Hampton Designer Showhouse Kick-Off Party!

I promised I’d be back with an in depth report…and here it is!! Flipping through the pages of any home decor magazine, I always wondered what it would be like to attend one of those big parties they feature…you know, the ones where all the top design crowd attends?? Well….I was sooooooo honored to be part of this event, what a “pinch me” moment it was…

 

Here we are! Arriving at the house…good old hubs was my personal photographer for the evening ; )

 

First things first…gotta get the room ready for pictures & lots of people! If you’re any type of artist, you know, your work is never done until that first showing! Always something to touch up!

After the final details are all in place, it’s time for some fun! I think we’ve earned it!!

How perrrrty!!!!

I never met a lobster roll I didn’t like…kudos to the fabulous catering company!!

A big thanks to the most supportive hubby in the whole wide world! Without him, I don’t know if I would have had the courage to take this journey…love you with all my heart Johnny P.! And yes, of course we match…what kind of designer would I be if my hubby clashed with me or the room??

And of course, without Mercedes, this whole experience would never have happened! Thank you so much Mercedes for asking me to be part of this incredible opportunity! What a great team we made!! A big splash in Newsday 2 showhouses in a row…woohooo!

PS…check out the fabulous outdoor deck! Designed by Jeff Lincoln Interiors, Inc. There were several seating areas on this giant deck. So welcoming…love the fabric & color choices. So bold & fresh!

 

So after some fantastic food & libations, it was up to our room to greet all the people coming up to visit us! I think the room was received very well…every time someone walked in, there was a gasp…in a good way!!

Doesn’t everyone have a champagne shelf in their bathroom?

A 2-tone stone look for the corbels…with Chalk Paint by Annie Sloan of course!! These were raw wood, but there was no need for priming…just paint, so easy!!

And to really appreciate the amazing transformation of these vanities, here’s a before and after…

These formerly under-scale vanities got a big face lift!! The hutch was too top heavy and way under-scale. We added fluted pilasters, molding & some onlays to not only beef them up a bit, but also to dress them up. The look was achieved with none other than Chalk Paint by Annie Sloan. There was of course, no need for sanding or priming!! These masterpieces got 3 layers of paint, Pure White, a custom hot pink mix & a custom Graphite mix. Lastly, a little dose of metallic goes a long way! A bit of distressing finishes up the look.

Let’s not forget the icing on the cake…jewelry!! These sparkly knobs finish off the piece just perfect!!

Wanna know how you can dress up a regular broadloom rug?? Take a peek at this designer trick…

By just using an upholstery weight fabric & some fabulous trim, you can really dress up your rug! Of course, this was done by a professional…you’ll want to look up rug binders in your area to achieve this look.

And every lady needs a dressing table. What’s that? Where on earth did I find this fabulous little piece of furniture? Well, Craig’s List of course!! Even designers shop there ; )

This adorable set got the Annie Sloan treatment once again!! Graphite underneath with a custom Paris Grey & Old White blend, some distressing & detailing…so fabulous! This adorable set is available for purchase at the Showhouse. And that cute swan bench?? Mercedes picked that up at an antique store…she even stapled the curly lamb herself!! I think my DIY Diva-ness is rubbing off on her ; )

Since everyone loves a good before & after, here you go!!

And last, but certainly not least, take a peek at this beyond adorable water closet!! The very talented Teresa Nardone of Bella Terra Designs created this perfect harlequin pattern with charcoal grey & hot pink of course!! Mercedes added the lucite knobs for hanging…so fun!

We got quite a few visits in our room during the evening…at one point I think there were more than 20 people in the room! This is quite the master bath…we can all dream…sigh….

After meeting lots of people, it was time to mingle & see what was going on in the rest of the house…

One of my favorite areas of the house was the foyer. Designed by the incredibly talented Lee W. Robinson. I just loved all his little details & touches. And let’s not be silly here…his fabulous Kentucky accent had me at “hello”…not to mention his incredible fashion sense. I am very inspired by Lee…hop over to his website and read his bio. He quit his corporate banking job to jump into the design field. Can we say parallel?? And for the icing on the cake…his 2 boys are perfect little gentlemen…both boys had a solid handshake that impressed me. Nice job on the parenting Lee…looks like design is not your only forte

One of my favorite things in the whole house…ever wondered what to do with little windows on the second story? What a brilliant solution…kudos Lee!!

See…these are the details that make a room “designer”. Love this look!

By far the most “outside the box” space in the whole house…Lee Najman is behind the incredible idea of “Her Space”. You can’t really tell from this picture, but there is a curved dome made out of irregular wood pieces. In the middle is a hanging bed…seriously, can you say FUN!! This is a must see it in person space, so head out to the showhouse today!! Thanks for snapping a shot with me Lee!! And thank you for the compliments…you have no idea how much it meant!

I had the pleasure of spending some time with the amazing Tamara Kaye-Honey of House of Honey based in LA. She rented a house out in the Hamptons for a month to watch over the showhouse and take care of business. Her 2 children are absolutely adorable and were at the showhouse with her almost every day…2 little designers in the making I think ; )

Tamara designed the nursery…which is no ordinary nursery!! Talk about bold and daring, I just absolutely love this space! Again, another outside the box space with the dark charcoal walls & Dorothy Draper style nursery furniture (which by the way, was a line designed by Tamara, check it out here.)

Tamara, it was sooooo incredibly great to meet you! Someday when I take a trip to LA we are going to do lunch!! I must pick your brain a bit more!! You are a girl after my own heart…Tamara even sells some amazing vintage wares through 1st dibs…check out her store here!

Sometimes I can’t help but have the jitters!!! Looks like I need to get a real camera with a tri-pod…haha…sorry for the not so great quality photo, but I had to show you the awesome crib!! Now how many of you would be bold enough to pull off a design like this?? That’s why Tamara was just named one of Tradhome’s top 10 new interior designers for 2012. Nice job Tamara!

Another fabulous space…why YES of course!! The living room was designed by Patrik Lönn. Now this is a space I can certainly get comfortable in!! I loved getting to know Patrik…he has such a fabulous sense of humor, and fashion! And those accents get me everytime!! So Swedish…hehe!!! Yet another “must see in person” space. The detailing in this room is absolutely gorgeous! The ceiling alone is worth seeing…can you see it peeking through on top??

And of course, I can’t forget, our partner in crime in the master suite…Robert Passal with the master bedroom! OK, I’m only giving you a sneak peek at the FAAAAABULOUSSSS bed designed by Robert. And the placement is just divine! You get a view of the beautiful deck as well as the fireplace…genius Robert! You’ll definitely need to take a trek out to the Hamptons to see the full view!!

The party was a huge success…thank you so much to Traditional Home & Mitchell Manning Associates for putting this all together. And of course a big shout out to all the amazing designers this year! Hop over to the Hampton Designer Showhouse website to buy your tickets and get all the information. You’ll also find all the designers from this year. I hope to feature some of the other fabulous rooms in the house as the weeks go by. Check back for updates!!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Ciao!

Amanda