Eighteen interior designers are transforming the individual rooms of an 1835 Cutchogue farmhouse — and they’re doing it to raise money for local charities.
The idea for the 2014 North Fork Designer Show House, sponsored by The Corcoran Group, took shape in February, when six friends — Melissa Buckley, Kate DiGregorio, Nick Ellis, Christine Kosmynka, Barbara McAdam and Bob Tapp — were brainstorming ways to help community nonprofits, said Ms. DiGregorio, an agent with Corcoran in Southold.
“We’ve done charity events in the past, and I had a done a 5K for Community Action Southold Town, so we were just trying to come up with a new idea,” she said. “So Bob said, ‘What about a designer show house?’”
Luckily, the perfect property was available: an airy 12-room house next to the Village Green in Cutchogue, owned by Cutchogue Presbyterian Church. It had become vacant when the church’s former minister moved out in December, Mr. Tapp said. Church officials offered the use of the property and local designers were quickly recruited to revamp a room of their choice, with some decorators working in pairs or small groups.
“It’s a gift to be able to use the house,” Mr. Tapp said. The property features three bedrooms, 1 and 1/2 baths, a dining room, a kitchen, an office, laundry room and foyer. One bedroom connects to “bonus room” and there’s a stand-up attic.
Money for local charities will be raised through an opening night reception at the house Aug. 1 and group and private tours, which will be available throughout the month. Net proceeds from the reception and tours will be distributed to CAST, Maureen’s Haven, Timothy Hill Children’s Ranch and Katinka House.
In addition to Mr. Ellis and Mr. Tapp, decorators who have signed on to reinvent the historic house are Yvette Arce, Conni Cross, Caitlin Flynn, Debra Gildersleeve, Morgan Gildersleeve, Melissa Grinere, Lori Guyer, Amy Hill, Christine McCabe, Yvonne McNab, Marcia Miller, Hadley Wiggins-Marin, Elyse Parkhurst, Elizabeth Schlafer, Kristen Schultz and Ruth Shank.
Ms. Guyer, owner of White Flower Farmhouse in Southold, chose the home’s kitchen for a makeover.
“Currently the kitchen has mismatched cabinetry and both black and white appliances, two different counter tops — tile and Formica — and 1970s hardware,” she said. “There’s no warmth and little charm. But on the plus side, there’s so much potential. The original planked pine floors and some of the cabinets are solid wood that I can work with.”
Ms. Guyer said her goal is to make the kitchen “practical for living, full of charm, and natural and serene.” She has received a donation for new counters and hardware from Lou Nardolillo of Cabinets Plus in Aquebogue.
“Corporate sponsors are coming out of the woodwork, along with local businesses, by providing services, products and money for ad space,” Mr. Tapp said. Contributors include Amy Hill Designs, Beds & Borders, Clarke’s Garden, Fortunoff’s, High Style Interiors, Jeff Cate Photography, Marcia Fox-Martin Interiors, North Fork Design Co., 1670 Furniture House, Roots Etc. Inc, Tile by Design and White Flower Farmhouse. A small consortium of landscapers has also donated services to beautify the property’s lawn, Mr. Tapp said.
Designers began working on their rooms in April and have until late July to finish them, Mr. Tapp said. So far, he’s impressed with how things are going. He and Mr. Ellis, his partner, have already had Ms. Grinere repaint the foyer’s walls with green and blue stripes.
“Nick and I are all about color and pattern for an uplifting, very visual experience in everything we do,” Mr. Tapp said. He added that the project itself “will be much, much bigger than our modest expectations when we met in February.”
“A lot of things have exceeded our expectations already,” Ms. DiGregorio said. “We’d love to have a great response as far as what we can donate to the charities. Our final outcome is about how much we raise. But it’s also just a great experience and fun process.”
The opening reception for the 2014 North Fork Designer Show House will take place Friday, Aug. 1, from 6 to 8:30 p.m., at 27150 Main Rd., Cutchogue. Tickets cost $100 and include beverages, hors d’oeuvres by North Fork chefs and a tour of the property. After that, tours are available on a varied schedule. For more information, visit northforkdesignershowhouse.com.
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