NYC&G Presents: The Caumsett Designer Showhouse 2020

Situated on approximately 1,500 wooded acres, Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve in Lloyd Park, Long Island, is a vision to behold, including the historic structures that dot the property. Among them are the Colonial Revival Summer Cottage, built by architect John Russell Pope in 1939 for department store heir Marshall Field. The interior and exterior spaces were recently reimagined by 17 design firms for the spectacular Caumsett Designer Showhouse, presented by design media sponsor NYC&G and benefiting the Caumsett Foundation.

A special thank-you to our generous sponsors:
Cosentino; Kohler; Plesser’s Luxury Appliances; Sherwin-Williams; Siena Marble & Tile; Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove; Wölffer Estate Vineyard

The Rinfret Group Living Room

Photographs by Anastassios Mentis

“Our motive was to brighten up the space by keeping the furnishings light and airy,” says Denise Rinfret of the design scheme she conceived with her daughter and business partner, Missy Rinfret. The duo incorporated Lucite stools from Bernhardt, a white tufted Chaddock sofa, and a light-blue and gray geometric rug from Stark Carpet.

Kate Singer Home Study and Powder Room

Photographs by Anastassios Mentis

Showhouse design chair Kate Singer envisioned the study as a “gracious spot for coffee, reading, cocktails, or simply enjoying the vista outside.” Furnishings include an armless Baker sofa upholstered in a Kravet linen, which has a backdrop of Phillip Jeffries’ Serenity wallpaper.

Photographs by Anastassios Mentis

In the powder room down the hall, she hung Meg Braff Design’s Arbour wallpaper, which complements a Julian Chichester console, gilded iron sconces from Circa Lighting, and Lee Jofa draperies. “This is the bathroom most used by guests,” Singer says, “so I wanted it to feel elegant, cheery, and bright. I first discovered Caumsett 30 years ago when I moved out of Manhattan, so this project has been very meaningful to me.”

Baltimore Design Group Dining Room

Photographs by Anastassios Mentis

“Showhouses are a laboratory for design,” proclaims Keith Baltimore, who created a “modern, edgy, and avant-garde” dining room featuring a Hudson Furniture polished bronze chandelier and a dramatic Bangle dining table, comprising a walnut top on a base of interlocking bronze rings. “Interior decorating is a reaction to the times, and this space challenges convention. This isn’t your grandmother’s dining table.”

Amal Kapen Interiors Entry Stair Hall and Landing

Photographs by Anastassios Mentis

Designer Amal Kapen, who has frequented Caumsett since she was a child, selected a bucolic muraled wallpaper from Iksel Decorative Arts and a skirted center-hall table to bring a wow factor to the double-height entry. “My goal was to stay true to the house, while still expressing myself.” The ceiling holds home to an Aviary Blue accent from Sherwin Williams.

Ciuffo Cabinetry Kitchen

Photographs by Anastassios Mentis

Gary Ciuffo crafted a kitchen inspired by the past—think traditional hardware, subway tile, and antique finishes—while incorporating modern conveniences. Sherwin Williams decorated the walls and ceilings with a chic Mineral Eggshell Finish. Accordingly, the range was positioned close to the sink, while an old icebox was removed from a cramped pantry and upgraded with a 36-inch Sub-Zero fridge and freezer. “We laid out the kitchen to be more user-friendly than it had been in the past,” Ciuffo says.

Laurie Duke Design Breakfast Room

Photographs by Anastassios Mentis

Ralph Lauren Home draperies featuring a blue-and-white botanical print frame the breakfast room’s double windows, giving the space the feel of a bright sunporch. Decorator Laurie Duke also added a Cole & Son wall covering with a wicker-like motif to accompany the Sherwin Williams Flat Natural White and scalloped wicker chairs.

Hendley & Co Butler’s Pantry

Photographs by Anastassios Mentis

When styling the butler’s pantry, designer Jessica Lynn Williams of Hendley & Co filled original glass-fronted upper cabinets with nautical-inspired accessories that “nod to the home’s beautiful waterfront landscape,” such as seashells and coral found on local beaches and throughout her travels. Sherwin Williams  finishes the pantry walls in Mineral from their Emerald Interior collection. Vintage paintings from her shop, Hendley & Co, and window treatments in a Jed Johnson Home cotton dress up the otherwise minimal space.

Andrew V. Giambertone & Associates, Architects Mudroom and Powder Room

Photographs by Anastassios Mentis

Interior designer Erin Breen, of Andrew V. Giambertone & Associates, Architects, the firm behind the Summer Cottage’s restoration, envisioned a mudroom “appropriate for a young Manhattan family that enjoys hiking, working in the garden, and walking on the beach.”

Photographs by Anastassios Mentis

Garden tools are at the ready above a Kohler potting sink with a Gray Mist backdrop from the Sherwin Williams Emerald Interior collection.

 Photographs by Anastassios Mentis

In the adjacent powder room, a diminutive iron and petrified-wood table adds a little dazzle to the otherwise serene space. “None of the furnishings is too precious,” says the designer.

Sea Green Designs Screened Porch

Photographs by Anastassios Mentis

Designer Shannon Willey opted for a palette of seafoam greens and pale blues for the screened porch, where she envisions people sitting down to read or enjoying views of the verdant property. Furnishings include a French bistro table and chairs, a beaded wood pendant light, and an indoor/outdoor rug crafted from recycled plastic bottles.

Barbara Page Home Primary Bedroom, Sitting Area and Dressing Room

Photographs by Anastassios Mentis

For the primary bedroom, sitting area, and dressing room designer Barbara Page channeled Yves Saint Laurent’s famed Marrakech home, Villa Oasis, which she had the opportunity to tour shortly before COVID-19 hit. “I haven’t been able to get the house out of my mind, especially its grand salon,” says Page. Varying shades of blue and a vibrant mix of patterns infuse the stylish space, from the draperies and Sherry Williams Emerald Interior Meditative wall paint to the upholstery and floor covering.

Photographs by Anastassios Mentis

Kate Singer Home Primary En Suite Bathroom

Photographs by Anastassios Mentis

Decorator Kate Singer reconfigured the master bath to “suit today’s lifestyle, with an elegant, calm, and spa-like feel.” Kohler’s freestanding Archer tub and airy shower stall sync beautifully with subway tile and Carrara Bella marble in a basket-weave pattern, all from Siena Marble & Tile.

Ashbourne Guest Room and En Suite Bath

Photographs by Anastassios Mentis

“This is a very traditional home, so I didn’t want to go too contemporary or out of character,” comments Ashbourne’s Christine Gentile, whose bedroom design features a linen bed canopy, Chippendale-style nightstands, and an antiqued-mirror console from Oly. For the en suite bath, she opted for Kelly Wearstler–designed sconces and a Manuel Canovas wallpaper.

LGC Interior Design Guest Room and En Suite Bath

Photographs by Anastassios Mentis

To infuse her room with a “playful summer elegance,” designer Lori Miller mounted framed fish photographs and sourced whimsical furnishings, such as a bench with bicycle handlebars. Sherwin Williams Emerald Interior glazed the ceiling with a soft shade of Barely Pear to compliment the aqua and seafoam-green wall covering. Wallquest’s Oceanna print makes a fitting statement in the bath along with the Cotton Candy painted ceiling from the Sherwin Williams Emerald collection.

Alanna Albanese Designs Laundry and Linen Rooms

Photographs by Anastassios Mentis

For these two neighboring spaces, Alanna Albanese opted for a black-and-white palette accented with seascape paintings by local artist Susan Graham Switala. The designer kept storage top of mind, adding a skirt to the linen room’s original farmhouse sink to hide cleaning supplies. They also implemented built-in shelving for towels above the washer and dryer from Plesser’s Luxury Appliances in the laundry room.

Vintage Interior Design Inc. Guest Room

Photographs by Anastassios Mentis

“I wanted to create a contemporary, sophisticated, and chic nursery,” says expecting mother and designer Rachel Florez, who swathed this gender-neutral space in shades of gray. The room is outfitted with an oak-and-eucalyptus crib, a brass-and-linen John-Richard—designed cabinet, a custom bookcase with playful cutouts, and a multiarmed disc light fixture from Circa Lighting.

Kate Singer Home Upstairs Hall Bath

Photographs by Anastassios Mentis

Oil-rubbed bronze Kohler fittings pop against neutral walls in the upstairs hall bath, where an antique bamboo shelving unit and artwork add a layer of sophistication.

Courtney Sempliner Designs Guest Room and Entryway

Photographs by Anastassios Mentis

“This house is incredibly inspiring, so we wanted to play into its beautiful details while adding a fresh take through pattern and texture,” says decorator Courtney Sempliner, who selected a hand-painted Gracie wallpaper for the space’s intimate entryway and a Thibaut grasscloth for the bedroom itself. The closet is coated in Fresh Eucalyptus from the Sherwin Williams Emerald Interior collection. Additional furnishings include faux-Belgian-linen nightstands from Made Goods.

Photographs by Anastassios Mentis

Hicks Landscapes Front Landscape

Photographs by Anastassios Mentis

Ken Muellers, senior landscape designer at Hicks Landscapes, conceived a design scheme that incorporates the cottage’s existing herringbone brick walkway and bluestone terrace with rows of ‘Green Velvet’ boxwood, planters featuring ornamental cabbage and kale, coral bells, and decorative grasses, and Taxus baccata ‘Fastigiata’ flanking the front door. “We wanted to set the tone for a home that is being rejuvenated and brought back to life,” says Muellers.

Main Street Nursery and Florist Rear Landscape

Photographs by Anastassios Mentis

In the back of the property, Main Street Nursery and Florist co-owner Richard McKean opted to create an environment fit for alfresco dining. Potted variegated Zelkova trees, strung with lights, accent a custom tea-stained cedar dining table and benches, while hydrangeas and ornamental grasses anchor the property’s perimeter.

Check out a behind the scenes look at the house at @CottagesGardens on Instagram. More information about the The Caumsett Designer Showhouse 2020 here.