With the Hudson Valley steadily gaining more city dwellers by the hour, artists, designers, and builders have begun to form a strong and tenacious community in picturesque Kingston, New York. Maryline Damour had a vision to create a mechanism that enabled designers, makers, contractors and businesses to connect, support each other, and promote great design in the region. That vision became the Kingston Design Connection.
With the coronavirus affecting all aspects of life, Maryline Damour says, “More than ever, we need to come together as a community, embrace new creatives in the area, and support each other. Kingston Design Connection and the Kingston Design Showhouse have provided opportunities for local businesses, and is a vehicle for local development in the design/build industry.”
The 2020 Showhouse has taken over and transformed a beautiful Italian-style home nestled at the end of a cul-de-sac, and overlooking a tributary of the Hudson River. This multi-floor home and its half-acre of fenced-in garden, has been a supreme setting for these showhouse designers to transform it into a space that demonstrates their stunning creative endeavors. Take a look below:
Entranceway by Ana Claudia Designs
“It’s about how you feel the moment you walk in the door,” says Ana Claudia.
Ana Claudia Schultz, principal of her eponymous design firm Ana Claudia Designs, sets the bar for the high level of design at this year’s Showhouse. With mountainous-scene wallpaper featured by Fromental, a large blue and gold leafed modern chandelier by Currey & Co., and undulating carpeting ascending up the staircase by Liza Phillips, the designer is directly responding to the nature surrounding this incredible home. Ana Claudia’s concept has created a subtle yet sophisticated impact that truly gives a fresh and serene air to this home as soon as you walk through the door.
Dining Room by Hendley & Co.
Hendley & Co’s principal designer, Jessica Lynn Williams, creates a warm and inviting dining room with her custom painted decorative wallcoverings by local painter, Mark Turner. With a direct nod to the masterworks by Rothko, Turner used broad strokes paired with colors like rust, mahogany, magenta and ochre that “celebrate the rich harvest-like tones in the leaves, sunset, and landscape found in Hudson Valley this time of year.” Accompanying the wallcoverings are interpretations of wrought ironwork contrasted with more modern black dining chairs and sculptural table dressings.
Kitchen by Lava Interiors – Meg Lavalette
Meg Lavalette was inspired directly by the home’s neoclassical architectural features, and her vision was brought to life with nods to Italian countryside living. Utilizing soft grey plaster wallcoverings, and a reclaimed wooden island for food preparation, Lava Interiors has given this kitchen space a touch of modern with a foundation rooted in tradition. Small details such as cabinet hardware are hidden to allow the Waterworks faucet to take center stage on these long, sleek, dark slate countertops. “The integrated pulls in the cabinets modernize the kitchen and allow the faucet to be the stand-alone piece of jewelry in the room,” she says.
Sitting Room and Terrace by KD Reid Interiors
Perched on the top floor of the home is KD Reid’s take on a “modern treehouse.” Inspired by the mountains and river surrounding this home, all visible from the terrace attached to the room, KD has evoked feelings of a forest scene. His choices for outfittings were clearly intentional! From cross-sections of petrified trees made into tasteful tables, to the textured wallpaper, animal hide rug, nest-like table decorations in the outside dining area, and to the small nook turned reading space, KD has morphed this room into a lovely getaway for one to come to sit, dress, read, or just admire scenery.
Bedroom by Ariana Winston
“As a Kingston native, it was tremendously meaningful [for me] to come back and design something so personal in the town where I grew up,” says Ariana S. Winston. Having turned what was an auxiliary room with a seemingly challenging layout into this cozy bedroom with gorgeous views, Ariana has shown her ability to turn any space into something of beauty and comfort. Ariana’s room features a highly textured headboard and canopied fabric for the ceiling which immediately softens the space, and makes it that much more welcoming. The multiple views to the outside also give a sense of calm when you tuck yourself in for a good night’s sleep.
Library by Patrick Ryan’s Office
This marvelously mauve room is the ground floor Library designed by Patrick Ryan, principal of Patrick Ryan’s Office. This room features richly colored walls and original built-in bookshelves, as well as soft fur hide throws and fluffy pillows, making it the perfect place to come with your favorite book. Patrick Ryan’s vision was for one to, “settle in and lose track of time.” With a zero-gravity recliner by Fn Furniture and a Noguchi-inspired coffee table by J.M. Szymanski, this Library is a quiet corner to escape with your favorite authors.
Sun Room by Krishna Fitzpatrick
The Sun Room by Krishna Fitzpatrick is backyard and Hudson River facing. With the room drenched in sunlight during the early and late afternoons, It is clear that this is a great room to linger in. Housed here is Fitzpatrick’s vision of “Daisy Buchanan meets ’70s Malibu,” with wicker furniture draped in shearling, a chair of shearling and metal framework, and overall light and breezy color tones accented with wood and leather. The contrasting design has turned into a contemporary modern ideal, which is epitomized by the natural light, fluffy pillows, dark stained wood, and the stormy and textural rug.
Work From Home Office and Classroom by Damour Drake
“My brain has been full of producing this showhouse in the pandemic; I couldn’t help but ground our room in that context. I also wanted to reference the conversations we’re all having about inclusion and diversity and showcase how we can express that in our environment,” says Maryline Damour, who is the founder of Kingston Design Connection and the eponymous Showhouse. Maryline Damour and senior designer of Damour Drake, Mel Jones, have turned this room into an office and classroom to work from home. With the coronavirus pandemic changing the ways we all live our lives, this cleverly designed room dedicated for work is certainly an asset. The brightly colored toile wallpaper works as a backdrop for all your Zoom meetings, and the comfortable modern furniture helps invigorate the parents at their desk, while also giving space for children to attend their classes, all in the same room.
“Listening Room” by Jennifer Salvemini
This neon-lit reclaimed closet has all the fixings for one to tune in to some good music, and tune out the world. Jennifer Salvemini’s concept for this room came from her experience in the beginnings of isolating due to covid in early march; “Without anywhere to be or anything to do, the experience of simply listening to music just to listen wasn’t something that was happening passively in the background, but rather was the entire event.” says Jennifer. The designer chose this tiny space at the end of a hall just big enough for one perfect chair and imagined it as an immersive, auditory environment. One of the most important elements in this room are the neon clouds on the ceiling that invite you to lie down on the floor, space out, and fall victim to your most audiophilia tendencies.
“Members Only” Lounge by Matthew Marchese
In stark contrast to the rest of the house, this ultra-chic and mod basement level lounge was created by Matthew Marchese, owner of the vintage shop This and That in Delhi, NY. This sleek design gives guests the best place to come and hang out, and do what you might not upstairs. “When I first saw the room, I had a sense of disconnect between the other designers,” Marchese recalls, “They were all upstairs with windows boasting natural light. I was in a dark basement.” With that challenge at hand, Marchese used this arrant difference in setting to create his vision of a dichromatic “Members Only” lounge (that you may need to be on a list to enter.)
Sculpture Garden, Gallery Spaces by Cross Contemporary Partners, with flowers from Hops Petunia.
Jen Dragon, of Cross Contemporary Partners, selected artworks and sculptures from local Hudson Valley artists for the home’s half-acre garden space, as well as the two attic level gallery spaces. “It was essential to have artworks that would sit well under the grove of 100-year-old maple trees,” Dragon says of the outdoor gallery, which features sculptures by Kurt Steger, Stuart Farmery, and Eileen M. Power. “All three use color in their work that transitions well from the late summer greens to fiery autumn hues,” she adds. Indoors, Dragon transformed two small gallery spaces on a third-floor landing with works by Millicent Young, Kurt Steger, Stuart Farmery, Martin Weinstein, Wendy Klemperer, Stewart Nachmias, and Dion Yannatos. Local flower shop Hops Petunia also has contributed to the decoration in the gallery spaces; billowing fragrant florals entice the viewers to come in and create a serene environment to experience and view the artworks.
Photography by Ariel Camilo Photography Co.
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