Some 21 designers will bring their aesthetic vision to the Upper East Side’s The Carlton House Townhouse when the Kips Bay Decorator Show House returns May 12–June 9.

The Garden Conservancy, a 27-year-old national nonprofit devoted to preserving exceptional gardens and landscapes, has a volunteer “open days” program on weekends this spring and summer in which New Jerseyans may check out some of the sites that best justify their state’s nickname.

If there were no Japan, there’d be a hole in architecture the size of a rising sun. Through July 4, an exhibit at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, “A Japanese Constellation: Toyo Ito, SANAA, and Beyond,” celebrates that country’s contributions.

A biennial celebration of floral design, Montclair Art Museum’s exhibit “The Flowering” will feature 32 captivating floral interpretations of works of art from more than 30 tristate area floral designers.

It’s a utilitarian room, but let’s face it: The kitchen is where the action is; it might as well shine. Tour exceptional kitchens in two tony towns near the Jersey Shore while enjoying tastings from local restaurants and bakeries. It will be a feast for the eyes as well as the palate.