Photo by Sarah Sole
Though the subject of this year’s Decorators’ Show House is only in its mid-20s, it’s in line for a major face lift.
The 21st Decorators’ Show House, organized by the Columbus Museum of Art Women’s Board, will focus this year on a sizeable estate at 6045 Saint Boswell Ct. in Muirfield Village in Dublin. The event will feature 15 designers working on 22 spaces, along with five landscapers.
The house will be on display from April 21 to May 10. Proceeds benefit the Columbus Museum of Art. The events, held every other year, have raised $3.8 million for the museum. The first Decorators’ Show House was held in 1975, and this is the first time a Dublin house has been chosen.
Co-chairwoman Barbara Byrum says the house’s size was overwhelming when she saw it for the first time.
“This isn’t a show house, this is a show house,” she says.
The 19,000-square-foot home was built in 1989 and features Georgian-style architecture. Sitting on 1.52 acres, the three-level building includes seven bedrooms, seven full and three half-baths, a wine cellar, a swim spa and a five-car garage. Old-style arched windows throughout the home contribute to a classic aesthetic. White columns give the entrance a majestic feel and draw the eye upward to the foyer’s stained glass ceiling.
When interior designer Peggy Smith first saw the foyer, she knew a hand-painted mural belonged on the wall. The Howard Brooks Interiors designer has hired artist Michael Boudreault to create a subtle nature scene for the area.
“I think it’s really going to be gorgeous,” Smith says.
The existing black and white marble in the foyer floor’s center will be complemented by the addition of a burl ash table with an ebony inlay around the perimeter and base. Smith has kept the entry in neutral tones, with wallpaper below the rail in a soft, sandy white and taupe combination. The mural will also echo these muted tones.
Smith is leaving the dining room walls unchanged – their off-white hues match the woodwork – though she’s adding a pale aqua Persian rug. Building off the color palette established by the rug and walls, the window treatments are aqua and creamy white.
Smith has borrowed original sculptures and paintings from Art Access Gallery in Bexley to bring a modern feel to the understated but elegant dining space.
Modern elegance is a theme that interior designer John Wilson, principal of CRI Interiors, is establishing in the house’s master bathroom.
“We decided to play up the opulence of the room,” Wilson says.
Wilson is working with the pre-established luxurious gold-tone faucets and green- and cream-colored marble floors. Working in the Hollywood Regency style that first came about in the 1930s and is now experiencing a resurgence, Wilson is adding sleek modern accents to the space.
An antique chair is upholstered in faux cream mink. Window treatments above the large soaking tub are Roman shades of faux mink and crystal trim.
To modernize the floors in a dramatic way, Wilson chose to paint the walls black.
“It takes it to a richer level,” he says.
This year’s event will include a shopping selection of unique gifts priced from $5-$150. A café will also be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Two other shops will also be open for the show house: upscale flea market Trifles and Treasures and a garden shop selling potted plants and small bushes.
Byrum says the homeowner dictates the final state of the house after the event concludes.
“We’re basically temporary owners, and when we leave, we leave it the way we found it,” she says.
If You Go
Hours for the Decorators’ Show House are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. and Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Meet the Designer nights are Wednesdays from 5-8 p.m. Parking is provided at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium April 21 through May 8. Free shuttle service will be provided.
Sarah Sole is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
