Preview Party Snapshots

The Gala Preview Party for the North Shore Design Show at the Wenham Museum took place last Friday night. It was hosted by New England Cable News personality Jenny Johnson (pictured above). We chatted about our mutual friend, Stacy Kunstel, who designed the eye-catching orange Dunes & Duchess candelabra that really stole the show. It was the last piece I added to my vignette and when I walked in with it, everyone “oohed” and “ahhed” over its dramatic scale and exquisite paint finish. Below is a better view of it ...



Not to be overlooked, the Turkish carpet in my space also received a lot of “I love it” compliments. Mary Donovan, pictured above, immediately dubbed it “zesty” when I met with her at First Oriental Rugs in April to choose my floor covering. See a close up of it in this post.



John and I enjoyed the signature cocktail which was a type of Mexican Sunset with fresh squeezed lime that I thought went rather nice with the Cinco de Mayo roses that decorate my space (which I found at Northeast Nursery which also has a designer vignette in the show). These terra-cotta red roses are deeply fragrant, and when fully opened they unfurl like the ruffles on a flamenco dancer’s dress.

Cinco de Mayo Roses

Mary with her husband (also named John)

Designer Patricia Finn of Finn-Martens Design popped over to visit. Her vignette features a to-die-for luxury spa which she created in what used to be the museum coat closet. You have to come see it to believe it!




Lindsay Diehl, the Executive Director of the Wenham Museum, is super supportive and always appreciative of the participating designers (seen here with Sally Wilson of Wilson Kelsey Design).

I have really enjoyed getting to know Sally who I first met at last year’s show. She and her husband (another John!) were recently seen in New England Finery Magazine (see page 15 of issue 2).

Leon Marten, John Kelsey, Kathy Marshall and friend (sorry --
I should write names down and not try to rely on my memory!)

Above is just a glimpse into the lovely space that this husband-and-wife design team cooked up based on the movie “Julie & Julia.” Read their posts about the process behind their design here and here. I love to see a space being enjoyed like this!

Gracyn Whitman and Kathy Marshall with significant others

Behind these beautiful people is a stunning room which includes a sparkling pantry and a colorful seaside lounge presented in the signature reclaimed barn structure of Marshall Whitman Design. There is a lot of gorgeous in this space including custom laquered aqua Shoji panels by Back Bay Shutter Company and some amazing large scale sepia tone photography.




Wenham Museum Trustee – and the graphic designer behind the NSDS – Willa Worsfold (on the right) chose to wear a piece from one of my favorite local designers to the party. Harper Della Piana of Seams Couture created this gray silk cocktail dress for Willa. It is from the Wrapture collection which was the cover story for issue one of New England Finery. Someday I will have one of these gorgeous dresses hanging in my closet (or you will see me wearing it out on the town!)




I have to say, the men were dressed to impress as well, especially Brian Hogan of the Myopia Hunt Club who was a special guest in The Gentleman’s Quarters designed by Marlene Pippins for Landry & Acari.



I couldn’t resist including a snapshot of this cute wooly little fellow from the Landry & Acari space! My vignette also includes a little lamb in honor of the 18 sheep that used to live on the small farm that is now the Blacker backyard (just 20 minutes from Wenham). If you make it to the Wenham Museum, you are likely to pass a lot of elegantly rural open spaces on your travels. It is such a beautiful town, and is still home to many horses and farm properties.




Wenham resident Elisabeth Carpenter was on hand to answer questions about the made-to-order modern pieces designed by her husband Sebastian of Sebastian Carpenter Design. SCD is also showing at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair this week, so if you are in New York for the show stop by booth 2076 to see more. SCD was also seen in New England Finery Magazine (are you starting to see a trend here ; )

The lovely Honey Collins entertaining in her warm and inviting space.
Custom wall panels are by Zoe Design.

By the end of the night, we were finally able to kick off our shoes and relax. It takes a lot of planning and teamwork to put together a design show, but it is always well worth the effort. Along with supporting the mission of the Wenham Museum which provides educational exhibitions and enrichment programs to over 35,000 visitors a year, being a part of the show is a great way to connect with North Shore creatives. There are over a dozen vignettes at this year’s show to see and enjoy up close that feature the combined talents of many local creative businesses.



Whether you are looking to hire a designer or find a talented artisan for a special project, stop in this week to see for yourself what the North Shore has to offer. The show runs through Saturday, May 22nd and tickets are available at the door. For more information, click here. I hope to see you there!