The Decorator’s Show House and Gardens tour is going on now through Mother’s Day, May 10th. For the last 54 years each spring, designers and their support teams (and the members of St. Margaret’s Hospital Guild) donate hundreds of hours to refurbish an area home. All ticket and tour proceeds benefit Eskenazi Health. This 100 percent volunteer initiative has raised over $12 million for the city’s public hospital, and is the longest running decorator show house tour in the nation. Daily tours will be held April 30 through May 10 from 11:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., with special events like the Pink & White Party luncheon on May 1, Global Design Inspirations on May 6, and Indy on Tap May 7 at special times and for extra cost. Tickets are available at the door for $20, $18 seniors or $5 children 2-12. Visit www.showhouseindy.org for a full line-up of special events connected with the tour.
photo by Paula Nicewanger/Weekly View
One of the Decorator Show Houses.
This year, the Guild is excited to present two houses for their tour. Guests will visit 4038 N. Pennsylvania St., a new home by GRD Construction — which the Guild only had three weeks to get ready — and the home next door, 4044 N. Pennsylvania St., a home built in 1925. Guests will be able to enjoy Maggie’s Café, four show house shops, and a chance to purchase decorator items used in the home through the Designer Sales program. Twisted Sisters, Be the Boutique, Flowers by Fletcher, and Deborah Parks Interiors are the featured show house shops.
Even though each area in the two homes was created by a different designer, the homes have a beautiful flow, thanks to the hard work of the design board within the Guild, which worked closely with all the designers. This year, two Irvington interior designers, Adam Hampton and Lisa Wuertz (both located in the Bonna Shops, 202 S. Audubon), and artist Rita Spalding showed off their talents.
Adam Hampton of Hampton Designs is on the board of directors for the Historic Benton House in Irvington and coordinated the last two years of the Benton House Home Tours. His own Arts and Crafts home was featured on the 2011 Benton House Home Tour.
For the Decorator’s Show House, Adam designed a luxuriously funky space in the lower level of the 1925 home with a retreat he calls “Hotel H.” Adam says “I wanted to create a room that felt like you left your home and entered into a vibrant Miami hotel. I wanted to create a vacation oasis inside the home.”
This beachside contemporary space is cool, with clean line furnishings and pops of color. There are fun celebrity pillows used in several spots — one has Brad Pitt as a general (these will be available for sale).
Adam says that the other designers inspired him and “were not only helpful, but they were encouraging and were there to help move items or lend a tool.”
“The thing I enjoyed most about the process was the knowledge I gained from the women on the guild. These women are unstoppable and have raised millions of dollars for this charity. They were always there with kind words, answers, and leadership.”
photo by Paula Nicewanger/Weekly View
The ho-ho bird room.
Other highlights of the home tour are a sofa made from stone designed by Dale Walton in front of the new home. The winner of the Guild’s Designer Award went to Michael Arnold Interior Design for the living room in the 1925 home. It’s a very dramatic space with black walls contrasted against a creamy white sectional. The Library in the 1925 home is by Kiefer Design Group, and has Ho Ho birds all over, giving this charming room an intimate feel — the Ho Ho is a mythical Japanese bird said to bring luck. There is a nursery with a landscape mural in muted tones with circus images, created by the very talented muralist Melinda Spear-Huff.
The Home Tour is a great tradition to start with your mother — it makes a great Mother’s Day excursion. I want to thank Lori Goldsby for giving me a wonderful preview tour — she was very knowledgeable about the homes and the decorators.
