First published in the Feb. 9 print issue of the Pasadena Outlook.
More than 400 design enthusiasts, media and supporters of Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts recently attended the standing-room-only Empty House Party.
The annual tradition celebrates the night before designers begin their work to transform a mansion that will debut as the Pasadena Showcase House of Design. This year’s designers are reimagining Stewart House, a 1933 grand colonial estate on two acres of spectacularly manicured grounds in Pasadena.
The soiree, chaired by Lynne Graves, treated guests and media to a sneak peek of the mansion which features 11,000 square feet of living space and multiple themed gardens. During the evening, guests meandered through the nearly 30 design spaces viewing various concepts and installations, while enjoying an assortment of French-themed cuisine and live music by Art Deco Entertainment.
“While our annual Empty House event is a party, it’s really all about the designers,” Graves said. “It’s an opportunity to debut our selected designers and share their unique vision and aesthetic for their space. Guests and media have a chance to view drawings, concepts, materials, paint chips, and décor selections. The just-laid ram board protecting the exquisite hardwood floors really emphasizes that this is a construction site, and the work is real.”
This year’s participating designers include the Art of Room Design, Ashley Marie Design, Blue Brick Designs, Coastal Homestead, Courtney Thomas Design Studio, G&A Artistic, Halter Home, Hermogeno Designs, Karen Billman Designs, Lôue Interiors, Louise Jane Designs, Marbé Designs, Meredith Green Designs, Organized Garage Solutions, Pamela Sandall Design, Rosemary Home Design, R/terior Studio, Ra Designs, Rachel Duarte Design Studio, Room & Board, Shari Tipich Decorative Design & Artistry, Sukeena Homes, the Studio For and Tocco Finale.
“This is such a gracious piece of architecture,” said Pasadena Showcase House of Design benefit chair Matt McIntyre. “We are certain the designers who were selected this year will honor the home’s traditional roots, while bringing to bear magazine-worthy cutting-edge design.”
The Empty House Party marks the beginning of just three short months of renovation. Nearly 25,000 guests will tour through the completed home and can expect the famous Shops at Showcase, offering a variety of boutique and craft merchants, as well as several on-site restaurants and pubs.
Jennifer Bevan, who worked on this very home early in her career in the 1990s, will serve as design adviser. California Home and Design is this year’s media sponsor. Dunn-Edwards, also a heritage California brand, is a sponsor and is supplying paint as it has done continuously for the past 58 years. Color expert Sara McLean has selected an earthy, tonal palette that will serve as the narrative thread connecting the spaces.
The 58th Pasadena Showcase House of Design will be open April 23 through May 21. Golden tickets and ticket packages are on sale now and individual tickets go on sale this month. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit pasadenashowcase.org.
Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts, an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization, has supported local music and arts programs since 1948. With the hard work and dedication of its more than 200 members, the organization raises funds from its major benefit, the Pasadena Showcase House of Design — one of the oldest, largest and most successful home and garden tours in the country.
Throughout its history, Pasadena Showcase has given more than $24 million to nonprofit organizations, particularly through its Gifts & Grants program, in support of music education, scholarships, concerts and music therapy, while continuing to support the L.A. Phil and its learning programs for which the organization was first founded. Pasadena Showcase also nurtures the study and appreciation of music among young people with its three annual music programs: the Music MobileTM, which has introduced orchestral instruments to more than 125,000 3rd-grade students; the Instrumental Competition, which has awarded more than $650,000 in monetary prizes for exceptionally talented young musicians; and the Youth Concert, which has brought nearly 250,000 4th-graders to Walt Disney Concert Hall for exuberant performances presented by the L.A. Phil.
