2012 Hampton Designer Showhouse

OMG..someone pinch me. Last year right around this time, I picked up the latest edition of Traditional Home and perused the pages (insert drool) of the 2010 Hampton Designer Showhouse.

I’ve always loved designer showhouses…such a great source for inspiration, and a great way to get the creative juices flowing. I vowed that I would attend the 2011 Hampton Showhouse…and I did.

As I walked through that fabulous house, my heart was racing and my palms were sweaty. I had been part of the design world for about 6 months and I was desperate for more. I looked at that showhouse differently than any other I had ever been to. Mostly because I was starting to truly understand all of the love & work that went into an actual room design, but also because I sooooo badly wanted to be part of a showhouse. I felt as though that dream could become a reality. That showhouse left a serious mark on my heart. It was a defining moment for me. And here we are.

The week after I visited that showhouse, I was due in for work with Mercedes Courland (the fabulous designer I mentioned working for in my first post). While driving to a client’s house I asked her, “So, Mercedes, do you ever do those designer showhouse thingy’s?” Again, my palms were sweaty & my heart was racing. “Nah, haven’t done those in a few years…just too busy.” Awww, shux.

Fast forward 1 week later and Mercedes received an email inviting her to be a designer at the Old Westbury Gardens Holiday Showhouse. She called me and said, “do you think you’d want to help me?” I’m pretty sure I blew out her eardrum when I started screaming like a little girl…”YES, YES, YES, OF COURSE!!!!!”

The result of that fabulous showhouse landed us on the front page of the home section of Newsday…it was a crowning moment for me. To fully be a part of the whole design process and to see it from beginning to end was extremely satisfying.

Now let me remind you of one of my life mantras from my first post. “What you think about, you bring about.” Think that had anything to do with the call Mercedes got? I certainly do…

Shortly after all the hoopla with the first designer show house, I started to launch my business and got very busy. I didn’t have too much time to help Mercedes out with projects she had going on. We kept in touch and I worked for her a day here and there. Then I got a phone call. “Think you’d have time to help me with the Hampton Designer Showhouse?” Again, I definitely blew out her eardrum with the girly screams. This time I was beaming from ear to ear…for days…still am. Seriously, the Hampton Designer Showhouse????? To me, this is the end all be all of showhouses. I am just beyond ecstatic. Maybe it’s because it’s sponsored by Traditional Home, which is one of my favorite magazines of all time, or maybe it’s because last years showhouse left a serious mark on my soul, or maybe it’s because this has a much bigger purpose for me in the future…only time will tell. Whatever it is, I’m totally basking in all its glory.

Today, at 7 am, I drove out to South Hampton…it was my turn to make my mark on the Hampton Designer Showhouse. So far, Mercedes had her carpenters out there to build a surround for our formerly “under-scale” vanities. Today started the real transformation of the vanities and that’s where me, Annie Sloan, and all her awesomeness come into play (if you haven’t heard of Chalk Paint by Annie Sloan, where have you been living, under a rock? Haha, no but seriously, it is theeee best furniture paint in the world…no sanding, no priming). We’re working on the incredibly spacious Master Bathroom. Maybe not the most prominent room in the house, (my fave might be the master closet, haha), but glam & chic & “mark making” it certainly will be. Quite the little (well, not really little) jewel box.

Here’s a sneak peak at some before pictures:

Totally excited about this room. It is going to be one glam little jewel box. Think magenta pink & charcoal grey…oooooohhhhh!!!! The vanities are looking way better already…they totally didn’t fit in before, as you can see. I’ll keep you updated on all the progress.

The wall paper went in today too, OMG, it’s fabulous!! Thank you Thibaut for donating it!!

I leave you with these thoughts…if you have a dream, go after it! I believe dreams come from the man upstairs. He plants them like little seeds in our hearts and when the time is right, we shall act upon it. If he supports it, who dare be against it? I dare YOU today, to go after your dreams…what are you waiting for?

Amanda