The hours for the open houses on the Maryland House an Garden Pilgrimage were incorrect in Sunday's editions. The houses are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For information, call (410) 821-6933.
The Sun regrets the errors.
You may know the house: a big, beautiful, once almost foreboding gray stone structure at the corner of Millbrook Road and St. Paul Street, a stern house and, for many years, increasingly hidden in overgrown foliage.
There was tragedy in its past, but there is happiness in its future.
Today the house, amid lawns and lovely landscaping, glows inside with colors vibrant and creamy, sparkles with stars and gilding, gleams with dark wood paneling and damask upholstery. Designers, decorators and painters have turned the once-neglected beast into a beauty again as this year's Baltimore Symphony Decorators' Show House.
Opening to the public today, the show house is among the first of a wide variety of show houses and house tours that will take place in coming weeks as Marylanders celebrate spring with a round of "visiting." The others range from the annual Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage, which begins Saturday in Anne Arundel County, to the Union Square Victorian Garden Tour on May 22.
The show-house dwelling is a Guilford landmark, a 20-room mansion that was built in 1916 for Mary Kennedy by a noted Baltimore architect, George R. Callis Jr. It passed through several hands, and then, about 20 years ago, was abandoned by the owners after a family tragedy. It sat empty, with the dining-room table set and mannequins of a family sitting in the living room, until thieves broke in and stole marble mantels, antiques and chandeliers, and the owners decided to sell it.
Now the house, owned by Baltimore building contractor Thomas Buehle and his wife Colleen M. Barrett, is getting not only repairs and refurbishing -- some rooms had water damage and roofs and gutters are being replaced -- but also that extra polish that decorators bring to home decor.
The annual show house, which is directed by the Baltimore Symphony Associates and benefits the orchestra, always serves a sort of barometer of decorating trends, as designers offer their newest ideas and latest products.
Seeing stars
This year, stars lead the trend parade. From the star-painted ceiling and floor of the entry hall to the window treatment in the kitchen to the decor in the dining room to countless touches in paint and accessories, stars are everywhere. And faux finishing, a strong focus for the past few years, continues to be popular. Most of this year's effects are painterly, with wall murals and ceiling sky-and-cloud scenes in many rooms. In the rosy-mauve master bath, decorated by Wallcapers of Baltimore, a pensive (and life-size) Rapunzel looks out over her tower wall. In the music room, by M. S. Interiors of Laurel, cherubs sport with instruments above a bust of Mozart.
Perhaps the most spectacular mural of all is in the children's bath, by Carol Grillo Designs of Riderwood, where a jungle scene covers the walls. There is a jaguar gazing at his reflection in a pool above the shower, and multitudes of flowers have $l beadwork stamens or faux-jewel centers. A close runner-up would be the third-floor hallway, by Charles Macsherry, of Baltimore, painted to resemble a high terrace overlooking a country view.
More traditional faux finishing appears in the conservatory, by T. E. Knisely of York, Pa., where walls are pale rose and white "marble." There's also a red-painted brick floor, and pale furniture with bright touches of color.
Painted objects, such as tables and furniture, abound. Two of the most charming examples are the dollhouse version of the show house in the girl's bedroom (complete with tiny replicas of the furniture in "her" room), by Mary Pat Andrea of Night
Goods of Baltimore, and the fanciful airplane bed in the boy's room (where the walls are all sky, with puffy white clouds), by Higinbotham Interiors of Baltimore.
Gilt touches are popular. Students from Harford Community College turned a dark back hallway and powder room into a "Hall of Mirrors," with multiple gold-framed mirrors; and, in a second-floor bath by InteriArt of Baltimore, gold swirls decorate the walls, and the ceiling is gold, with swirly fringed edges.
The 'Empire' strikes back
Historic references are also in evidence. The master bedroom, by Papier, is called "Bonaparte's Retreat," a reference to Betsy Patterson Bonaparte, and features "Empire style for a 1990s' woman," according to designer John Anderson. The Empire-style bed is backed by a set of painted columns draped with painted "fabric"; the ceiling is painted to look like the top of a tent, with an off-center medallion that is a "view" of the sky.
Empire is also favored in the main hall, by Mona Genardy of Lutherville, with its round Biedermeier-style table and recamier lounge. The drawing room continues the theme, in a sort of Gothic-Romanesque version, with columns, furniture in tones of chocolate and cream and a pair of wire and crystal chandeliers by Niermann Weeks of Annapolis.
Across the hall, gold, pale colors and hand-painted textures adorn the dining room, by Justine Sancho of Bethesda. In a wide bay window, a cream-colored window seat curls around a Lucite table. The dining table is glass-topped, and above it hangs another Niermann Weeks wire and crystal chandelier in glorious over-scale.
In the kitchen, Studio House of Baltimore worked with original glass-fronted cabinets, stripped to a warm honey glow, to create a workable, welcoming space from what was formerly three tiny rooms.
Tidy, tiny designs
And speaking of tiny rooms, the third floor is a testimony to what can be done with small spaces. More than half the floor space is the stone-walled ballroom, now an "outdoor" terrace with tables, flower sellers, and happy couples dining. However, on the other side of the hall, the green and yellow Ladies Retreat, a quite traditional 18th-century room by Tom Delacambre Interior Design Olney, a dark mulberry Gentleman's Retreat, with accessories of sports and music by Custom Concepts of Columbia, a luxurious Empire bath, with black-painted claw-foot tub, black double acanthus border and pale walls by Interiors, James Allen Ryan Inc. of Bel Air, and the pale celadon maid's room, with
daybed and furniture in green and red, and "memorabilia" of the occupant's life by KLS Interior Designs of Crofton, show that big drama can come in small packages. And the narrow back stair, by Fat Elvis Designs of Baltimore, combines dark woodwork and deep windowsills with charming vignettes with knock-out walls in vivid persimmon.
The house will be open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; through May 22. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door. For advance tickets, call (410) 889-7433, or send check payable to Decorators' Show House and a stamped, self-addressed envelope to: Symphony Decorators' Show House, P.O. Box 5660, Baltimore 21210.
Parking is limited around the house. Parking will be available today and during the week at the Boumi Temple, 4900 N. Charles St.; during the weekend, parking will be available at 200 N. Wyman Park Drive. Shuttles will transport visitors to the house.
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The 57th annual Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage gets under way next weekend with 15 sites opening in Anne Arundel County Saturday and 10 sites in St. Mary's County Sunday. Other sites are: Talbot County, May 7; Queen Anne's County, May 8; Washington County, May 14; and Mount Vernon in Baltimore May 15.
Some of the properties on the Anne Arundel part of the tour date from the 20th century. One of them is Holly Cove, built in the 1960s. Current owners are Mr. and Mrs. Raymond C. Nichols. "It's a contemporary home with an Oriental influence," says Mrs. Nichols. Furnishings include a dining table and chairs by the noted architect and furniture maker George Nakashima.
"We have tried to maintain the general feeling of the house," Mrs. Nichols says. "We did add on a family room." In addition, trips by Mrs. Nichols and her daughter to the Orient have resulted in new art works for the house.
The home of Brig. Gen. and Mrs. Vernon R. Tate was built in 1930 as part of a vacation compound. "The house is really one of a kind," says Mrs. Tate. "It sits on a point of land called Horseshoe Point. You can see the water from three sides of the house. We love to have people here. Both of our daughters had their wedding receptions here."
The house is furnished with antiques Mrs. Tate and her husband discovered while visiting junk shops, or inherited from their families. Colors in the house are mustards and Williamsburg greens -- "and the family room is Chinese red," Mrs. Tate says.
Houses on the pilgrimage are open from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. rain or shine. Tickets for each day's tour are $20, or for a single house on the tour, $5. Tickets can be purchased in advance or on the day of the tour at any of the houses. To buy tickets or for more information, call (410) 821-6933 between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. weekdays.
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4 Among the other tours coming up this spring are:
* The Garden Conservancy Tour in Maryland, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 14. The Conservancy opens private or rarely seen gardens to its members; this year four gardens in Greenspring Valley and Monkton are featured. Members may also buy discounted tickets to Ladew Topiary Gardens on Jarrettsville Pike. Cost of membership is $35 for an individual, or $50 for a family. There are seven other garden tours on the East Coast this year, including one on the Eastern Shore in September. To take the tour, you must join the Conservancy by May 1. Call (914) 265-2029.
* Secret Gardens of Union Square and Hollins Market, noon to 6 p.m. May 22. Nearly two dozen gardens will be open in the area around Union Square, including the H. L. Mencken House. There will also be plants, flowers, crafts and sandwiches for sale in the square. And there will be craft demonstrations and live music. Admission to the tour is $8. For more information, call (410) 233-9064.