Monet's Water Lillies series inspires new Manhattan eatery Lily Pond in West Village

Claude Monet's Water Lilies (Nymphéas) series of oil paintings depicting his flower garden in Giverny, created during the last 30 years of his life. have now become the inspiration for the just opened intimate Lily Pond eatery in the West Village in Manhattan. Lily Pond owner Michael Della Femina, whose father is advertising guru and Hamptons restaurateur Jerry Della Femina, and his wife Laurie have long been enamored with the Monet masterpieces and their focus on light, color and reflection. This, along with the fond memories of the street Lily Pond in East Hampton near where the Della Femina’s used to have a family summer home, inspired Michael and Laurie to develop Lily Pond as soon as they found the right space. That space is now at 183 West 10th street in the West Village. As Della Femina explains “Lily Pond will be the living room for the neighborhood — a place where you can have a bite, a meal, a coffee, a hot chocolate, a cocktail or mocktail,” says Della Fe