Design in Depth: Showhouse of Westchester

By Stacy Kunstel

While Scarsdale, New York, is a bit out of our range of coverage (New England Home strictly features projects in the six states making up the region of New England), we recently had a few of our own participate in a showhouse there. The designer Showhouse of Westchester, benefiting Cerebral Palsy of Westchester, took place last month, but I’m recapping it here for you in case you missed it.

Stamford-based Carey Karlan of The Last Detail (her own home in Darien appeared in an early issue of New England Home Connecticut), brought her own touch of glamour adding mirrors around an existing fireplace and hiring decorative artist Heidi Holzer  to create blush-colored plaster walls inlaid with hand-dyed abalone shells in a pattern reminiscent of traditional paneling.

Donna Benedetto of Donna Benedetto Designs in Easton, Connecticut, had her own fun creating an icy white retreat for homeowners that could serve as game room or lounge. Glossy white floors, white walls, and white furnishings gave a cool look to the space that also featured a glass ping pong table.

Taking on one of the toughest rooms in the house, George Snead of Wakefield Design in Stamford proved with lemons you can always make vodka tonics. Working around an existing bar, which he painted and reworked, he turned the area into the ultimate sophisticate’s space to unwind, return correspondence and make a perfect drink.

“If you’re not going to be bold, why be anything” may have been the mantra of the Lillian August interior design team of Richard Cerrone and Angela Camarda, who put together the black, white and green sunroom. Broad horizontal stripes, a green-painted ceiling, black-and-white furnishings and green curtains gave the air of Regency chic with a twist.

No matter where you find them, showhouses offer a look at what’s happening in interior design. Be sure to check out the next one in New England, the Old York Decorator Show House in Maine that opens July 13.