A sparkly New Year ...

Wardrobe selection from Madison Avenue of Melrose and Seams Couture

in my space at the Glen Magna Farms Designer’s Holiday Show House

Who doesn’t love a new beginning? A fresh start? A chance to change up our daily routine in order to move in a different direction?  A new year is like getting dressed for a special event and appreciating the opportunity to put a best foot forward.  

Looking back, 2013 brought many opportunities that I had not anticipated. Of course there were also some moments that were not my favorites, but I do like to focus on the good times (especially on this blog) and I try to put the others behind me, having learned from them.

One of my favorite resolutions is “Expect to be lucky and focus on gratitude.” This is probably the only one that I publicly declare that ever sticks more than a week into the new year, so once again it will remain at the top of my to-do list.

For 2014, I actually have some exciting changes planned. Stay tuned for more info, plus updates on projects and design related adventures from the year behind us.

Cheers and best wishes to you on achieving all that you set out for yourself while enjoying lucky, unexpected moments!

Simple Joys

This year my holiday decorations

are quite minimalist in nature.

Perhaps I left a lot of my best ideas at Glen Magna?

{see some here}

But at least we have our tree up at home and shopping is (mostly) done! Now it’s finally time to celebrate spending quality time with my family. Have a wonderful holiday!

xoxo yvonne

Show House Good Morning!

Last weekends show house brunch provided

by Linda Hentschel of i-Design Interiors

There is just one week left to visit the Designers Holiday Show House at Glen Magna Farms (ticket info here)! When I was first invited to walk through the estate back in early January to imagine how it would look renovated for a design show, I knew it would need a lot of work and TLC. Once show house preparation officially began, there were many individuals – designers, volunteers, and hired contractors – behind the transformation of each room. In my three spaces alone, I worked with over two dozen people to accomplish my design goals on time (we had just one month to work on-site). When I post final photos of my rooms, I will share the pros behind the makeover. For now, take a peek at my post for Williams-Sonoma Designer Marketplace where I share advice on “How to Have a Good Relationship with Your Contractor.” Because in the end, every great project is accomplished with teamwork!

Designers Holiday Show House Sneak Peek!

flower arrangement by Laura Thomson Design for one of my rooms

at the Glen Magna Farms Designers’ Holiday Show House

For the past month, I have truly enjoyed traveling down the long unpaved drive that leads to the grand Endicott Mansion located at Glen Magna Farms in Danvers. I have spent the last four weekends working on my suite of rooms there (with lots of help during the week from a list of others), transforming these spaces and furnishings from worn and weary to show house ready. And with each visit, every time I took the first turn off of Centre Street to follow the signs to Glen Magna Farms, I felt a little bit like I was heading home.

I am not exactly sure why the property has this strong affect on me. Perhaps the emotional imprint is simply because I worked there for a number of summers in my twenties, enjoying the view of the landscaped grounds and the fleeting luxury of being a part of the mansion lifestyle. Even still, there is something about passing the open fields, stone walls, and tall mature trees leading up to Glen Magna that just feels right to me. Most likely this strong association is a result of being New England born and raised, but there is also a part of me that tends to imagine that perhaps I lived there hundreds of years ago during a time when every day was unplugged and people dressed for dinner and danced in the evenings to live music in the ballroom. 

This past Saturday night was the preview gala at Glen Magna, and it truly felt like a step back in time. There were elegant gowns and well-tailored tuxedos, sparkling champagne being served on silver platters, a harp playing classical music mixed with traditional holiday favorites in the foyer. A large tent (heated) was set up just off the back porch where designers and guests could mingle before heading in for the guided tour.

with my honey, John, who I met while working

summers at Glen Magna over 20 years ago

my dear friend and designer of the Bride’s Room

Linda Hentschel with her husband Kurt

with new friends, fellow Glen Magna Farms Show House designers

Candy Weston and Jennifer Dunn Coen in the dining room

Matthew Martin, Buildings and Grounds Restoration Manager

with Heather King, Glen Magna Farms Special Events Manager 

A press day photo in the two story foyer at Glen Magna Farms. From left to right ...

Front row: Caitlin Flynn, Diana Kennedy, Linda Hentschel, Jennifer Dunn Coen, Donna Terry. Back row: Elyse Parkhurst, William Ralph, myself, and Michael Carter. Missing from photo: Candy Weston

Designer Candy Weston and decorative artist Karen Ward received the “traveled the farthest” prize for making many trips back and forth to Glen Magna from their homes in Vermont and Nantucket. While my ties to Glen Magna began a couple decades ago, Candy’s history to the estate goes back much further (and was somewhat of a surprise to her). You will have to come see the estate for yourself to hear and see the details!

I will post room photos after the show closes on December 15th. Please consider visiting the show and taking in the holiday and design inspiration while helping to raise funds to continue the renovation and preservation of this lovely historic property that all are able to enjoy today and for years to come.

Ticket Info Here

Relationships with Designers + Clients

photo credit: Andrew Swaine

Every so often, I am asked to serve on a committee to assist in the promotion and marketing of an event. In September, one of those events was with the New England chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID NE). It was a two-part event that offered both a Distinguished Speaker presentation and then concluded with the Excellence in Design Awards. The event was hosted at a former Lamborghini showroom on the North Shore that is now used for catered events. It was the perfect venue for a group of designers who appreciate a unique space. 

photo credit: Andrew Swaine

With Katherine Hawkins, Amanda Greaves, Jill Janasiewicz, Lynda Onthank

Our committee meetings leading up to the event were so much fun! We were fortunate to have a busy group of designers involved who know how to get things done. Each of us had specific tasks (my job was event graphics) but all of us pitched in wherever needed to help make the event a success. During our meetings leading up to the event, we often shared stories about the design projects we were working on, and how we handled client needs. Since client relationships can determine how much fun one has on the job, we decided to have our guest speaker discuss this topic.

Mary Beth Haggerty and Jill with guest speaker Angela Merola

We selected professional speaker Angela Merola, a life-business-spiritual coach to present “Client Magnetism: Tools to Attracting Clients.” She was very engaging, encouraged audience interaction, and shared many valuable tips on how to find perfect clients and increase profits while doing so.

event florals for the evening were done by Laura Thomson Design

photo credit: Andrew Swaine

Angela actually offers confidence-boosting presentations on her website. But if you are an ASID designer and need CEU credits before the year ends, you must purchase an actual DVD and then take an online test afterwards to receive the credits. It is definitely worth the commitment either way! Details here. 

I wrote a brief blog post for Williams-Sonoma Designer Marketplace highlighting some of the client relationship building tips that Angela shared with us back in September. Check it out here. For this post, the Designer Marketplace team chose some great photos from Williams-Sonoma. There is actually one in the post that looks a lot like how my “coat closet” for the Glen Magna Farms Designers Holiday Show House is going to look. How did they know??! Stay tuned for my own photos in a couple of weeks. Better yet, come visit me there! The mansion has been buzzing with designers and artists working their magic in preparation for the big reveal and we can’t wait to show it off! It opens December 1st. Ticket info here.

The Magic of Glen Magna ...

My next few weekends are devoted to pulling together my three rooms for the upcoming Glen Magna Farms Designers’ Holiday Show House. There will be a gallery space, a small powder room, and a former coat room that will be transformed into a glamorous walk-in-closet-type lounge. I have many people working with me to make this all happen by the gala preview party which is November 30th. The show will be open to the public from December 1–15th. There is a great group of designers involved in the transformation of this historic property that is used as a special events venue. Many of us, we discovered, have a special history with the estate. Here is a look back to how my relationship with Glen Magna Farms began ...

{How a kitchen changed my life}

House Beautiful shout outs!

What does it mean when two people that I know are both noticed by House Beautiful within the same season?  #talentedfriends Laura meet Tami. Tami meet Laura.

Happy to know you both! 

See more of Laura Thomson Design here

– my go-to-pro for floral design –

Get to know Tami Ramsay of Cloth and Kind here

– met on #BlogTourLA in October –