Where Design Extends Beyond the Work
A Dinner with Lasting Impact
I was in New York earlier this month for the Kips Bay Decorator Show House Presidents’ Dinner, and I left with a thought that felt both familiar and newly present. This industry, at its best, is inherently generous.
Not in a way that asks to be seen or applauded, but in a quieter, more foundational way. The people in this field show up when it matters. They give their time, their creativity, and their resources to something beyond the immediate work. It is not always visible from the outside, but it is deeply embedded in how this industry operates. Kips Bay has long been one of the clearest reflections of that.
What Kips Bay Has Always Stood For
For those who may not know the full picture, the Kips Bay Decorator Show House has been a cornerstone of New York design for decades, and its partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of New York is the reason it exists at all. Every ticket, every tour, every beautifully installed room supports programming for young people across the city. Designers and manufacturers donate their time, money and product to support this cause year after year.
Being there this year was a reminder of how design, when it is aligned with purpose, has the ability to extend far beyond the walls it occupies. That idea has always stayed with me.
People often assume interior design is about the finished room. In reality, some of its most important work happens far beyond what is ever seen.
A Model That Continues to Grow
It has also been encouraging to watch Kips Bay expand beyond New York into Palm Beach and Dallas. That kind of growth speaks to something deeper than geography. It reflects a model rooted in creativity and generosity, one that continues to resonate across different communities in a way that feels both natural and enduring.
There is something powerful about seeing this evolve from a singular event into something that feels more like a shared movement. It suggests a collective willingness, across the industry, to support work that serves a larger purpose.
How This Lives Within Our Work
On the train ride home, I found myself reflecting on how that same spirit has shaped our work at GSI over the years. Back in 2015, we partnered with Home of the Sparrow to complete a pro bono renovation of one of their homes, and that experience has stayed with me ever since.
Home of the Sparrow provides housing and support to women and children navigating some of the most difficult transitions of their lives. Being able to bring our skills to that work, to create a space that offers stability, dignity, and a sense of calm at a moment when that is often in short supply, felt aligned with the very best version of this profession.
Seeing the organization continue to grow and expand its reach in the years since has made that experience feel even more lasting. It reinforced something I had already begun to understand, which is that design has the ability to support people in ways that extend far beyond what we typically define as our work.
Each year since then, we have looked for ways to continue that effort. Our annual charitable event has become an important part of it, as has our holiday partnership with Dress for Success. Supporting women as they prepare to re-enter the workforce is a small but consistent way we can contribute, and it is something our team holds close.
The Thread Running Through All of It
What connects Kips Bay, Home of the Sparrow, and Dress for Success is not simply that they are worthy causes. It is that they each represent a version of the same belief, which is that the skills and resources we are fortunate to have in this industry carry a responsibility to be used well and used broadly.
Design has a reach that extends well beyond the spaces we create for individual clients. It shapes how people live, how they feel, and in many cases, how they move forward. The most impactful work often happens when that reach is directed toward something larger than the project itself.
It is not something we speak about often, perhaps because it is not meant to be a headline. However it is worth acknowledging that this industry is deeply philanthropic by nature, and I feel genuinely grateful to be part of it.
- – Glenna