Buy Tickets
Donate
Magic of Christmas
PSO Designer Show House – Seventeen Designers, One 1920s Maine Tudor
PORTLAND, Maine – The thirteenth edition of the Portland Symphony Orchestra’s (PSO) Designer Show House will be open to the public September 10 through October 2, 2011, with a Preview Party the evening of September 9. Seventeen designers and landscapers from around Maine were invited to transform fifteen distinct areas of the Hamlen House on Portland’s Western Promenade, located at 149 Western Prom, Portland. Each designer or design team is assigned a space in the Show House, and must implement the re-design between the beginning of August and the House opening for the Preview Party, on September 9.
A range of influence and expertise is represented in the group of designers, but all bring their individuality to the Show House and to design in Maine. As a group the designers have won national and local awards and accolades for their work, and their influences range from the classic and traditional to the modern and contemporary. The PSO Show House combines old and new in coastal design, showcasing the designers’ innovative talents and the classic beauty of Portland, Maine.
About the House:
With its boulevard-esque tree-lined streets, the Western Promenade overlooks the Fore River as it meets Casco Bay, and on clear days the White Mountains are visible against the horizon. The house was built in 1920 atop a portion of the John Bundy Brown Estate which was destroyed in 1915. Architect John P. Thomas built this spacious stone and slate tudor complete with a servants’ wing and chauffeur’s apartment above the garage for James C. Hamlen and his family (related to Hannibal Hamlin, Abraham Lincoln’s Vice President).
The designers:
Rachel Ambrose, proprietor of Home Remedies, and Lisa Hincher, Director of Sales of Home Remedies, will collaborate on the servants’ quarters. Both have experience in all aspects of fabric, furniture, and home design.
Linda Banks is the founder of Banks Design Associates, LTD, and proprietor of Simply Home. She received her B.F.A. in Interior Architecture from RISD and completed post-graduate studies at Yale School of Architecture. She has participated in two previous PSO Show Houses and is in charge of the redesign of the dining room.
Kim Corwin of HOME – Make It Your Own will design the bedroom in the Show House. She began her career at Hallmark, then started her own art-wear company and moved into art consulting. Her designs are colorful and coordinated.
Anne Cowenhoven, founder of Accent & Design, Inc., will renovate the guest suite and bath. Cownhoven’s work is highly detailed, with sophisticated use of color and hand-picked materials.
Tracy Davis, founding principal of Urban Dwellings, is taking on the Show House kitchen and butler’s pantry. Her expertise is on designing for urban dwelling, drawing influence from across the globe.
Robin Desjardins-Davis, proprietor of Design For Less, and Paul Lajoie of Port City Flooring will design the full bath.
Karen Gallagher of Karen Gallagher Interiors will bring her traditional style to the Show House atrium. Gallagher style incorporates fresh, lively twists, comfortably blending the old and the new.
Vanessa Helmick, principal at Fiore Interiors, is a graduate of Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa. She is tasked with the grand foyer and hall for the Show House. Fiore is Italian for flower or blossom, and reflects her design philosophy of helping a house blossom into a beautiful home.
Brett Johnson, a Maine native, is the principal designer and owner of Maine Street Design Co. Expect to see blending of classic elements with the requirements of modern life, all with Maine roots, in the first floor study space in the Show House.
Annie Kiladjian of Annie K. Designs, LLC, and Theresa Tomczyk of Distinctive Tile and Design will redesign the Show House powder room, bringing to it their experiences in high fashion and culture. Kiladjian grew up in Montreal and comes to interior design via a career in fashion. Tomczyk attended Maine College of Art.
Debbie Kingry and James Light, both of Simply Home/Banks Design Associates, LTD, are collaborating to bring a simple elegance to the expansive drawing room. Kingry formerly owned Foreside Design and won the People’s Choice Award for her work on the kitchen in the 2007 PSO Designer Show House. Light has been elected to House Beautiful’s Top 100 American Designers six times and has participated in five PSO Show Houses.
Kate Lowry, founder of Kate Lowry Designs, LLC, grew up in Portland and studied at the University of Maine and the University of Rome, Italy. She specializes in staging, redesign, and downsizing, and will be responsible for the second floor study space in the Show House.
Lynne Maxfield-Cole is the founder of Decorating Plus. She is a columnist, has participated in numerous Show Houses across the State, and is an expert on universal design. Her Show House space is the master bath.
Jan Robinson of Jan Robinson Interiors will bring her sustainable design practices to the master suite and closet. As a designer, Robinson prides herself on her ability to balance form and function, creating beautiful, livable, and Green spaces.
Tony Elliot, owner of Snug Harbor Farm, is a trained agronomist but without formal design background. Nevertheless, he has developed a characteristic style; his landscapes are functional yet respect local history and the natural world. Elliot will do the landscaping.
The Show House project manager is Dale Akely, president and owner of Project Resources, Inc. Geoff King, owner of King Builders, LLC, is the contractor.
The Show House is the major fundraiser for the PSO and is orchestrated biennially at historically and architecturally significant properties in the greater Portland area. The Show House includes events throughout late summer and fall, including the Empty House Lobster Bake on August 3 and the Great Gatsby-themed Gala Preview Party on September 9. For more information about the Show House, associated events, and the Portland Symphony Orchestra, please visit portlandsymphony.org.
Admission to the Show House is $25 per person or $20 if purchased by September 8. Tickets are available through PortTIX, 207-842-0800 or porttix.com. Tickets will also be available at the door for $25. For tickets to the special events, visit portlandsymphony.org.
Admission to the Show House is limited to adults and children over age ten.
Filed under: News, Press releases