpet is backBedroom by Patrick Mele at the Kips Bay Decorator Show House New YorkNick SargentLarge swaths of carpeting can often give a room the air of a time capsule, but Connecticut-based AD100 designer Patrick Meles On a Clear Day bedroom at the Kips Bay Decorator Show House New York radiated elegance. The star of the space was Meles wall-to-wall carpet for Aronson Floor Covering emblazoned with soft blue botanicalsa pattern that continues to the canopy beds interior fabric, courtesy of Schumacher. More painterly than retro, the carpet was backdropped by sleek white surrounds made in partnership with Bories & Shearron Architecture in a room that celebrated artistic collaboration, the beauty of nature, and the timeless glamour of classical, modern design, says Mele.Cathedral-like coves take over the bathPrimary bathroom by Michaelis Boyd and House of Rohl at Wow!houseJames McDonaldBathroom by Marsh & Clark Design at the San Francisco Decorator ShowcasePaul DyerLike Marsh & Clark Designs minimalist A Vaulted Jewel bathroom at the San Francisco Decorator Showcase, New YorkandLondonbased practice Michaelis Boyd took cues from soaring churches for its House of Rohl primary bathroom at Wow!house. But constructing that dome, notes Michaelis Boyd partner Christina Gregoriou, was every bit as pragmatic as it was eye-catching. A canvas for the centerpiece Victoria + AlbertTaizu bathtub, it enchants bathers with a wondrous hand-painted mural by French artist Claire Basler.Using a dome eliminates harsh edges, which allows the mural to flow without obstructions and adds to the harmony and tranquility found within a sanctuary, says Gregoriou. Fashioned out of plywood, the arched cove was then filled and painted, ready for the base layer for Claire to build up her color palette upon. We carefully selected tones to blend into the neighboring natural plaster wall covering. The use of greens within the mural reflects the rainforest marble vanity unit, dark green wall tiles, and powder room wall paint.Going for goldThe Cipango Room by Jan Showers + AssociatesNICK SARGENTA little dose of gold went a long way in show house interiors this year. Take the bedroom at the Holiday House Hamptons, in which AD PRO Directory talent Spruce Interior turned to small-batch artisan Sarkos for their handpainted Cosmos wallpaper in a custom colorway, bringing a dreamy celestial feel to the room. And more was more when it came to gold at the Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse Dallas for honorary chair Jan Showers. To create the feeling of a cozy lounge within a club, the designer selected a burnished gold-painted de Gournay wallpaper and carried the gold all the way to the moldings and trim by Casci Plaster, the ceilings, and the drapery. A pair of burnished gold leaf mirrors hung in the European style adds to the drama.Fresh garden featuresArroyo Vista Garden by Studio Pappaterra at the Pasadena Showcase House of DesignPeter Christiansen ValliAs soon as local landscape architect Elisa Read Pappaterra and her team visited the Pasadena Showcase House of Designs Arroyo Vista Garden, they were taken by the walled patio with an antiquefountain reminiscent of Tudor royalty, she recalls. But it was chipped, leaky, and in disrepair, so it was clear that they wouldnt be able to make the two-tiered, cast-stone beauty into the bubbling, exuberant water fountain it originally was. Buoyed by the garden soirees magnified on Bridgerton, they turned to the head gardener at Hampton Court Palace outside London for advice on how best to restore the structure.The solution? Planting a slew of hardy succulents that mimic water, including echeveria, string of bananas, and sweet alyssum, which, from a distance, looked like churning froth glistening in the sunlight, points out Read Pappaterra. Eager to pair the heritage fountain with an active water feature that would attract wildlife, Studio Pappaterra inverted a large concrete planter that called to mind the formal shape of the Hampton Court Palaces Pond Gardens, built a reservoir underground, and installed a pump to recirculate the water. A ceiling medallion in a metallicmatching hue gave the fountain a finished look, adds Read Pappaterra, and provided a shallow pool that serves as a birdbath.APPLY NOWGrow your business with the AD PRO DirectoryArrow