Last Thursday we had a big bash at Bloomingdale's to celebrate the completion of our Big Window Challenge. There were drinks, there was a DJ, there were crowds and there was a good deal of mugging for the camera. It was a total pleasure to bring this hotly contested competition in for a friendly landing. Everyone was hugging by the end of the evening! For all info go to Big Window Challenge. More pics coming here later today.... More

Last night the polls closed after nearly two weeks of intense online voting, tweeting and interior design pressure focusing on three windows at 59th and Lexington. We want to thank Bloomingdale's and Elle Decor for making this possible AND all of YOU for voting and commenting. All three windows were remarkable and demonstrated great skill in starting with Bloomingdale's furniture to create a living space, and all were winners in their own way, BUT there's always only one winner, and the final vote detail is below. More

We're having problems with the embedded video — you can watch the video here. Don't miss your last chance to vote in this year's Big Window Challenge! Voting ends at midnight tonight (EST) — you are elligible to vote twice a day, once online and once by text… More

If you've looked at Maxwell's entry for the Bloomingdale's Big Window Challenge 2010, you'll notice his trompe l'oeil bookshelf wall, painted by Mark Chamberlain, which was inspired by the Studiolo at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (image 1). The Studiolo happens to be my favorite room in the Met, so let's take a look at this tiny microcosm of Renaissance humanist values and artistic accomplishment. More

As a follow-up to last week's column, I have photos for my contribution to the Big Window Challenge contest. I know this is already all over the internet, but I wanted a few pictures of the completed project under my by-line.

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DESIGNED BY Eileen Joyce

DESIGNED FOR A sophisticated travel magazine editor

INSPIRED BY This New York City apartment-inspired space is inhabited by a sophisticated travel magazine editor who collects objects from around the world. The room as an early 1960's sensibility, combining modern furnishings with a grass cloth wall covering and appliqué fabric as the window treatment. It's a mix of primitive, Asian, folk art and photography in an urban environment — all anchored by a custom-patterned area rug.

DESIGNED BY Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan

DESIGNED FOR Amor

INSPIRED BY The Writer's Library, inspired by my friend, Amor, is a dark, bookish den in which a romantic dinner has been surprisingly set for a female guest. The room is piled high with books and features items that may have come from far off travels. The side walls are painted faux bookcases for this display and inspired by the Studiolo at the MET. The room decor centers on the large, leather Ralph Lauren chair, the memorable Neisha Crosland wallpaper and accessories from Michele Varian with her funky, steampunk style.

DESIGNED BY Eddie Ross for Elle Decor

DESIGNED FOR A media mogul and mother of two

INSPIRED BY The signature space shimmers with a mix of classic and modern, new and old, together with a balance of bold patterns and vibrant colors. A spatter-paint print, like stars in an endless sky, reflects the owner's love of travel to wide-open spaces, and her passion for sparkling evenings at home entertaining friends and family.

Eddie's staging area at the start of yesterday, with Eddie running into his window.

I spent most of yesterday in the windows at Bloomingdale's working on finishing up my Apartment Therapy entry: The Writer's Romantic Supper. I was cheek and jowl with Eddie Ross, who brought in a TON of antiques for his window, and Eileen Joyce's team, who knew exactly what they were doing and finished up first. More

Mr. Apartment Therapy himself Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan is designing a window for Bloomingdale's Big Window Challenge due to unveil tomorrow. The theme is a romantic writer's room, and I've been charged with creating two sets of trompe l'oeil bookcases to frame the room. I'm just a teensy raisin in a big fruit salad here, but let's take a brief look at the artistic process, and next week we'll reveal a close-up of the finished trompe l'oeil. More