May / June 2023 Issue

MAKE YOUR MARK

Back in the Golden Era of auto manufacturing, craftsmen used the term “Mark” to signify a pronounced or, dare we say, marked improvement in quality and innovation.

We’re bringing it back.

Call us to make your mark 203-817-0014 or visit BlackbridgeMotors.com/MakeYourMark

"BRAINSTORM"

Acrylic with Gold Flakes

Known for her emotionally powerful bronze and acrylic sculputures. WESTPORT, CT 203 253 9990 / sophie_shutze@msn.com

We mail B&NC Mag to the 25,000 most affluent homes in New Canaan and Darien, Armonk, Bedford, Bedford Hills, Katonah, Mt. Kisco, North Salem, Pleasantville, Pound Ridge, South Salem and Waccabuc

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SIGN UP FOR OUR E-NEWSLETTER ON OUR WEBSITE, OR BY EMAILING info@bedfordnewcanaanmag.com WITH THE SUBJECT LINE: SUBSCRIBE.

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PUBLISHER: MICHAEL KAPLAN

ART DIRECTION: EMMA ARTHUR

PHOTO BY: ANDREA CERASO

HAIR AND MAKEUP: RINA TERKA AT EVA SCRIVO SALONS

HOMES ISSUE Special

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

I hope you like our Special Homes Issue. It’s an insider’s look at some of the finest residences in the B&NC area, and an introduction to some of the area’s best builders, designers, and artisans.

For those of you ‘sports fans’ who would prefer our regular diet of features by or about local sports legends, and in-depth features on local stars of stage, screen, and traditional and social media, and titans of industry, and travel features, and features focused on local charities, and all the rest…you’ll have to wait for our July/August 2023 issue.

This issue is all about homes! …Although we delve into it with the builders, designers and artisans behind the houses and interiors we’ve featured…and have also included pieces focused on Caramoor and highlighting their Summer 2023 schedule, and continued best-selling author Katie Sise Sweeney’s six-part novella The Bedford Oak, and highlighted some of the events you shouldn’t miss in our community this Spring.

Our cover feature is on Dominique Bluhdorn and her renovation of the Louis-Dreyfus estate in Mt. Kisco. I met Dominique about a year ago, as a guest in her home at a party so starstudded that I’m not allowed to even mention anyone’s name! …And I was so bowled-over by the interior design, that the famous folk took second stage!

I became friends with Dominique, and fascinated with the project she’d undertaken, and knew I had to get B&NC inside to meet her, and to see her home…

Cas Ey Kapla N PRESIDENT

AT LEAST FOR THIS ISSUE… HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS,

Showroom: 112 Main Street, Norwalk, CT

FAUX FLORAL COUTURE MADE IN THE USA

877-434-2635 www.dianejameshome.com @dianejameshome

PICALI FINE JEWELRY

WEARABLE ART

One-of-a-kind fine jewelry, exclusively designed and handmade by local Artist/Jewelry Designer Alicia Andros

www.picalifinejewelry.com @picalifinejewelry

1066 North Street, Greenwich CT, 06831

For private appointments and custom orders please call: 203-485-0400 or 914-860-5934

THE DRESS LINE OF YOUR DREAMS, DESIGNED BY LOCAL CARA GABRIELLA

caragabriella.com

Table of Contents

p.34 - SOUND SPECTACULAR

A Darien Dream…To Drive For! The Scuras moved from Hoboken to Noroton Neck in Darien, and used the architect Arpita Muchhal to build, and Joanne O’Neil to do the interior design, on a spectacular California Coastal with all-around water views…but John still has to make the daily drive to New Jersey, and back.

p.50

- ARTISANAL WOODWORK

Freddy Ochoa is a master craftsman who lives with his wife in a historic farmhouse in South Salem called Spring Street Farm, built in 1812. Freddy’s woodwork throughout the house demonstrates what Freddy and his Artwood Design & Construction can do.

p.60

- MODERN FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

The Witzmans moved into their Modern on 5+ acres in the woods of Pound Ridge in 2021, and designer Greg Witzman worked his magic to transform the residence into something just right for today.

p.72 -

EXCEPTIONALLY

EXQUISITE: EXTOWN FARM

Dating back to 1776, the main farm house on this 17+ acre ‘gentleman’s farm’ in New Canaan - that also includes a guest house, a 6-car carriage house with an apartment, an artist’s studio, and two giant barns - has undergone a complete restoration by Dave Prutting and his Prutting + Co. that’s nearing completion.

An invitation to Dominique Bluhdorn’s is something special! Five years ago she acquired the Louis-Dreyfus estate in Mount Kisco, and has since completely renovated it - with the help of her interior decorator Stephen Sills and the encouragement of her friend Martha Stewart. p.84

p.100 - THE CELANESE HOUSE

Edward Durell Stone was the ‘Father of the International Style of mid-Century Modern Architecture’ and his Celanese House, at 565 Oenoke Ridge in New Canaan, may be the most important local example of midCentury International style architecture... And it’s FOR SALE!

OUR COVER FEATURE DOMINIQUE BLUHDORN p.60

p.112

Special Homes Issue

- LIVING THE AMERICAN DREAM IN NEW CANAAN

Carlos Alvarez is from Guatemala, grew up in Stamford with a dad who worked construction and a mom who cleaned houses in New Canaan…and now he’s a super-successful residential builder with his own construction company called Greenday Construction, his own stone and construction supply company, his own mowing and landscaping business, and a house cleaning business…and lives with his family in a house he’s rebuilt that’s one of the nicest houses in New Canaan.

p.124

- INSIDE THE GUEST HOUSE

designer Merrin Jones and builder D&J Euro Home design-built this fabulous guest house for a Pound Ridge family.

p.132

- FROM ORDINARY TO EXTRAORDINARY

Kitchens are the center of life in every home. With or without seating, kitchens are about more than just eating. Kitchens are the place to cook and gather, no place else the family would rather. …Certainly all true for this South Salem kitchen designed by Abigail Braden and August Interiors.

p.138

- SPRING CLEANING

Tidy is nice. A sister to neat. But their big brothers, clean and organized, are also needed to get the job done. …It’s why the company name Tidy Nest only begins to describe what business and life partners, Jared Shahid and Shannon Krause , and their staff, can do.

p.145

- RIGHT NEXT DOOR…IT’S CARAMOOR!

On Girdle Ridge Road in Bedford, Caramoor is a unique cultural resource located right at home. Explore the Summer 2023 Season schedule, and all the other wonderful events, programs and activities Caramoor has to offer.

p.151

- THE BEDFORD OAK VOL. III

Volume III of a VI Volume fantastical mystery set in Bedford. Vol I and II introduced us to twenty-seven-year-old Claire, who has just tragically lost her fiancé, James. On the night of James’ funeral, Claire goes to the end of Hook Road and follows the instructions of an old Bedford prophecy promising that if someone circles the Bedford Oak nine times, she will set free a spirit. Remarkably, it works, and…

p.158

- LOCAL EVENTS CALENDAR

And, last but not least, we’re sharing a sort of highlight reel of upcoming local events; a preview for what can be found on the BedfordNewCanaanMag.com calendar page. We are the largest consolidated calendar in the region; a free resource we are thrilled to provide to the community.

p.112

p.124

p.138

MAY/JUNE

Table of Contents

We have some top contenders from the hundreds of pet photos that have already been submitted, including the pets pictured on this page - so you can see the competition is ‘rrruff’! …But the jury is still out…and we’re extending the time to enter your pet for this give away until Memorial Day.

SOUND SPECTACULAR A DARIEN DREAM… to drive for!

John Scura, an uber-successful personal injury attorney and all-around really nice guy, and his wife, Jeanne-Marie, an uber-successful globetrotting denim designer and producer for major retailers and VP at Vanilla Star Jeans, were living in a brownstone in Hoboken with their three girls, Livia, Coco-Marie, and Lucie, and their son Dash. When their next door neighbors and best friends, Jim and Jessica Caufield, announced out-of-the-blue that, despite that Jim would have to make the commute to New Jersey for work everyday, they were moving to a rental in Darien, Connecticut, on Noroton Neck, on a peninsula surrounded by the Long Island Sound ...The Scuras were coming out on weekends for visits, with the Caufields cleverly always instructing a route on the Merritt instead of I-95 so the Scuras would get the country feel. Jeanne-Marie recalls, “Jim and Jessica decided to buy the house that they were renting, but the then-owner only wanted to sell it together with the adjacent property that she also owned. The adjacent property had a 70s style upside-down house that we knew we’d never live in…but the Caufields are good salespeople… And so, despite that John would have to make the same crazy commute from Darien to his law offices in New Jersey every day - about three hours roundtrip without hitting significant traffic - we decided to buy the property, make our own full-time move to Darien and, about a year later, construct our new home. The one-of-a-kind piece of land was irresistible!”

PHOTOGRAPHY: ANDREA CERASO

It’s fair to say that the Scura’s Noroton Neck location, and the SIMPLY SPECTACULAR

modern farmhouse-styled California Coastal they built, perched on the peninsula like a perfect diamond in a Tiffany setting, are TO DRIVE FOR!

The house is striking! It’s a most elegant and refined masterpiece, with a soaring two-story glass-walled center hall with black metal framing that serves to attach the new, white, two-story structure with a big front porch that appears to be an old farmhouse, with an attached worn-gray wooden barn that looks like it’s always been there. The same kind of giant windows with black metal framing make up most of the back wall of the house, with the effect that the house and barn are always open to the outdoors. While the general Modern Farmhouse style that includes this California Coastal is really a post-modernist movement meant to evoke the old country charm of the 1800s, all the architectural windows give this house an avant garde flair.

The Scuras hired architect, Arpita Muchhal, to make their dream a reality. Muchhal expertly wove together elements of New England design, California Coastal aesthetic, and European feel, to create a masterpiece for the ages. Muchhal explains, “My vision for the house was based on a story of time and how this new home may have developed if there was a colonial house and a detached barn on the property. As a primary focus, the windows we designed were inspired by antique steel windows. We had to play with the scale as 12’+ ceilings are not something we find in older homes. But with good proportions, balance and rhythm, we were able to design a house that has a timeless quality to it.”

Inside is inspiring! Jeanne-Marie turned to Joanne O’Neil to help with the interior design. Joanne owns JG O’Neil Designs, a Darien-based interior design firm that is known for modern masterpieces that are sophisticated yet livable. Her aesthetic is traditional and modern day pieces seamlessly blended with vintage and antique finds. Her love for art and her attention to detail combine to make each room more special than the last.

The glass front door leads to an expansive and dramatic 24-foot-long front-to-back two-story foyer with water views on both sides of the room that divides the house into two wings. The walls are limewashed plaster like inside of a European villa. The living room is an elegant take on Bohochic with a warm palette of neutral browns and beiges that pull from the exposed beams in the 14-foot ceilings, and large-scale and inviting furniture that beckon every guest. The living room is separated from the dining room only by a fireplace in the center of the room that is open to each side, allowing for a peek into each exquisite space from the next, unless the Scura’s have a roaring fire - which they often do. Although the space looks completely effortless, Jeanne-Marie worked very deliberately over time with Joanne to layer the space with a mix of materials and textures and visual pops to make it feel like the California getaway that it does.

Jeanne-Marie says, “I travel a lot and stay at these beautiful hotels that have given me a lot of inspiration for what I wanted to do, especially around textures and materials… But I needed help executing that at scale, and Joanne was really able to take all of my ideas and vision and actually turn it into something that would work in the space and fill in blanks with things like window treatments that were more of an afterthought for me, but that were the final touches that made this space feel complete.” Antique marble pedestals casually placed in corners of the room are adorned with plants and statues to subconsciously tie in different elements from around the space and really bring everything together.

The kitchen is visually open to the living and dining spaces but enclosed behind a long glass wall that spans the entire depth of the house, made with the same black metal framing as used for the outside walls and windows of the house. The kitchen is massive, but still has a homey feel. It features an island that should probably really be called a continent, wood-paneled appliances, a retro-style oven with a plaster hacienda-style hood, and warm wooden seating. There are stools at the counter, a larger family-style breakfast table with seating for ten, and a smaller breakfast table for cozier moments tucked into a booth. The entire seating area connects seamlessly to the front porch, making it feel like part of the living space.

The pantry sits in a hallway behind the glass wall and is a masterpiece unto itself, with metal mesh covering each cabinet, and a light blue color scheme, paired with a fabulous Tabarka studio custom Rue des Rosiers tile.

Behind the pantry is a wet-bar back hall with tile flooring and a bathroom complete with magnificent Jardin D’Osier Ocre Hermés wallpaper. The back hall has outswing casement windows which allow easy access to an outside bar.

The primary bedroom is subtle and bold at the same time, with the focal point being another massive glass and steel window. The bathroom feels like a cozy English cottage, featuring a large clawfoot tub underneath a pair of dormer windows and wide plank wood flooring. All part of the primary suite, the bathroom leads to an intimate sitting room with multiple outrageously comfortable sofas.

Four ensuite bedrooms are located in a separate wing of the house, for each of the now-adult kids. Over the years, Jeanne-Marie has collected a significant piece of art for each of her children that she will eventually gift to them, that means something to her about them. As she turns to decorating those bedrooms, she plans to use those pieces as focal points and inspiration to guide the process.

The high ceilings, overall scale, and enormous windows throughout, make the house feel as much like a party space as a private residence. And the Long Island Sound views from the front and back of the house are so stupendous, there’s daily debate about whether the sunrise or the sunset was best.

‘CAPE

SCURA’,

as it may now be dubbed, is a modern - and now more desirable - interpretation of the grand Nantucket-style beach house of the 1920s favored by the Kennedys and the Great Gatsby. It’s elegant and exciting, a little less formal in Darien than any Greenwich counterpart, and stands-out even amongst the few other Noroton Neck houses lucky enough to share the same location and PANORAMIC VIEWS!

Toohey Greg Williams

Rucci Arthur Zinn

Gladstone Harvey Melzerr

WHY WORK WITH AMY:

Using the right pricing strategy and marketing tools, Amy’s performance outpaces the market . Continued buyer demand exceeds supply even in the face of higher interest rates with prices remaining strong. Let’s connect to learn how working with Amy makes a difference for you. Amy is hands on from prep to closing.

• Over 350 Homes Sold

• Over $390+ Million in Volume

CLIENT TESTIMONIAL

"Irene and I want to congratulate you on a superb job done. You were the absolute right Real Estate Broker to come along at the right time, give us invaluable advice and it was astounding how fast the process started to work and be successful till the final culmination with closing the deal. Thanks again. Rest assured we will highly recommend you to anyone asking us for a recommendation."

— James S. 2/2/23

ARTISANAL WOODWORK

Freddy Ochoa lives in a historic farmhouse in South Salem, built in 1812, called Spring Street Farm, that was completely rethought and renovated to provide all the comforts and conveniences and look and feel of a modern farmhouse. Mixing country chic with a clean, whitewashed aesthetic, and featuring unique and timeless touches to give the space character and charm, the overall design feels somehow antique and current at the same time.

About the Spring Street Farm renovation, Freddy says, “This place had great bones! Exposed beams, original 10+ inch wide-plank floorboards, and a lot of original stone work. Despite being 200 years old, there are plenty of windows that provide ample light. The large stone fireplace is wellsituated between the living area and the kitchen. The restoration project involved a complete gut of the structure - basically taking the house down to the sticks, and although we added small extensions on each side of the house in order to get the square footage up to a still-cozy 1,800 square feet, the basic shape and post-andbeam structure remains unchanged and true to its period and original form. I use a backyard barn that once housed farm horses and livestock as a workshop. In addition to working on custom pieces, I’m in the process of renovating the barn and opening it up to the courtyard in the backyard. ”

PHOTOGRAPHY: NICHOLAS VENEZIA

When he was seven, Freddy, the only boy in a family of five kids growing up in a rural part of Ecuador, started working with his Dad on the family’s future home - which they built by hand, working every day after school and after work to construct a 4,000 square foot, 6-bedroom, Spanish-style, three-story house. “I remember my Dad painted a line and told me where I needed to start digging in order to place the foundation. We didn’t use any large machines to build the house. I’d enlist my cousins to help out so that we could finish the day’s work and still have some time to play soccer. We moved in when I was 12 and it was the first time we had running water. …My Dad is a huge inspiration to me. He really taught me a lot of my most important life lessons…and he gave me the basic design, building and woodworking skills that I use every day. He would dream things up…put his mind to them…and make it happen!,” Freddy shares. “No pun intended, but that’s the foundation of my own work ethic, and the love for what I get to do for a living.”

residential building,”

Freddy explains. “I moved to America after I graduated from high school, went to BOCES to learn about electrical work and get a few technical certifications, had a bunch of jobs working for a few contractors in all facets of the building trades, and eventually joined a team of builders doing high-end residential projects in and around Westchester and Fairfield. I tried to learn from everyone. …After about a decade building houses, I started to concentrate on woodworking - and I took a position as an apprentice with a fine cabinet maker. I learned the art of crafting kitchen cabinets, barn doors, and other custom projects. Although I like building in general, the time focused as an apprentice doing nothing but producing day after day really pegged my love of woodwork. In 2018, I started my own woodworking business, called Artwood Design & Construction.”

“We have the capability to do any and all of the woodwork on any residential build, no matter how big or technical the project may be. But my real particular specialty and expertise is in doing custom woodworking projects using reclaimed and upcycled wooden materials. Nature is an inspiration, and I believe in sustainable building as a method of being conscious of the environment,” Freddy reflects. “…I’ll get a warped old piece of wood that’s completely bowed and imperfect, and I’m intrigued by its history. I’m enthralled with the creative process of taking something that’s unique and storied and breathing new life into its next iteration.”

While the entire home serves as a showpiece of Freddy’s woodworking ingenuity and skill, his woodwork in the kitchen is extraordinary! All of the cabinetry, including the facings for the appliances, is done in reclaimed exotic Brazilian wood custom crafted for the space. And featured woodworking throughout the house includes an antique sliding barn door between the family room and the addition, the full wooden bar in the kitchen that’s made from original siding from the house, and the thick and sturdy wooden table that sits in the middle of the kitchen, made out of White Oak from a 1878 barn in Ridgefield. Upstairs, the primary bedroom suite is well lit and has an office nook where Freddy used reclaimed wood to create a more sophisticated top for a standing desk. And the master bath, with a large soaking tub with a direct view of the backyard, filled with plants, and done in calming earth tones, is just dreamy. Freddy says with a still-youthful passion, “I particularly

ARTISANAL WOODWORK

“My entire career has been in

FLORALS BY: DIANE JAMES HOME

I like using woodworking to create new solutions to a given need. Looking at something from a different angle and coming up with something that’s functional and aesthetically pleasing. In Spring Street Farm, I built a full pantry into the small space underneath the staircase, and put a 1,000 bottle wine cellar and a sauna in the basement.”

“I take great pride in my work and am extremely grateful to have a profession where I get to be creatively fulfilled,” Freddy says. “I’m more than a tradesman - I’m an artisan. I feel quite satisfied to have developed a substantial list of clients - including designers, builders, and homeowners - and have completed many bespoke projects, and I get great joy seeing my clients’ reactions to my work and hearing about how happy they are living in and around the things I’ve built. And doing work for repeat customers feels like winning an award!”

ARTISANAL WOODWORK

“Beyond making spectacular and beautiful things,”

Senior living that rises above the rest.

Our residents all agree on one thing; wishing they had made the move sooner. From the time you walk in the door and experience our stunning verdant atrium, you will see retirement living beyond the ordinary. At Meadow Ridge, you will enjoy a distinctive lifestyle, with refinements such as luxurious apartment homes, gourmet cuisine, impeccable service and exquisite amenities. You will also gain the security of Lifecare, which provides future care at a predictable cost, giving you peace of mind.

To learn more or to schedule a tour, call 203-664-5177 or visit MeadowRidge.com

frames, and eaves of the house are all done in a tan stain that highlights the structure. At night, there’s the effect of a giant glass cube, all lit up, in the middle of nowhere.

The interaction between the inside and the outdoors is constant, and the Witzmans completely redesigned and rebuilt the back deck to accommodate a large dining area and a casual lounge and seating area. “I like being in nature, but the back deck is this nice in-between where we get to feel fully immersed, but still have all the comforts and benefits of modern living. During warmer months, the deck is just an extension of our living room. I go out without socks on, and the kids constantly gravitate towards playing out there,” Greg says with some glee. The pool area is its own oasis, set within view of the house but positioned to provide privacy as well. And a new garage, echoing the shape and style of the main house, makes the place feel like a compound.

THE WITZMAN’S

MODERN

FOR THE 21st CENTURY

“We had a great apartment in Brooklyn, but we spent most of Covid living in what was our weekend house in Sharon, Connecticut,” Greg Witzman explains. “As things returned to normal, we realized we’d become too addicted to life in the country to return to a city-based lifestyle, but had to find somewhere that was easily commutable to New York, without being someplace too suburban. Ian and I were determined to find the right environment for our kids, Miles and Zoe, to grow-up in a town with a real culture and plenty of outdoors activities in the mix. As soon as I saw this house; a 3,600 square foot, four bedroom modern, built in 1981, and located on five-and-a-half private wooded acres with a pond, on a rustic dirt road in Pound Ridge, bordering the Cross River Reservoir; I knew we had the right spot and that I could

make the house into just the modern for the 21st Century that would suit us to a T.” …The Witzmans closed in June 2021 and with Greg, who is a renowned interior designer and the force behind Greg David Interiors, set to the task, the house is indeed transformed!

The basic form of the house is that of a rectangular barn, with the front entrance in the middle of one of the long walls, and the back wall being a two story wall of glass - and a window to the bucolic backyard and the expansive and wonderful forest that lies beyond. For the exterior, Greg selected a distinctive Abyss paint, a mix of black, grays and blues, which makes the house stand out strikingly on the property, yet blend into the lush and leafy environment at the same time. The wooden front door, window

Inside the home it’s like a Kandinsky that’s come alive. Pops of bright colors, interesting shapes and textures, dark lines that create movement…all set up in a kind of random harmony. Greg’s work is bold and exciting, and he’s particularly well known for the way he designs interiors to compliment and contrast with the shapes and style of the architecture in a home. In this house, Greg uses design elements to draw the eye out to the view, up to the vaulted ceiling, and around into each of the interesting nooks, hallways and spaces. The art displayed seems important. Greg’s decorating is eclectic, with a modern look overall. As Greg puts it, “Mixing old and new brings meaning into each space and gives a house its character, and it’s a fundamental component of my design aesthetic whenever possible.” The home’s interiors have the dramatic feeling of a gallery like the Hirschorn or the Guggenheim or the Museum of Modern Art, mixed with the comfort and charm of a beach house in Fire Island or the Hamptons.

PHOTOGRAPHY: CARTER FISH

The vaulted wooden ceiling is done in the same tan stain as the window frames, with white beams, adding to the light, airy and open nature inside the home. A striking custom carpet with bright blues, yellow and white in bold geometric patterns, outlines the living room seating area and sets the tone for the larger open-concept space. The floor-to-ceiling fireplace is done in black handmade cement tiles from Morocco, and adds to the expanse and veracity of the space. The stair banisters and upstairs balcony railings are all painted true black, with similar impact. The furniture and fixtures are all modern, and carefully added for their shape, fabric, or anchoring color. And true to Greg’s design style, he incorporated a variety of interesting and meaningful pieces to make the house feel like ‘home sweet home’ for his family. The vintage lamp on the living room table belonged to Greg’s grandmother and was in every home she owned, and Greg ‘borrowed’ the two black chairs - original Philip Starkfrom his own parents’ apartment because they ‘belonged’ in this living room. And on the upstairs balcony that overlooks the living room Greg hung a large neon sign that says ‘Watch How You Go’ - Ian’s grandmother’s signature phrase…and done in her handwriting!

In addition, throughout the house, there are nods to Greg and Ian’s extensive travels, including the year the couple quit their jobs to go backpacking around the world. There’s a stunning wall of framed photographs from Greg and Ian’s adventures that changes what would be an ordinary wall at the foot of the stairs into a riveting exhibit. And colorful souvenirs and artifacts from far away places add an interesting touch all around the house. “So many of my design ideas come from all of the different and rich cultures I’ve experienced,” Greg says with a warm smile..

The main floor is filled with light from the double-story wall of windows.

centered around a massive double-story great room,

The adjoining dining and kitchen area, and the cozy extra den, are laid out like a

Tribeca loft,

A sensational light fixture that looks like a scepter of light or a glass blower, suspended horizontally over the glass dining table, turns the open space into a formal dining room. A clear USM bookshelf standing between the dining room and kitchen establishes a separation, while maintaining essential site lines to and from the kitchen.

Designed against the entire side wall of the house, and featuring a 6 burner stove and Bertazzoni hood with an expansive counter-to-ceiling ‘backsplash’ centered on the backdrop of the entire wall, a large island in the center of the space, white marble countertops and dark stained cabinetry, and state of the art appliances and conveniences, the kitchen is a chef’s dream and an active family’s delight. Both Greg and Ian are great cooks and regularly like to entertain…and Tuesday is ‘Taco Night’ at the Witzman house.

Also on the main floor, Greg repurposed an extra living room as a guest suite with a full bath. “Guest baths are always an opportunity to go a little crazy and have some fun,” Greg smiles, showing off the purple patterned wallpaper and shocking black fixtures in the new bath.

with an open floor plan and easy traffic flow, but with a clear distinction between one area and another.

We couldn’t be happier about having moved to Pound Ridge,” Greg declares. “Getting in to the D&D Building and to see my resources and to meet with my clients in Manhattan has proven even easier than I thought, and the Westchester Airport is more of a convenience than I realized when it comes to seeing my clients around the country…or taking a vacation with the family. The kids are happily established in school and making great friends. As are Ian and I. The community is really special. We spend a lot of time outdoors, exploring our woods and beyond with the kids, and taking advantage of the great trails and preserves all around town. …And this house suits us perfectly!”

The basement was reconfigured and finished to create a large playroom, a nanny’s room, a gym, and a functional mudroom and side entrance to the house. The full height windows facing the front of the house make the basement feel like anything but…and rather like just another floor of the home.

And upstairs, Greg designed a spacious primary suite, in a private wing of the house, with a bedroom-sized walk-in closet, a large bathroom, and a balcony facing out to the backyard.

Savor the Flavors of Summer

The delights of Summer are almost here. Sizzling backyard barbecues. Cold beers on a hot afternoon. Gathering with friends and family for a picnic. The Market can help make it all happen. Start with grill-ready cuts of chicken, beef, pork, or fresh seafood fillets. Add the freshest local vegetables and fruits, and a sumptuous, just-baked dessert from our Bakery. Stock your cooler from our selection of craft beers, locally-produced microbrews and sparkling hard seltzers. Don’t want to cook? Take it easy and order from our Catering Menu – for a graduation celebration or a Memorial Day Clam Bake, great food from The Market will make the meal memorable! For a fun afternoon of outdoor shopping and sampling, come to the Square for Kiwi’s Outdoor Food & Artisan Market Sunday, June 25th, 11am to 3pm.

Help us celebrate! Join us Saturday, July 15th for our 70th Anniversary Family BBQ. Great summer food and fun start with a trip to The Market!

TOWER OF POWER

55TH ANNIVERSARY

MAY 25

Celebrating 55 years of the best in funk and soul music!

GEENA ROCERO

HORSE BARBIE: A MEMOIR

JUNE 1

In honor of LGBTQ+ Pride Month, the CT book release event for Horse Barbie, a memoir by trans model and activist, Geena Rocero.

LEO NOCENTELLI OF THE METERS

JUNE 2

Founding member and lead guitarist of the legendary New Orleans funk band, The Meters.

KRISTINA KUZMIC

HOPE & HUMOR

JUNE 3

Described by her fans as a motivational comedy show touching on themes of self-improvement and parenting.

NOVEMBER 4 @ 8 PM

CHAZZ PALMINTERI A BRONX TALE

JUNE 4

Back by popular demand, a powerful one-man stage commentary depicting his bruising childhood.

CELEBRATING BILLY JOEL A WORLD CLASS TRIBUTE TO AMERICA’S PIANO MAN

JUNE 7

CHRIS BOTTI

JUNE 10

Grammy Award-winning master trumpeter and composer known for his skill and unique sound.

WISHBONE ASH

50TH ANNIVERSARY

JUNE 14

guitar bands in rock history marks their 50th year.

I HAVE SOMETHING TO TELL YOU CHASTEN BUTTIGIEG IN CONVERSATION WITH HARVEY FIERSTEIN & RICHIE JACKSON

JUNE 16

MELODY GARDOT

JUNE 17

Remarkable vocalist, guitarist, and pianist known for her jazz-oriented, dusky sound.

SERGIO MENDES

BOSSA NOVA SAMBA CELEBRATION

JUNE 21

Brazilian icon, Grammywinner, and co-founder of Brazil ‘66 brings Rio to

THE RASCALS

JUNE 24

Two legendary founders of The Rascals are together again! Hear hits “A Beautiful Morning” and “Groovin.”

Whether you’re buying or selling, my knowledge of the local market combined with the powerful Houlihan Lawrence network will give you the ultimate advantage. Contact me today to explore your options.

La Maison Fete is a full-scale event planning and design company. From weddings, dinner parties, luncheons, birthdays and more, we make every gathering memorable. Visit our shop in Bedford to explore the world of entertaining through a curated collection of beautifully crafted home and fashion goods. Follow us on Instagram for news and upcoming store events @lamaisonfete La Maison Fete 11 Court Road, Bedford New York 914.234.8627 www.lamaisonfete.com

EXTOWN FARM

Extown Farm is a 17+ acre spread, with a main farmhouse and seven other structures, on a property that spans Laurel Road, on a hill in backcountry New Canaan. Its history is…historic! The original core of the house, on one of the choice pieces of farmland in what was then Canaan Parish, was constructed circa 1776! Over time the property was used as a farm and the main house was expanded and reconfigured into a two-family, and it’s believed the Kellogg family, established in the local community, were residents during this period. By 1850, the property had been acquired by the Town of New Canaan and, called The Poor House, was used as the Town’s alms house, with up to 20 rooms for townsfolk who were down on their luck. There’s also anecdotal evidence that the house may also have been used as a kind of a ‘drunk tank’ or overnight holding facility - there’s still a jail door in the basement. And it wasn’t until the Roaring Twenties - the 1920s! - when wealthy New Yorkers began buying up ‘gentleman farms’ in Fairfield and Westchester, that the Town sold the property…resulting in the name ‘Ex Town’...to the first of a series of affluent ‘gentleman farmer’ families, including notably the Findlay family associated with the Findlay Galleries in Manhattan.

Fast forward to 2006, and a new gentleman farmer, a wealthy Wall Streeter, acquired the then ‘well-aged’ property, and began an epic restoration. With teams of planners, architects, builders and tradesmen priming the pump, he managed to invest an eight figure fortune in the place, doing things like overbuilding the main house with a steel structural framework and overdoing the infrastructure with items like multiple water wells and back-up generators for the back-up generators…before giving up.

NEW CANAAN GENTLEMEN’S FARM

Enter ‘The House Whisperer’, custom builder extraordinaire and New Canaan local, Dave Prutting, leader of the full service contracting firm Prutting + Co., and well known for breathing new life into period architectural masterpieces. In 2021, he picked up the property for less than his predecessor had paid just for the land, and began the patient and painstaking process of making everything perfect. Unlike his predecessor, Prutting has the experience and expertise to fulfill the grand vision, and the project now nears a completion which could have a new owner moved-in in time to celebrate the Fourth.

Prutting enlisted Joeb Moore & Partners

Architects to rethink the main house, including moving a staircase in order to open a siteline down the length of the original structure, and a two-story addition more than doubling the size of the residence, to 6,600 square feet, and including the new kitchen on the first floor and the primary bedroom suite upstairs. There are now a total of 6 bedrooms and 5 baths. The antique feel throughout is highlighted by original 10+ wide-plank Oak floorboards, original fireplaces, and authentic-looking but newly done wood-beamed plastered walls. There’s a mix of rich quality craftsmanship - like a pair of Craftsman style Chestnut pocket doors with Remy glass panels that Prutting had made several decades ago and was waiting to use in just the right place, and the gray Brazilian slate floor that’s been installed in the front hall - that enhances the overall rich and rustic character. And - best of all, when it comes to actually living in the houseevery inch, including the rooms that were renovated and the new section of the house, and every bathroom, and all the windows, and all the appliances and utilities, are brand spanking new.

It’s obvious that every one of the craftsmen that Prutting brought-in - folks who’ve been working for Prutting and his business partner and wife Debbie over the course of their half-century in the business of building homesdid their best work here. The woodwork throughout the house is top notch. The design and finish of the bathrooms is most desireable. Even seemingly tangential items, like the way the stone stairs to the front door are built over a cobblestone water trough, evidence a mature understanding of the way the property works and an artisan’s careful attention.

IN EVERY FACET OF THE REBUILD ATTENTION DETAIL THE TO OF THE PROJECT IS ASTOUNDING.

Next to the main house, there’s a six-car carriage house, with a 1,200 square foot finished twobedroom apartment on the second floor. On the other side of the property, there’s a comfortable 1,700 square foot one-bedroom guesthouse done in the same farmhouse style as the main house, nice enough to function as a full-time residence for family or other esteemed users. There’s a cute two-room cottage waiting to be purposed as an additional guest suite or an artist’s studio. There’s a five-stall horse barn and woodshed that’s in good shape. There’s a small shed suitable for planting or potting or another passion. And then there are two giant red barns on the property. One has various work and storage rooms and a huge two-story open loft that’s just waiting to be turned into a party space, and stalls and complete horse stable and livestock dairying facilities in the walk-out basement. The other is one big, open, vaulted space - already ready for a party.

8BUILDINGS

THE PROPERTY HAS

Ancient stone walls run around the perimeter and through the rolling green fields, orchards and gardens. An amphitheater-styled outdoor patio next to the main house, with vast views, adds a hint of formality. All it takes to make this an equestrian estate is the horses. All it takes to play outdoor sports is the chalk lines. All it takes for the best BBQs and picnics are the fixin’s. And all it takes to host a wonderful wedding…is the participants.

While it remains to be seen whether the next occupant of Extown Farm will be a family with kids who are going to get to grow up on a real farm with as many sheep and chickens and fruit trees and vegetable gardens and beehives as may be desiredand New Canaan schools, or weekenders wanting a real country experience - but only an hour from Manhattan, with all the class, culture, comfort and convenience of New Canaan, and the ability to host a horde of houseguests…the dream is now move-in ready!

It’s

635 Frogtown Rd, New Canaan, CT • (203) 801-5608 NEW CANAAN, CT 3 BEDS 3.1 BATHS · 3,600 SF Offered at $3,695,000 William J Hecker Jr M 203.981.3275 RIDGEFIELD, CT 5 BEDS 5.2 BATHS · 6,891 SF 3.19 ACRES Offered at $2,295,000 Jennifer M Dineen M 484.639.7141 SHARON, CT 3 BEDS 2.1 BATHS 2,892 SF 0.83 ACRES Offered at $574,900 Michael Rodriguez M 203.482.9100

Our students graduate with the courage to have a point of view and the skills to express it, honed through years of practice.

DOMINIQUE

An invitation to Dominique Bluhdorn’s is something special! Five years ago she acquired, and has since completely renovated, the estate formerly owned by the world-renowned investment banker Gérard William Louis-Dreyfus, located in the still-estate section of Mount Kisco. The estate was named Lulu Farm by Louis-Dreyfus with reference to the poem of that name by Charles Causley, and came complete with the scores of deciduous trees and medley of gardens, poetry cottage, guest house, barn, tennis court and pool and pool house Louis-Dreyfus originally installed when he moved onto the property a half-century ago. Passing through the large iron gate and ascending the switchback driveway, bordered by ancient stone walls and towering pines, and with acres of apple orchards and meadows in the distance - and still getting GPS directions - there’s the feeling of having arrived in a Bronte novel in the English countryside. Turning into the courtyard, the main house immediately impresses, but more for its classic beauty than its size. Getting inside is a glimpse at great design! …And, with staff unobtrusively buzzing about, Dominique, still just a few years too young to be called the ‘grand dame’, but very much commanding center stage, is the perfect hostess.

Dominique is the daughter of Charles Bluhdorn, the swashbuckling and hard-charging Austrian immigrant known as Charlie, who, before his death at the age of 56 in 1983, when Dominique was 22, built Gulf + Western into one of the first behemoth conglomerates made up of disparate parts. With Gulf + Western, Charlie acquired farflung enterprises such as the Consolidated Cigar Company, Kayser-Roth, Simon & Schuster, Madison Square Garden, Paramount Pictures - as most recently portrayed in the Paramount series The Offer, Charlie was the studio boss behind The Godfather movie series - and the South Puerto Rico Sugar Company, with it’s 300,000 acre property where the Chavon River meets the Caribbean beach in La Romana, on the southern shore of the Dominican Republic, where Charlie developed the 7,000 acre, ultra-luxury resort known as Casa de Campo.

Dominique remembers an ordinary early childhood attending Convent of the Sacred Heart in Manhattan, and spending weekends on Florida Hill Road in Ridgefield, Connecticut, saying “My mother, Yvette LeMarrec, who came to America from France, had a huge influence on me. My older brother, Paul, and I, were raised with pretty traditional morals and values. We had plastic slipcovers on the furniture. If there was anything different about us, it was how my father seemed like a citizen of the world, and that we felt European and American. My dad was already making plenty of money, but ‘rich’ was not something in his vocabulary, and was certainly never our focus. He had a vision for things, and taught us only that there were unlimited possibilities, and that we had unusual opportunity to achieve. My dad allowed me to do, and even facilitated, whatever I wanted to do, as long as I was disciplined and working hard at whatever it was. He had no patience for dilettantes.”

Davis, Michael Eisner, and Jeffrey Katzenberg, who obviously all went on to do great things - were always around. We often spent summers in the south of France in a little place called Port La Galere so my mother could be with her French family. My father loved driving a small motorboat — which he did very poorlyand parking alongside the huge yachts, whose owners would peer down and say ‘Oh, there’s Charlie’. But even those vacations seemed to revolve around my dad’s business meetings. When we crossed the Atlantic on the QE2, he had a special phone installed in his room so he could make deals to sell Paramount films for television.”

“He’d acquired the land in the Dominican Republic when I was young, so by the time I was in junior high school, we were constantly traveling to Casa de Campo. A big part of my dad’s vision for Casa de Campo revolved around the construction in stone of a replica 16th Century village, named Altos de Chavonafter its location high atop the banks of the Chavon River gorge. He wanted Altos de Chavon to be a local artists village and a global cultural center. He included a 500 seat amphitheater as a feature of the village and, just before he died, Altos de Chavon opened with the Concert for Americas, broadcast all over the world, and starring Frank Sinatra, who was a friend of my dad’s, and the great drummer Buddy Rich, and Heart, and Santana” Dominique remembers warmly.

“My dad went to Columbia University for a short time when he got to New York, but quickly dropped-out to go into business. My brother, who my dad dubbed ‘the family intellectual’, went to Harvard, but my dad made it clear I was to go right to work,” Dominique explains. “Starting when I was 15, I had a job working at the Dominican Tourist Information Center in New York City, and straight out of high school I started working full-time. By the time he died, I’d already moved to the Dominican Republic and become fully vested in the work at Altos de Chavon.”

“I was inspired, and helped found the Altos de Chavon School of Design. Our original mission was, very broadly, to foster design in the Dominican Republic. It started out by fostering a couple of dozen talented Dominican kids, and evolved into an acclaimed two-year college-level program in all areas of design. …And it’s been my life’s work! The aspiration is for it to be a sustainable arts and educational center, serving its population into the future, and continuing to produce disproportionately successful and talented designers who shape industry. It’s extraordinary, transformational in nature, and my involvement with all the talented and dedicated students and faculty - including even a few teachers who were students - sustains me.”

& LULU FARM

But Dominique’s coming of age was everything but normal and there can be no mistaking the extraordinary life and circumstances she’s experienced! By 6th Grade, she was living in the family’s apartment at 810 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, and had enrolled at Spence. “My dad was always working, and people who worked for my dad in one part of Gulf + Western or another, and who I think were mentored by my dad - like Barry Diller, who was like another son to my father, Martin

Indeed, Dominique has been the President of the Altos de Chavon Cultural Center Foundation and School of Design since 1981. She oversaw the growth of the institution as an integral part of Altos de Chavon, providing a full-time boarding school education in design to up to 120 students living and studying in the village each term, and ultimately thousands of students who’ve benefited over the years. She stewarded the School through Covid and her team adapted the curriculum to the digital age. She also led the School’s affiliation with the Parsons School of Design in New York and the development of a twoyear college-level program in all areas of design and film. In addition, Dominique serves on the Board of Trustees of The New School, and as Vice-Chair of the Board of Governors of the Parsons School of Design.

PHOTOGRAPHY: JANE BEILES AND ANDREA CERASO

HAIR AND MAKEUP: RINA TERKA AT EVA SCRIVO SALONS

Dominique’s lifelong passion for public service was most certainly influenced by her late husband, Hatuey De Camps. “I met Hatuey when I was only 21, but we didn’t marry until much later. He was a politician from a young age, and worked as a student leader to help bring down the regime of the then dictator Trujillo. We were introduced by the then President-elect of the Dominican Republic - and were definitely not impressed with each other at that first meeting. He eventually became Secretary of State, and President of the Lower House of Congress, and ran for President himself - twice. He had five children from two previous marriages – and then we had a daughter, Gabriela …and then, surprise of all surprises, triplets, Alexandra, Olivia, and Charlie. My stepchildren and children are wonderful and together we had a very close family life, primarily located in Santo Domingo.” Sadly, when the triplets were only 6 years old, Hatuey was diagnosed with colon cancer. He passed in 2016. “To this day we are a very united family - a wonderful legacy created for me and all the kids by Hatuey.”

I first fell in love with Lulu Farm from pictures I saw of the trees and gardens, the red barns, the cow, and even the historic 1870’s main house that Louis-Dreyfus had on the property, and I bought the estate in 2018. …I had an expansive vision for the whole place. I may not have been completely realistic, but I was determined! …When my brother Paul, who also lives nearby in Bedford, came to have a look at the property, he said ‘Nico’, the nickname he uses for me, ‘Are you sure you want to get into this level of work? Do you have any idea what you are getting into???’ …So I was pleased to have his wife, Anni de Saint Phalle, who understood the potential from the beginning, to support me and my endeavor.”

Dominique recalls, “The truth was that when I bought the property in 2018 it was grown over and needed a ton of work. Not livable…but it all spoke to me! From the beginning I felt a kind of spiritual connection with this magical property, and most especially the trees. I worked my way from outside in. Together with my then landscape architect, Brian Grubb, we immediately started rethinking and reworking the outdoors. Among the things involved was moving and protecting about 50 of the big trees around the house to a nursery we created just for those trees. They were above the ground for almost two years while we did construction. We moved roads, and created stone paths and wild gardens along the way. I became obsessed with burying the power lines that ran throughout the property entangled in the big trees. It took me six months to get permits to begin all of the work we contemplated, and we got started with construction in January 2019, right when Covid started. I collaborated closely on the architectural redesign of the main house with Charlotte Worthy, who’s a fabulous architect I’d worked with before, and who really takes her ego out of it and works to get done what the client wants. We blew out the sides of the house to accommodate another layer of rooms on each side, and expanded the back of the house to accommodate a porch that spans the width of the entire house and overlooks the pool and west side of the property. I brought in Max Apton to start work on the trees and gardens, and a crew of landscapers got to work on the 24 acres of property…and they’ve been out there working ever since. I didn’t move-in until summer 2020, and then the house was almost empty!”

Dominique didn’t have an interior designer working on the project until late in the process…And then only upon the advice and insistence of her friend Martha Stewart. “One day she came right out and said, ‘Are you going to live in an empty house forever? You need an interior designer. NOW!,” Dominique laughs retelling the story. “The renowned decorator and Bedford resident Stephen Sills was a close friend of hers. He had come to the house on occasion during the construction, but I couldn’t imagine him having the time or interest in getting involved with this project. But Martha said ‘Just ask him!’, and the result has been a creative and personal relationship I now hold dear. Stephen is one of the hardest working people I know. We connected in one minute and have been on the same wavelength ever since. He understood my vision for the interiors, and was able to interpret what I couldn’t even communicate. He just knew intuitively.”

Sitting in one of two luxuriously casual garden rooms on the first floor, Dominique explains,

PHOTOS: AC

PHOTO: JB

Stephen Sills and Dominique in front of the center hall table.

The interiors throughout the main house, as well as Louis-Dreyfus’ poetry cottage and the guest house, are sublime. Soft and subtle while clean and commanding. All in limewashed earth tones, with rich fabrics and wood accents, a perfect blend of old world and 19th century American farmhouse aesthetics.

The living room is immediately visible from the front entrance vestibule, and includes a square, rustic, wooden table that serves as a focal point that unites each of the surrounding rooms. Through the process of designing the home, Dominique and Stephen visited estate sales, and on one such trip, came across a large collection of old kitchen tools - which he had cemented in place inside of a giant metal farm pale, and which sits atop the rustic table, evoking the feeling of a massive flower arrangement.

The formal dining room, with reclaimed barnwood walls and always-on-display oversized arboreal arrangements - fresh from somewhere on the property - is relaxed and inviting. The dining room and den are connected through an array of French doors and an indoor-outdoor porch can be opened-up with the click of a button.

The two side-by-side garden rooms on the southern end of the main floor were designed to bring the outdoor gardens into the house. The larger of the two rooms has oversized windows and doublestory clerestory skylight. A trickling antique water element surrounded by palms, ferns, orchids and other lovely tropical plants complete the sense of being in a greenhouse. It’s like a field trip to the Botanical Gardens, but without leaving home.

PHOTOS: AC

PHOTO: JB

A small breakfast table is located inside the charming kitchen which opens to an informal, cozy family living and a dining area. Behind the kitchen is a hall with a fabulous copper sink for washing the dogs and arranging flowers brought in from the gardens.

A continuously curved natural-wood banister leads from the bright chartreuse front-entry hall downstairs to the second floor landing area – where a sitting room with subtle Moroccan vibes connects to the private bedrooms. A glance upwards reveals a gallery of windows on the third floor. A vestibule with nothing but a small and delicate table and a pair of French doors with a balcony lead to the Parisian-style primary bedroom suite, clearly inspired by Dominique’s French roots, where no detail is spared.

The interiors in the ‘poetry cottage’ and guesthouse are no less extraordinary. Louis-Dreyfus, once the Chairman of the Poetry Society of America, used the poetry cottage as a quiet place for his own writing, and Dominique limited the renovation to refreshing the interiors in order to retain the Louis-Dreyfus vision. In the guest house, the library features walls lined with white wooden built-in shelves and an extensive collection of books on art, design, and architecture.

Then there’s the pool and poolhouse…And the informal and formal gardens, the tennis court, and the barns that used to house Dreyfus’ world-class antique collection, as well as sheep, cows and goats.

Dominique’s reincarnation of the Louis-Dreyfus property belongs in the ‘Houses-of-the-World Hall of Fame’ if there is such a thing, and is easily one of the finest properties in the B&NC area.

Taking stock of her exceptional circumstances and the beautiful house she hopes never to leave, Dominique reflects, “This has been quite the ride, a difficult one in many ways, but one that has allowed me to really get in touch with and appreciate gardens, plants, and trees at a whole new level. At this stage in my life, that’s a huge gift. This arboretum all around me with these huge trees is humbling. “In life I’ve learned the most important thing is to be humble and aware, and to do good, and to always detest hubris - and that’s particularly true if you grow up with privilege and the luck to have everything you need and more. I am so fortunate to live in this magical environment, and thrilled that it’s become a magnet for my family. It’s so close to New York City. I spend as much time and as many nights as I can right here, and my kids do as well. These days, as long as you’re near a phone, you can get most things done,” Dominique smiles. “My work brings me to the Dominican Republic every six weeks or so. We’ve just celebrated Altos de Chavon’s 40th Anniversary, and we’re making plans and new collaborations for the next decade and beyond. I love to travel, and I’m looking forward to seeing family and friends now that covid seems to be behind us. With spring and summer near, when I‘m not working, I’m focused on every inch of this property. I love to go on hikes around the area, and spend time with good friends. I’m grateful for all of it.”

Turn What You Love Into Where You Live

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PHOTOS: AC

THE CELANESE HOUSE A 20TH CENTURY ICON

hile the ‘Harvard 5’ of mid-Century Modern architects, who designed dozens of the flat roof specimens still standing in the area - including, Noyes, Breur, Gores, Johansen, and Johnsonmay be more well known locally than Edward Durell Stone, there should be no mistaking that it is Stone who is the ‘Father of the International Style of mid-Century Modern Architecture’. And while Johnson’s ‘Glass House’ may be the most celebrated house in the area, it is actually Stone’s Celanese House that might properly be called the most important local example of mid-Century International style architecture.

Stone was first. While Stone may have been influenced by the more Cubist and Bauhaus style work of

Le Corbusier in Europe in the 1920s, Stone’s pure Internationalism was truly original. The first house he designed, the Richard H. Mandel House in Mt. Kisco - a stellar example for all of the International style variations to follow - was built in 1933! For reference, Eliot Noyes, the senior member of the ‘Harvard 5’, built his first house in 1941, the Hallman and Bremer houses in New Canaan in 1950, and his own residence, the Noyes House in New Canaan, in 1955. And Philip Johnson’s first house was built in 1941, and his own residence, the Glass House in New Canaan, wasn’t built until 1949.

Stone’s achievement is staggering. His most outstanding public buildings include Radio City Music Hall in New York City (1932), the Modern Museum of Art (1936), the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India (1959), The John F. Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. (1962), the General

Motors Building in New York City (1964), and, locally, the PepsiCo Headquarters in Purchase, New York (1969).

And the Celanese House, originally commissioned by the Fortune 500 Celanese Corporation in 1957, and opened in 1959 to showcase the practical use of some of their newly developed plastics, metals, fabrics and other industrial products, is a perfect representation of Stone’s particular decorative flair within the International mode.

It’s as iconic as Gilmore D. Clark’s Globe at the 1964 World’s Fair, still standing in Corona Park, Queens, New York. Internationalism predicted a modern and global future, like something right out of The Jetsons. And the Celanese House being a particular showcase of ‘space age’ materials - when built in 1959, and as most recently renovated - makes it a most prized example of the period.

565 OENOKE RIDGE, NEW CANAAN

Stone’s residences stand out from the residences of the Harvard 5 and other mid-Century Modern masters for being more spacious, comfortable, and liveable - and the Celanese House is no exception. While the Harvard 5 were building minimalist dwellings on-a-budget for themselves and for a mostly-weekender clientele willing to sacrifice livability for style, Stone had one of the largest architectural firms in the United States and his residential commissions - like the Celanese House - were commissioned by and for more affluent and discerning clients requiring comfortable and modern living within the walls of the design. In 1960, the Celanese Corporation sold the Celanese House to the Willcox family. Not until 2006 did the Willcox family sell to Bruce Capra, who enveloped what was an outdoor patio into the confines and overall rectangular design of the house, adding square footage and allowing for the current 5,400+ square foot reconfiguration of interior space and function. The current owner, Joel Disend, purchased the house in 2008, and in keeping with Celanese’s original mission and charge to Stone to showcase how the best of the best of everything could be utilized in the modern interior, he has completely redesigned, renovated and modernized the entire interior of the home in recent years. The interior design and decorating are ultra modern - right down to touches like the master bath hardware that looks like it was borrowed from the Pompidou Center.

Externally, the Celanese House’s most distinctive features are its lattice facade, and the array of clear pyramids that point upwards out of the roof. Stone used curtain walls or veils, usually consisting of a repeated brick or concrete element with a geometric shape, and forming a decorative pattern, to create a see-through hard-wall or screengiving an otherwise plain horizontal plane a sense of significance and character. Stone used this technique at his own residence, the Edward Durell Stone House on East 64th Street in New York City, and at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi - which Frank Lloyd Wright, who was friends with Stone and credited him as an inspiration for his own transition into Modernism, called ‘the most beautiful building he’d ever seen’. Stone was also noted for his novel use of geometric shapes atop the rectangular cube - as with his use of domes at the House of Good Taste designed for the 1964 New York World’s Fair and the Pavilion at SUNY Albany, and his use of pyramids at the North Carolina State Legislative Building and at the Christian Science Pavillion at the 1964 New York World’s Fair - designs which were drawn from Classical origins, but which informed later Modernist giants such as Saarinen and Pei. And while his inspirational facades and geometrics give architectural reference to his work, a part of his modernism and futurism was to utilize the functional aspects of these designs to usher in a new ‘green’ and environmentally conscious school of architectural design. Stone’s curtain wall facades were often designed to shade the building they front - in terms of privacy and sunlight, and his rooftop geometrics were designed to bring light into the structurewhat’s today called ‘passive solar’.

he genius of Stone’s architectural geometry is also clearly evidenced in the flow, function and experience of the interior. Light streams in from the glass pyramids in the roof. The glass back wall maximizes the view of the expansive back patio and backyard. The entrance foyer and the main living area, separated by a floor-to-ceiling fireplace, are in the center of the main floor of the house. The master bedroom suite, second ensuite bedroom, kitchen, study and two car garage are located to the west, and third and fourth ensuite bedrooms and a large enclosed courtyard are located to the west. The bedroom suites are each completely private, yet the experience from the entrance foyer, living room and kitchen is that of one, big, open great room. A full media room has been installed on the lower level. There’s an overwhelming sense of privacy and calm throughout.

The Celanese House property and location are also noteworthy. Stone, like Noyes, was focused on the interaction between inside and outside, and the resident’s experience of nature. The glass back wall of the house opens to a large and private backyard on the 2+ acre parklike property. The house location on prestigious Oenoke Ridge was a signal that the International-style residence, much smaller than anything else then on the avenue, belonged in the neighborhood, and the irony of being located directly across the street from

the largest-on-the-block stone Tudor mansion, built in the Great Estate era in 1929, called Orchard’s End, designed by noted architect William B. Tubby, was probably not lost on Stone.

Approaching its 75th anniversary, the Celanese House is now FOR SALE!

It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own one of the most iconic and important residences by the Father of the International style, Edward Durell Stone - and to live in comfort and vogue in one of New Canaan’s best areas.

At the heart of Winston Preparatory School’s highly individualized model is a deep understanding and discovery of every student’s learning strengths and challenges.

Winston Preparatory School Connecticut is a leading school for students with learning differences, including dyslexia, ADHD and nonverbal learning disorder (NVLD).

Register for an Open House today at winstonprep.edu/open-houses or contact Beth Sugerman, Head of School, bsugerman@winstonprep.edu

Scan the QR code to join an Open House! Connecticut Campus | 57 W Rocks Rd, Norwalk, CT 06851

“My parents were determined that I should be the first in the family to go to college, and I enrolled in Norwalk Community College. Then I used a $500 Home Depot Credit Card to buy a $275 mower and a wacker and a blower, loaded the stuff up in the back of my Honda, and started to mow lawns. $25 per mow - no matter what size. …And I was still working at the sausage factory on the lobster shift for extra cash,” Carlos says - still smiling! “I knocked on a lot of doors, started to build a mowing business, and hired a group of guys to do the mowing. And I transferred to the University of Connecticut and got a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, with a minor in Finance. …And I quit my job at the sausage factory!”

“I tried working in IT, but no matter how well I did on anything from data entry to managing networks, I wasn’t making much, and went through a layoff after 9/11. I ramped up the mowing business, got a degree in Landscape Science from a program at the New York Botanical Gardens, and expanded into the landscaping business,” Carlos recalls. “It’s funny, but all the time my mom was cleaning houses around here, and even when she eventually worked exclusively for the Williams family in New Canaan, all I could think about when we used to drive past all these big houses

LIVING THE

apartment - with 105% financing. Zoali joined Carlos’ mom working in the house cleaning business which Carlos was running - alongside the mowing and landscaping businesses. They had a second son, Nicholas, in 2013. And in 2015, Carlos and Zoali purchased their first house in New Canaan! Now, Mathias is a 8th grader at Saxe Middle School and plays lacrosse, and Nicholas is a 6th grader at Greens Farms Academy, where he plays soccer and football. …And, in 2021, Carlos and Zoali were blessed with a daughter, Valeria, who’s quite obviously the apple of their eyes.

While Zoali is now very much a full-time Mom, she still has a hand in each of the family businesses, and takes primary responsibility for design aspects of the construction projects …and still finds time for gourmet cooking and regular exercise.

The family now live in their New Canaan residence - a 6 bedroom, 8,600+ square foot house with a pool on over 2 flat acres - in a most desirable location atop Brushy Ridge - that’s a showpiece for what Carlos and Zoali can do. They took a Classic Colonial built in 1996, and did a gut renovation, to produce a big and open home that looks and feels new and

AMERICAN DREAM IN NEW CANAAN Carlos Alvarez:

With Carlos, there are no pretenses. “I was born in Guatemala in 1981, and I have a younger sister and brother,” he explains with a calm smile that says he’s at peace with his history and with himself. “When I was little, my father, Willmar, made an annual trek on a work visa to a seasonal construction job in Louisiana, and we lived in the cycle of him leaving home in Guatemala to work in the U.S. and then return home for what seemed like a visit. When I was 11, my dad got a full-time construction job in Riverside, Connecticut, and we all moved to the United States. We were 5 people in one 1,000 square foot basement room in Stamford. While my dad was working construction, my mom, Tita, who had been a Teacher in Guatemala, started cleaning houses. As I was the older brother, my job was to take care of my sister and brother.”

In what sounds like an immigrant’s story that could have just as easily taken place 100 years earlier, Carlos continues, “When I was 14, I got a fake I.D. and started working, but was still only allowed to work 20 hours a week under child labor laws. My first job was at a sausage packing factory in Stamford, working from 3 A.M. to 7:30 A.M. I would walk home, pick-up my sister and brother, and walk to school. When I got a little older I had a second job I would walk

to after school, at the Gap, where I would do unpacking, racking, labeling, mail, and the garbage. I worked my way up until I became an Assistant Store Supervisor at the Gap and then Old Navy, and eventually a Manager at Aeropostale. When I was 16 I bought my first car - with my own money. I shared a fascination with cars with my dad. I started fixing and selling cars and could make a couple of thousand dollars flipping each one. And I still had the job at the sausage factory on the lobster shift. But, because I only had 2 jobs while I was in high school, I also managed to play varsity soccer. My parents put a heavy emphasis on education and I was expected to do well. But, because my dad was always working and my mom was busy cleaning about eight houses a day, they never got to come to any of my soccer games or anything like that.”

Carlos explains plainly, “Growing up poor made me envious, but not angry. It gave me the drive and ambition, and motivated me to work hard, save money, and invest. Living in America, we felt like we had already hit the jackpot. Even when we were all living in that one basement room. In America you are safe and free! It’s more fundamental than anything else!”

when we were picking my mom up or something, was how ‘I want to mow those lawns someday’. It was a long time before I even began to imagine that one day I would live in one! …As I grew the mowing and landscaping businesses, it gave me a special pleasure to get a house where my mom used to work as one of my clients, and even more so if it was the same people living in the house. To this day, I mow and landscape for some folks my mom used to work for - and not all of them have made the connection.”

Carlos met his wife, Zoali, in 2007, when a mutual friend introduced them while Carlos was back in Guatemala for a visit. She is gracious, sweet and demure…but is, at the same time, much more in control of just about everything than it would outwardly appear. Though Zoali came to America with Carlos, her parents still live in Guatemala, and in circumstances which Carlos and Zoali describe as generally unsafe. Carlos and Zoali had their first child, Mathias, in 2009. They started in a rental apartment in Bridgeport, then acquired their first property in Bridgeport, an

fresh. Inside, the two-story entry features a front-to-back view of the stunning property and pool and entertainment areas in the parklike backyard. New oversized windows make the large formal living room and dining rooms feel elegant and grand. There’s a spectacular two-story library/den/studythat serves as Carlos’ ‘command central’. And Carlos removed internal walls to create an open floor-plan between the family room, breakfast room, and kitchen. Upstairs, Carlos added the new Master Wing, which features an oversized bedroom and sitting area with vaulted ceiling and a fireplace, a loft, and a glamorous bath that has the tub sitting in front of a wall of glass. Zoali’s design touches, like the oversized marble island in the kitchen, the custom-designed woodcraft fireplace accent wall in the livingroom, and her choice of soaking tub and Swiss shower in the bath, give the entire home a fresh, clean, light, modern, and sophisticated feel. The property even includes a chicken coop - and of course Carlos has the boys involved in the venture of selling the eggs.

PHOTOGRAPHY: CARTER FISH

I’m

“I went into the construction business back in 2005, and at first mostly as an extension of my growing landscaping business. I took a loan to buy some equipment and started doing excavation and masonry. But then I started buying single and multi-family houses and using my construction company to improve the properties. I bought the first investment property, in 2010, in Bridgeport, for $60,000, sight unseen, and with people living in it. After an eviction and investing another $40,000 in the property, I sold for $160,000. I bought two houses with that money…and used the profits to buy three more. I’ve never used financing in any of it. One year I flipped 12 houses, and I’m sure I’ve bought and sold 50 houses in the last 10 years. I bought a lot of the projects that nobody else wanted, but I’ve done pretty well working all around Fairfield County. In New Canaan, I’ve bought and sold properties on Parade Hill, Cheese Spring, Sheridan, and North Wilton, to name a few. Over the years, my construction business grew to the point where we started to do contract jobs - everything from a kitchen to an entire residenceand got a reputation for quality work and reasonable pricing.

Now most of my projects are in the $3 to $5 million range, with a focus in and around New Canaan, and

Right now, I have a newly constructed Modern at 772 North Wilton Road for sale for $3.4 million, and a complete renovation of a house I’m doing on Mariomi Road.”

“Of course, we also still have business cleaning houses… which my mom still manages! And in the middle of the pandemic - because everyone else was taking a break - I opened a stone and construction supply company, called West Stone Supply, with two locations in Stamford. I’d been buying all our construction supplies at another place in Stamford and was getting treated like I was second-class, so I opened our own store!” Carlos says, making each aspect of the conglomerate he’s running seem so simple. “All in all, I think I have 28 full-time employees in my construction, construction supply, and cleaning business, and another 8 full-time in the mowing and landscaping businesses, plus a bunch of seasonal workers. And that doesn’t count my wife…who manages all the spending, directs all the interior design we do… and really oversees everything as I run around putting out fires.”

Laughing at himself, Carlos says, “I work just about all the time…we took a vacation to Turks & Caicos in 2022 to celebrate 15 years together - and it was the first real

vacation like that we’ve had since our honeymoon! I only have a few friends and I spend whatever extra time I have on my cars, tinkering on them with my boys, like I did with my dad when I was a kid. I have a SCCA license that allows me to drive on track, and right now I have a 1971 Nissan Skyline that I’ve been driving up at Lime Rock. We’ve done some work on it, and eventually I’ll trade it in for the next toy. …Zoali says I’m like that ‘battery bunny’.”

I still mow a lawn here and there - and for the same $50 we’ve been charging for the lawn since we signedon to mow it,” Carlos says with a real and genuine pride.

always working. I’m always willing to do the work of any employee, and I still get my hands dirty.

I have the facility to do whatever build or renovation may be required. I think I’ve earned a reputation for doing top quality work at a reasonable price. I put a lot in being trustworthy!

The Alvarez’ home has a fresh, clean, light, modern, and sophisticated feel.

The Alvarez’ own home is a great example of Carlos’ expertise as a builder and Zoali’s brilliant interior design.

Carlos reflects. “Of course it makes me feel good to be living in New Canaan! But what makes me most proud is to be watching my boys grow up in this environment, and with a confidence I didn’t have! I like that the boys’ friends are always hanging out at our house. And both boys do well in school, and are always very polite. They don’t have to work like I always did, but they do enjoy coming to our construction sites and helpingout on Saturdays, and I’ll probably give them each a job working in the store when they’re in high school. The first thing I did when I started making money was put enough away to pay for their college - I’m still paying off my own student loans! But despite the advantage we’ve given them, they’re both very ambitious. It would give me great pleasure if they would someday come into one of our businesses and work as ‘Daddy’s Right-Hand Men’, but you know how it is…right now Mathias says he wants to be a plastic surgeon! I love that my boys believe that they can be whatever they want to be - but know that they’re going to have to work for it.” Carlos continues, “We’re Catholic, we believe Jesus is always at the table, and the family goes to St. Aloysius every Sunday. We take a percentage of the profits from all our businesses and give to support ‘Carlos’ Kids’ in a school in Guatemala that my Aunt started. But I’d say the number one benefit of our success is that we’re getting to spend more and more time together as a family, and that, at least with Valeria, we’re going to be able to slow down and enjoy it even more.”

“We are extremely grateful,” Carlos declares. “I want to continue to grow my businesses, and build bigger and better houses, but the truth is that I’ve got plenty of work, and I’m already booked through 2023. I’m living the American dream, and I’m proof that there’s plenty of opportunity if you’re willing to work hard,” Carlos says, sounding somewhat satisfied if not, at the age of only 42, yet content. “We’re even thinking about finding a second-home somewhere on the beach where it’s warm. We like boating and fishing, and I love a view of the water. We talk about passing time fishing, playing in the surf, and taking bike rides on the beach… but, instead, I’d probably be opening a bike rental shop to make full use of my time and take full advantage of the business opportunity. …A little stress is good, and I tend to struggle on weekends if there’s not enough to do,” Carlos jokes. “The reality is that we’ve got our roots planted in New Canaan and we plan to be living and working here for a long time!”

But my family - not my work - is really the center of my life,”

"Couldn't have had an easier experience. My boiler started making this crazy whining noise. called Robison and they had a tech at my house in about a half hour. The tech figured that a motor was burnt out. Changed it out and that was it. FIXED! Best part was it was covered by my service plan and it didn't cost me a penny."

"The equipment worked wonderfully, the rebates were fantastic, but most of all the Robison personnel, from the sales rep to those who installed the system were the best. Their friendliness and expertise were incredible!"

INSIDE THE GUEST HOUSE

Each and every room in a house should elicit a set of moods and feelings. Great decorators accomplish that, and do so without using too prescribed a theme or overwhelming elements of style.

“I was thrilled to get this assignment,” Merrin explains. “Although I have clients where I’m just ‘freshening-up’ or ‘redecorating’ whatever exists, I love the opportunity to work on a blank stage. Create something that’s just what the client wants, and do the design with a clarity of purpose. The message I got from the clients was that they wanted a kind of more elegant and sophisticated neutral space that would appeal to everyone. Relaxed, but not like a den or a bunkhouse. And a tad formal, yet also very comfortable and inviting.” And, with her team at Merrin Jones Interiors, and working closely with builder D&J Euro Home, they did everything down to the last detail in less than a year.

“In this Guest House, the color palette was extremely important. I wanted the entire space to look sunwashed and open to the outdoors, while still feeling cozy and warm, especially for the colder months,” Merrin explains. In every direction there’s a spot for a guest to curl up with a good book, or sprawl out for a nap after a hot summer day by the pool.

This two-story, three-bedroom Guest House is set on a sprawling estate, up an impressive hill, off a charming dirt road, in Pound Ridge. This project was the first of several projects that interior designer, Merrin Jones, has now undertaken for a Brooklyn-based couple using this property only for weekends and holidays.

Dedicated and separate from the main house, the clients wanted the space to exude quietude, calm, and serenity… and to be an oasis unto itself. With a wet bar, two full bathrooms, and a family room that’s as nice, and as big, as in most primary residences, any visitor would delight.

PHOTOGRAPHY: NICHOLAS VENEZIA

The family room’s high vaulted A-frame ceilings and ample natural light were a great backdrop to start with. Adding wainscotting around the room added a beachy vibe, and played to the stature of the space. Pulling from the neutral allappealing palette, Merrin chose an oatmeal linen blend performance fabric for an extradeep sofa and a hand knotted wool Loloi rug with subtle touches of taupes and browns that would be extra-soft on bare feet, and be forgiving to life’s mishaps, that has a light pattern that won’t overwhelm. Accents such as the brushed blond wood in the coffee table and end table, and the trim and legs of the sofa, serve to visually tie everything together. Subtle black accents on the light fixtures, mirror, and fireplace provide context. And for the final touch, the coffee table books and accent pillows were selected to perfectly harmonize with the large piece of mixed media art centered on the expansive wall above the sofa.

An intimate breakfast table set off to the side of the family room leads out to the 11’ x 17’ screened-in porch. “These folks want their guests to be able to come up for a long weekend and really get to enjoy nature and the outdoors in Pound Ridge. On this back porch, completely surrounded by trees, it feels like you’re up in the woods of Maine at a remote camp…not only an hour from Manhattan. We pulled that off by selecting furniture that felt like it belonged in a plush indoor living room, and a substantial concrete coffee table with a retro textured base, and a Rejuvenation patterned indooroutdoor rug.”

The primary suite is a sensory experience in and of itself. The thick rug, made of marbled New Zealand wool, is immediately inviting, and the first glimpse of the room reveals a luxuriously draped cut-in window seat with a linen and wool bouclé blend cushion that has a vintage and relaxed feel. Covered beams and Modern Gray by Sherwin Wiliams wainscotting liaise with the sumptuous oversized custom king bed created locally at Chris Upholstery in Norwalk, and pillows, to create a sophisticated Californiacool vibe. “Although it’s often an afterthought, the linens in the bedroom are one of the most crucial layers to tie the space together; I selected Zak & Fox and Fayce Textiles oversized Euro pillows, and a linen comforter with a bone and boxed linen quilt in charcoal. Mixing together the darks and lights were huge for us to make the space what we wanted it to be, and the super chunky throw would certainly make me never want to leave the bed,” Merrin explains.

In order to accommodate any kind of guest party, the second and third bedrooms are designed to lodge couples or singles, babies or adults. The second bedroom uses a refreshing blue/gray vinyl canvas wallpaper as the anchor for a soothing and cool space. A plethora of textural elements provide ample opportunities for amusement, and the room manages to quiet the outside world.

Upstairs, the lofted bedroom is like a bolder younger cousin of the family room, with plenty of plush pillows and welcoming comfort at the heart of the design.

Merrin summarizes, “I think of interior design as a very organic process. Much more chiaroscuro than abstract. I usually don’t go for the big splash of bright color or other too-intentionally eye-catching techniques. I’m blending textures and tones to work together, and I’m focused on how the project will look and, maybe even more important, how it will feel. Unlike other artists, I don’t want someone who sees my work to come away thinking ‘Merrin Jones’. I want them to remember their holistic experience and sense of the space.”

MEET OUR PEDIATRIC DENTIST, Dr. Saliba, and our good friend Robin the Robot

Jessica Saliba, DMD, received her dental degree at Harvard Dental School and her pediatric speciality training at Mt. Sinai Hospital where she is an adjunct clinical instructor.

Children love Robin the Robot, who can talk, play games and help them feel comfortable. She has a good memory and can even recognize faces!

STATE-OF-THE-ART COSMETIC AND FAMILY DENT STRY

Pound Ridge Cosmetic Dentistry

73 WESTCHESTER AVE, POUND RIDGE 914-764-3540

Monday - Friday 10-5 Saturda 10-2

Sunday by eques

Lindsay provides exceptional services to all her clients, buyers and sellers, in Bedford, Pound Ridge and beyond. Let a Northern Westchester native put her knowledge and expertise to work for you.

Loan approval is subject to credit approval and program guidelines. Not all loan programs are available in all states for all loan amounts. Interest rates and program terms are subject to change without notice. Visit usbank.com to learn more about U.S. Bank products and

Our office manager, Maryann, will discuss insurance with you and keep the process simple and transparent. We participate with these insurances: Delta Dental, Principle, and Cigna. We accept almost all insurances and will submit your claims. services. Mortgage and Home Equity Products are offered through U.S. Bank National Association. Deposit Products are offered through U.S. Bank National Association. Member FDIC. ©2022 U.S. Bank

Michelangelo Manco Private Wealth Mortgage Banker Greenwich, CT

203 -731-2069 o ffice

203 -253-8772 cell michelangelo.manco@usbank.com

NMLS # 404178

TO EXTRAORDINARY FROM ORDINARY

Kitchens are the center of life in every home. With or without seating, kitchens are about more than just eating. Kitchens are the place to cook and gather, no place else the family would rather.

Getting it right is no easy task! Function must dictate design within the particular physical limitations, but style is critical. The room must be laid out to accommodate a simple work pattern and an easy traffic flow, and to include the specific appliances, cabinetry, and conveniences each family requires. Subtle variations in color, stone, tile, hardware, and even lighting, and minor nuances in design and construction, can substantially impact the use and experience of the room.

The family of six that called on Abigail Braden to redesign the kitchen in their South Salem Colonial had the familiar tall order: Make an average size room feel expansive; Keep costs reasonable but make it look expensive; Pick a style, colors and finishes that are fashionable, yet timeless; Use materials that are both pretty and practical; Plenty of storage, but all hidden away; Best-in-class appliances, but still often clad in cabinetry; And, of course, design something that suits the particular tastes of that family and works within the particular architecture of that house.

Abigail shares. “While I love to see the beautiful and sparkling finished project, I am focused first and foremost on the family, their tastes, and their use-case in any room that I design. This kitchen for a mom with four little kids needed easy-to-clean and accessible surfaces, a large and deep sink, plenty of drawer space, and to seamlessly flow into the family room, so it would be easy to keep an eye on the kids while preparing dinner.”

“In designing this kitchen, we started with main features that would set the mood,” Abigail explains. “We designed a huge island with a waterfall edge and placed it in the center of the room - as a focal point and a vessel for plenty of storage. We chose quartz for the countertops, backsplashes and paneled wall. We used a sleek electric cooktop, with a striking rectangular hood covered in a dark gray quartz and trimmed in organic tan wood, that stands in contrast to the white quartz wall behind it. The relatively flat wooden custom cabinetry is finished above the countertops in a rich and sophisticated deep blue, and is used to face all the cabinets and major appliances other than the oven. The overall color scheme involves the white quartz, the blonde hues of the cabinetry below the countertops and the floor, the blue and gray of the major cabinetry and other touches, and a combination of brass and black hardware accents.”

special homes issue

The kitchen is modern, but still warm and inviting, with a hint of a Scandinavian feel. The clean horizontal and vertical planes make the room seem spacious. The colors and textures are bold, but the overall feeling is calm. There’s a real WOW factor - but not so much that it feels too fancy to start chopping a salad.

Abigail says proudly, “We’re pleased to show this kitchen as an example of our work. While we’ve done plenty of projects in grand and spectacular spaces, and kitchens that involve redundant appliances, multiple islands, dining areas and catering capabilities, this kitchen shows how we can make an ordinary space into an extraordinary room.”

“I LOVE CREATING SPACES THAT BRING TRANQUILITY AND JOY INTO PEOPLE’S LIVES,”

discover your next favorite artist at caramoor!

June 4 – August 18

2023 Summer Season

Over 40 Concerts!

Featuring / Orchestra of St. Luke’s, The Knights, Miró Quartet, Dover Quartet, The Crossing, Cécile McLorin Salvant, DakhaBrakha, Conrad Tao and Caleb Teicher, Caccini’s Alcina, Handel’s Acis and Galatea, Arooj Aftab, Neal, Francis, Sandbox Percussion, Pekka Kuusisto and Nico Muhly, and Much More!

Plan your summer at Caramoor! Before the concert, explore our Sound Art, tour the historic Rosen House, or pack a picnic to enjoy with family and friends in our gardens.

Free Shuttle from the Katonah Train Station Plus! Free Parking & No Ticket Fees!

Audra McDonald

Garrick Ohlsson Hélène GrimaudSamara Joy Alisa WeilersteinDavóne TinesMary Chapin Carpenter

SPRING CLEANING

Tidy is nice. A sister to neat. But their big brothers, clean and organized, are also needed to get the job done. …It’s why the company name Tidy Nest only begins to describe what business and life partners, Shannon Krause and Jared Shahid, and their staff, can do.

Spring is a time of renewal and refreshment - a good time to clean out the basement, or the garage, or a few closets, or all of the above - but the truth is that it’s always a good time to organized and make things neat and tidy.

First, you need to clear the clutter! Your house doesn’t look the way you see it. You’ve become comfortable with things that belong in closets and pantries having found permanent places on top of counters and cabinets. You don’t need all the old everything you’ve stacked-up to save…for never. You’re paying to own and maintain a lot of square feet - retake the space!

And then there are projects that need doing, or at least that you’ve been wanting to get around to for a long time -- like organizing your primary closets, your home office, or reclaiming your entire basement. Or making the kitchen more functional. Installing proper storage solutions for the areas where you need to store things.

“Tidy Nest changed my life!,” declares Suzanne Wynwood, who had Jared and Shannon go through her entire house to edit and organize everything in sight. “We’d become ‘empty nesters’, but the nest still seemed way too full! We didn’t know where to start with the kids’ old sports equipment and the rest of the stuff they left behind. We were never getting around to our plans to freshen-up the whole place. I wanted to set up a new office for the work I do from home. And we wanted to put up shelving in the garage so we could get the cars inside again. Jared and Shannon did it all! Quickly and completely! And with minimum interruption! I would recommend them to anyone!”

“TIDY NEST CHANGED MY LIFE!”

And if the plan is to sell - you need Tidy Nest - first! You have too much stuff! Whether or not the place needs to be ‘staged’, Shannon and Jared edit and style your belongings. A lot of tchotchkes and personal memorabilia needs to be removed. Closets need to be combed. The attic, basement, garage, and playroom have to be turned-back from storage bins to their proper function. Studies prove that a proper presentation of a residence increases the purchase price by an average of 20%!

And you need Tidy Nest for the move as well! Jared and Shannon specialize in relocation management. They can edit every room prior to the move - so you only move with what you need; pack and unpack - with every room put in place as it was if that’s what’s desired, and with all the closets properly organized for each person; hire and oversee the crews; handle move-in and ‘welcome wagon’ arrangements in the new house, and; handle every detail down to the address change announcements.

“We were only moving from Bedford to New Canaan, but quickly realized it would be as difficult as if we were moving from one coast to another,” says Katie Henry. “Tidy Nest’s service was seamless! We couldn’t take time-off from work to move, and Tidy Nest made it so all we had to do was tell them where we wanted what - and it was like a genie took care of it! Jared and Shannon certainly earned our trust and confidence - and you can count us as supersatisfied Tidy Nest customers!”

“There’s a difference between getting organized and staying organized - and our focus is on the latter,” Shannon explains. “We get to know the ins and outs of people’s lives very quickly. Learning about each family allows us to rapidly customize and implement solutions for them in the course of just a few days, which is our specialty.

Our main goal is to organize existing spaces to make them feel brand new. We enter spaces with fresh eyes, and find solutions that make everything more functional and attractive. We consider any project successful if we check-in a few months later and things look similar to the way they did when we left them.”

203.702.7400 | makingthebestofeveryday.org

Regional Hospice is a 501(c)(3) non-pro t organization. Every dollar raised through fundraising helps provide our patients with the highest quality end-of-life care and supports community outreach and education. We take care of all patients, regardless of inability to pay, and supplement costs for patients that are not covered by the standard medicare bene t. We are grateful for the generosity of our donors and volunteers that support our sta , hospice care and related programs.

RIGHT NEXT DOOR...

Caramoor is a community resource like no other! It’s a charging station for the soul - young and old! A place to hear a wide variety of music, performed by world-class virtuosos of every ilk - and in any one of five different venues on the property, indoor and out! Or just to take a meditative time-out visiting the Rosen House - a stunning Italianate mansion on the National Register of Historic Places, or the Spanish Courtyard or the Sunken Garden, or roaming the 80+ acre estate! The refreshing feeling of cultural enrichment is guaranteed with each visit!

…And it’s really not just classical music…although the classical offering is superlative! Caramoor features a highly curated selection of orchestral and ensemble classical music performances, and the Summer 2023 Season, which runs from June 17 through August 18, will include such highlights as: Francesca Caccini’s Alcina, a fully staged and costumed production of one of the first known operas composed by a woman, performed by the Boston Early Music Festival; the Opening Night Gala with vocalist Audra McDonald with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s; a string quartet, with a Caramoor commissioned work by Derrick Skye, to perform on June 29; and; pianist Garrick Ohlsson performing an all-Chopin program on July 30. There will be everything from Beethoven to Shostakovich, but Caramoor also seeks to expand the canon by spotlighting pieces from living and under-represented composers.

PHOTOGRAPHY: GABE PALACIO

he jazz at Caramoor is better than best! …Because it’s curated by Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center and regularly features giants of the genre, groups Wynton puts together to showcase his most genius student prodigies, up-and-coming stars, and bandmates…and it’s available on Girdle Ridge Road in Bedford, in a romantic setting, without the hassle of a trip to the City and the Lincoln Center crowd. This Summer, the Annual Jazz Festival, on July 22, will be headlined by vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant, and feature a full offering of other jazz luminaries. And on August 4, Caramoor will host the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition and two-time Grammy winning, 23-year-old, Verve Records’ jazz singing sensation Samara Joy.

The American Roots Music Festivalan entire afternoon and evening spent meandering from the large tented Venetian Theater or to the more bucolic Friends Field and to one stage after another, and enjoying a picnic along the way - is an annual favorite! This year’s festival, on June 24, will feature Americana singer songwriter Brandy Clark and a score of other country crooners and their musical compatriots.

And Caramoor is renowned for hosting one of the most eclectic offerings of music with the defined purpose of exposing the audience to new sounds and symphonies, and music from all over the globe. Hailed by The New York Times as “exhilarating” and “a lush, brooding celebration of noise,” Andy Akiho’s Grammy-nominated Seven Pillars will be performed on June 30 by Sandbox Percussion in seven ensemble movements and one solo movement for each member of the group, and is a prime example of Caramoor’s ever expanding ear. The Summer schedule includes opera, chamber music, gospel, Broadway and pop, and a universal sampling of other musical forms.

Caramoor’s full schedule for the Summer 2023 Season is available on the B&NC Mag website on our Calendar of local events page …And there’s much more than just the Summer 2023 Season to enjoy! Remarkably, the grounds are open to the public, for free, Thursday to Sunday, 10:00A.M. to 4P.M. There’s an alwayson-view sound art installation called Sonic Innovations - sculptures that make music! - that will this Summer feature the debut of Liz Phillips’s Dyning in the Dovecote, the MacArthur Grant recipient Trimpin’s inspirational In “C”, and a half-dozen other spectacular singing sculptures. And, while every event at Caramoor can be a fantastic family affair, Caramoor’s calendar is chock-full of childrens’ programming too. In addition to fun events styled for kids of all ages, this Summer Caramoor will host Concerts for Little Ones on Friday mornings at 11A.M., devoted to children ages 2 to 6 and their caregivers.

The programming at Caramoor is yearround! And, for the most part, Caramoor relies on the generosity of the community to keep the music playing. While tickets are inexpensive when compared with big city prices, and annual membership is only $100 a year in order to encourage all community members to participate, there’s a roster of big benefactors that really make it all possible, and Caramoor is always looking for new supporters.

THE BEDFORD OAK VOLUME III OF VI

BY KATIE SISE SWEENEY

The following fictional story is Vol III of VI in a fantastical mystery set in Bedford. Vol and II introduced us to twenty-seven-year-old Claire, who has just tragically lost her fiancé, James. On the night of James’ funeral, Claire goes to the end of Hook Road and follows the instructions of an old Bedford prophecy promising that if someone circles the Bedford Oak nine times, she will set free a spirit. Remarkably, it works, and Claire calls forth a young ghost named Beatrice who lived in Katonah in the late 1800s. Beatrice takes Claire on an adventure into the dark night, and as they travel together through Bedford, Beatrice tells Claire that she needs her help finding an old locket that was buried at the Bedford Police Station. The locket holds a photo of Beatrice’s former love, Arthur, and his sister, Christine. In exchange for Claire’s help, Beatrice promises to help her find the ghost of Claire’s beloved fiancé, James.

At the stroke of midnight, Beatrice and I stepped carefully into the police station together, even though only one of us was visible to the uniformed officer sitting behind the front desk.

“Hello!” I said cheerily, trying to sound brave. I had no idea how to convince the Bedford Police Department to let me take a golden retriever puppy named Maverick for a walk so he could dig up a locket from the 1890s, but if I wanted Beatrice to help me find James, I had to try.

“Good evening,” said the officer behind the front desk. His blonde hair was buzzed short, and he clutched a to-go coffee cup. “How can I help you?”

“Um…” I stalled, feeling the heat of Beatrice’s ghostly form beside me. She shifted impatiently from one foot to the other. “Hurry up and say something clever,” she said, but I couldn’t acknowledge her, because the cop would think I was talking to someone who wasn’t there, and then there was no chance he’d let me walk Maverick.

“My fiancé just died,” I blurted. There were a thousand fibs I could tell to try to get my hands on this pooch, but I hated lying.

“I’m very sorry to hear that,” the cop said. He softened, looking truly sorry for me. Human emotion was a beast of a thing. All through James’ funeral services, no matter how distraught I was, I couldn’t help but notice the myriad ways James dying affected everyone around me. James had friends who wept freely all day; friends who remained stoic; and friends who didn’t even come. The funeral guests who approached me had wildly different things to say, some spiritual, some fatalistic; some focused on me, and some focused on themselves. One woman told me about her cat.

“A few weeks ago, I read about Maverick in Bedford & New Canaan Magazine,” I said to the officer. “And the article mentioned he’s supposed to meet and have positive experiences with hundreds of people during his training to benefit him as a service dog. I realize it’s late, but I was wondering if I could maybe take him for a quick walk? Both for him, and for me. I know it’s a

THE BEDFORD OAK

strange request, but I buried my fiancé, James, today, and he grew up here in Bedford, too, and he and his family always had golden retrievers and James loved them deeply, and I just thought…” Tears came to my eyes for what felt like the hundredth time that day. I was scared they’d never stop.

“Maverick’s sleeping right now,” the officer said gently.

“Oh,” I said, nodding. “I understand.” I took a step back, not wanting to give up on this thing I promised Beatrice, but not knowing what else I could really say to convince him to let me do this outlandish thing in the middle of the night. “I promise I would only have him out for a little bit,” I tried softly.

The officer held my eyes, and then looked down at his watch. “Tell you what,” he said, his voice a little unsure, but mostly kind. “If you stay right there on that patch of grass out front, I’ll watch you through the front door. It’ll be good for both of you, won’t it? Maverick always loves a walk, even when I wake him from a nap. And you’ll bring him back within fifteen minutes so he can get back to sleeping. Do we have a deal?”

“Oh, thank you, yes! I promise I’ll have him back quickly.”

He gave me a small nod. “Sure,” he said, passing me a tissue. “Wait here while I get the little guy.”

When he was gone, I turned to Beatrice. Her eyes were wide, like she couldn’t believe it worked. “Well done, Claire,” she said. She rested a hand on my arm, and instead of feeling skin and bones, I felt her touch like a gentle pressure. She appeared differently here in the station beneath the fluorescent lighting. Outside in the dark night, she was practically glowing, but inside, she was nearly transparent, like a trick of light. I could still make out her delicate features: her pretty, heart-shaped face with its high cheekbones and light gray eyes, and her long, white-blonde hair undulating as if it had its own atmosphere. In her ghostly form, she seemed to always be moving, even as she was standing still, as though she had a perpetual breeze at her back that made her figure tremble and her long nightdress billow.

A moment later, the police officer returned to the lobby with one of the cutest golden retriever puppies I’d ever seen. “Oh, my goodness,” I said, bending down to meet him, letting him kiss my hands and face. Even the officer cracked a smile as he handed me a plastic bag.

“Thank you so much,” I said to the officer.

“You’re welcome,” the officer said. “Have him back soon.” I nodded. I could feel his eyes on my back as we left the station and raced down the front steps.

“Maverick!” Beatrice said as soon as we got to the grass. Maverick didn’t bother sniffing the grass like most other dogs would when they were taken onto a lawn; instead, he sniffed at the air where Beatrice was, his tail wagging furiously. “That’s a good boy,” she said as he circled her. “He can sense me, isn’t it remarkable?” She bent down closer to him. “Can you hear me, Maverick? I know you dug up that locket, I saw you do it. You’re going to have to show us where you buried it. Can you do that?” She was practically cooing.

I scratched behind Maverick’s downy ears as Beatrice praised him. We’d always had Bernese

Mountain Dogs growing up, but Maverick looked just like James’ family’s most recent golden retriever.

I tipped my head up to gaze at the starry night. Where are you, James?

Maverick gave a tug on the leash, and I followed him over to a pile of rocks. “Is it there, do you think?” Beatrice asked me.

Maverick lifted his leg.

“Hopefully not,” I said as he peed.

Beatrice frowned. We trailed Maverick over to a stick a few yards away, and I said, “It’s strange, Beatrice, because it seems like you know all kinds of things that would suggest you have a supernatural awareness, like how you knew that the soul of your boyfriend’s sister Christine was brought back for a new lifetime in Katonah. So, why don’t you know where the locket is buried?”

“Boyfriend?” Beatrice asked, her nose wrinkling at the word. “We didn’t use that language in my day, dear. And Arthur was much more than that. He was my betrothed and the singular love of my life, like James was for you, and I’d do anything to find him.”

“Just like I would for James,” I said.

We walked Maverick along the grass, both of us quiet for a moment.

“Even though I’ve never gotten another lifetime,” Beatrice finally said, “I’ve been brought back as a ghost many times, always desperate to find Arthur. But only once did I ever catch sight of him. I was in ghost form, and he was in human form, living his lifetime as a poet and an artist in 1970s New Mexico. The psychedelic music really hurt my ears, but I kept trying, because wouldn’t you think a true artist would be able to sense a ghost? But no matter what I did, he didn’t give me the time of day, and trust me, I tried. At one point I was so desperate I even painted a picture of myself on one of his canvases, but he didn’t seem to recognize my likeness, or even think it was strange that there was a new picture hanging there. I think he was on one of those drugs hippies like.”

I smiled at the way she said it. Maverick sat on the grass and looked up at us.

“It would be easier, wouldn’t it, if I knew where the locket was,” Beatrice said, shrugging a tiny shoulder. “But that doesn’t seem to be how it all works. There are things I know like an extrasensory understanding, but there’s also a limit to what I know, and it doesn’t always have a rhyme or reason. I haven’t quite been able to figure it out myself. If I could, I would have found Arthur long ago. But the truth is that I haven’t ever been able to find him except for that one time in New Mexico.” She trotted after Maverick, her face nervous and expectant.

“So, what’s this thing you need me to do in Katonah?” I asked, following them both. “What’s this warning we need to give Christine?”

Beatrice and I watched Maverick sniff the grass, and a look of true despair fell across her face when she said, “Christine is falling in love with the wrong person, a dangerous person. She made a mistake just like this in 1893 in Katonah, when Arthur, Christine and I were saving their family

THE BEDFORD OAK

home, getting ready to load it onto the rails, preparing to have the horses drag it across town to the new Katonah site. We were so determined not to let the house be destroyed and submerged beneath the new reservoir. And we were working together with such a singular purpose, but then Christine’s mistake … that man … caused our doom. She simply cannot see clearly when she’s in love. Surely, it’s not a coincidence that Christine has been reborn into this new form of a presentday woman, where she must learn the same lessons from her last lifetime. And we’re going to help her.”

“Shouldn’t we call her by her new name?”

“What do you mean?” asked Beatrice.

“Her name from this current lifetime she’s now living?”

“Oh!” said Beatrice. “It’s Chrissie. Ironically, enough. You’d be surprised how often that happens. I know a child named William who lives high on a hill in Bedford whose lifetimes trace back to William Shakespeare, and the list goes on. It doesn’t always happen that way, of course.”

“You’re really in the know, Beatrice,” I said, watching Maverick sniff a scrap of paper on the ground.

“I keep up with things, if that’s what you mean,” she said, a little huffily.

We were both studying Maverick. He scratched near the piece of paper, but then when it fluttered away, he ignored it and kept digging. Beatrice snapped to attention. “Maverick, good boy,” she told him as he nosed the dirt and rapid-fire scratched at a hole.

“This has to be it,” I whispered, way more excited than I’d thought I’d be. It wasn’t my locket, and it wasn’t my story, but in some ways: wasn’t this locket everyone’s story? A lost treasure, a memento of time when people held on tightly to each other, when they loved one another. We all have these golden hours in our past that we hold onto, sometimes memorializing them with photos and lockets and family movies. I couldn’t help but be happy for Beatrice when I saw Maverick unearth a shiny gold something, and it wasn’t just because it meant she had to hold up her end of the bargain and help me find James.

Beatrice gasped. “You did it! Oh, you sweet boy,” she said, bending to rub behind his ears. She used her fingers to gently pry the locket from the cold, hard ground. Maverick was clearly thrilled with himself, panting, and jumping in circles.

“Good boy,” I told him, giving him a pat. “Come on, now, we have to get you back like we promised before we get into trouble.”

I started toward the station, but Beatrice stood very still, a look of wonder on her face as she stared at the locket.

“Beatrice, come on,” I said gently. “And give me the locket so that the officer doesn’t see it floating in mid-air.”

“Wait, Claire. Look,” she said, her bony fingers trembling as she pried it open.

THE BEDFORD OAK

I peered closer and saw the three of them: a handsome, dark-haired man who must have been Arthur, his arm slung around the petite young woman I recognized as Beatrice, and then Beatrice linking elbows with a woman who looked just like Arthur and was clearly Christine. They were standing in front of a site I recognized from old newspaper coverage: a large Victorian house propped up on rails right along the river.

“The crazy thing is,” Beatrice said softly, “some of the Katonah families even continued living in their homes as they were being moved. Arthur would go off to his job at the bank, and then return hours later to find his house in a new location. Can you even imagine, Claire?”

I shook my head. I couldn’t. “So now what do we do?” I asked. “Do we bring it to Christine tonight?”

“Tonight, we sleep,” said Beatrice. “It would be unseemly to go knocking at this hour; we might scare her if we wake her from a dead sleep to warn her about her treacherous suitor. And we don’t need her slamming the door in our faces, now, do we?”

“Then, when?” I asked, impatient. We’d already gotten this far.

She passed the locket into my palm, and I closed my fingers around the cold metal. “We’ll meet tomorrow at LMNOP, the new bakery in Katonah. Christine works the morning shift. You’ll bring the locket, Claire.”

***

I’m not sure how I fall asleep that night, but eventually, I do.

After we returned Maverick to the police station, the officer smiling like he’d never doubted me, Beatrice zoomed us back to Hook Road at our gravity-defying, supernatural pace. In my bedroom upstairs in my parents’ house, Beatrice and I placed the locket on my bedside table on a small glass tray and said our goodbyes. I thought I’d never be able to fall asleep, but before I knew it, I was dreaming. In my dreams, I went back to the Bedford Oak, and this time, instead of Beatrice, James emerged from behind the tree.

“Claire,” he said, walking across the frozen grass. “You found me.”

In my dream, I couldn’t speak. I stood there, trembling, as James came closer. “I knew you’d find me,” he said as he wrapped his arms around me. I felt his ghostly kiss against my forehead, and all I wanted was for it to be real, for him to never leave me again. It felt so good to be in his arms, but I couldn’t seem to stay there, I couldn’t keep the dream going. I woke with a start, breathless and sweaty, and when I opened my eyes, I swore I saw the shimmering silver outline of something or someone flying across the floor of my bedroom toward the window. I blinked, trying to follow the figure, seeing a gasp of golden hair trailing behind her.

I flicked on my bedside lamp, my heart pounding, but whatever I’d just seen had disappeared. I tried to reorient myself to my room, to fully wake up.

I looked down at my nightstand. The locket was gone. …TO BE CONTINUED

APRIL 30 / 8:30am

On Court Road in Bedford COFFEE

& CARS

Join in on the fun at a familyfriendly car show and townwide hangout on the morning of April 30th. Presented by B&NC Mag, Flying Coffee, and Benchmark Properties. This is free and open to the public.

Calendar of local events

May 12 / 8pm @ Caramoor

May 3 / 1pm

@ Darien Sport Shop

GRAY MALIN BOOK SIGNING

Stop by the Darien Sport Shop to meet and hear from Gray Malin, the world-famous photographer, and get a signed copy of his book.

May 10 / 7pm

@ The Bedford Playhouse

A DISCUSSION ON CLIMATE CHANGE WITH COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY’S CLIMATE SCHOOL

Join Bedford 2030 for a unique conversation on climate change and environmental issues with experts from Columbia University’s Climate School, followed by an audience Q&A.

AMERICAN ROOTS MUSICAL PERFORMANCE

Acoustic fingerstyle guitarist Yasmin Williams has an unorthodox, modern style of playing. Using various techniques including alternate tunings, percussive hits, and lap tapping, her “radiant sound and adventitious origins have made her a key figure in a diverse dawn for the solo guitar” she will play a solo show in the Music Room.

May 20 / 7:30pm

@ The Ridgefield Playhouse

THE DOO WOP PROJECT WITH “DOO WOP-IFIED” HITS OF PAST AND PRESENT

Love the classic sounds of Frankie Valli, The Drifters and The Del Vikings? Ever wonder what Jason Mraz would sound like if they had lived in the Doo Wop era? The Doo Wop Project, featuring stars of Broadway’s hits Jersey Boys, Motown: The Musical and Chazz Palminteri’s A Bronx Tale, pays homage to the sounds they love by performing renditions of doo wop classics, as well as “doo wop-ifying” modern day favorites!

JUNE

June 1 / 4pm @ Turkey Hill

June 3 / 6:30pm

@ The John Jay Homestead ON THE

FARM DINNER

Everyone’s favorite Summer soirée is back! Join the Friends of the John Jay Homestead for a sit down dinner in a picturesque meadow under the stars with a live Blue Grass band.

June 3 - 4 @ CEO Stables ENDEAVOR’S

7TH ANNUAL CEO HORSE SHOW

June 8 - 11 / @ Wampus Elementary in Armonk FOL-DE-ROL

The 47th annual festival, a pre-summer treasured ritual, put on by the Armonk Lion’s Club will take place over the weekend of June 8 with carnival rides, vendors, live music, and more!

MAY 3 / 6:30pm

@ The Bedford Playhouse

SPECIAL SCREENING OF HILMA

The Bedford Playhouse will be having a special screening of Hilma, a recently released and critically acclaimed film written and directed by Lasse Hallstrom and starring mother-daughter-duo, Tora Hallstrom and Lena Olin - all Bedford locals.

May 7 / 8am @ The New Canaan High School

GREAT STRIDES WALK FOR CYSTIC FIBROSIS

Join community members for a charity walk to bring awareness and support to those in our community who live with Cystic Fibrosis.

May 11 / 6:30pm

@ The New Canaan Library FORMER

US AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE, MARIE YOVANOVITCH, TO PRESENT

New Canaan Library is pleased and honored to announce this year’s William Attwood Memorial Lecture will be delivered by Marie Yovanovitch, Former United States Ambassador to Ukraine. The event takes place in the Jim & Dede Bartlett Auditorium, preceded by a light reception at 6:30 PM. Ambassador Yovanovitch will discuss her book Lessons from the Edge: A Memoir, an inspiring and urgent memoir by a pioneering diplomat who spent her career advancing democracy in the post-Soviet world.

May 12 & 13

@ St Marks in New Canaan MAY FAIR

Join in on the fun at the 74th annual New Canaan May Fair. There will be food, amusment rides, the White Elephant tag sale, Mother’s Day plants, and more!

May 13 / 11am in Bedford & Greenwich

BEDFORD & GREENWICH GREEN HOUSE TOUR

Come and see some of the most spectacular local green homes - all Cutting Edge, Net Zero, and Electric! Register on Trillium Architect’s website.

FUNDRAISING EVENT WITH MARTHA STEWART

May 21 / 8am in Downtown New Canaan CAFFEINE

& CARBURETORS

A premier event for automotive collectors and enthusiasts. C&C draws an extensive variety of cars across every category. Go online to register a car, or just show up to enjoy an exciting morning.

May 25 / 8pm

@ The Bedford Playhouse STARS

OF LATE NIGHT COMEDY

Live standup comedy featuring performers from Last Comic Standing, The Tonight Show, America’s Got Talent and Comedy Central. Hosted by Ray Ellin and starring Cory Kahaney, Brian Scott McFadden and Mike Vecchione.

Join Positive Directions for an exclusive evening with Martha Stewart at her former Turkey Hill home in Westport. Meander out to the gardens for a garden talk followed by a cocktail on the patio with Martha! Don’t miss this oncein-a-lifetime opportunity to be up close and personal with a true American icon, while also donating to an organization working on the frontlines of our country’s mental health crisis.

Join in on 2-days of fun to support Endeavor - an local organization providing threaputic horsemanship for community members with disabilities, guided by inclusion.

June 3 & 4 /9am-4pm

June 15 & 29 6pm

@ Wampus Brook Park in Armonk

SUMMER CONCERT AT THE GAZEBO

Join for an evening of live music, merriment, and summer fun!

DAY FAIR

@ Onatru Farm Park FINE

A seasonal countryside Fair with interesting collectors, curators, makers, and artisans who will showcase inspiring finds for you, your home, and your garden.

June 17 / 5:30pm

@ Caramoor

SUMMER GALA

Exceptional live music and equally exceptional culinary experience.

June 23 / 5:30pm

@ Grace Farms

SUMMER PICNIC

June 4 / 1pm @ The New Canaan Museum and Historical Society

ICE CREAM SOCIAL

Enjoy music from the Town Band, cakes baked by the National Charity League, Gofer’s ice cream scooped by members of the Exchange Club, children’s games, and vintage cars on the lawn.

Celebrate summertime with family, friends, and neighbors! Enjoy extended hours of the Community Garden, summerthemed crafts, lawn games, and a delicious picnic dinner created by our culinary team.

June 25 / 11am @ The Market at Pound Ridge Square

KIWI

MARKET

Join us on the Square for a variety of fabulous vendors, great food and more!

HANNELORE KAPLAN

I’m also a firm believer that, when it comes to our community - ‘charity should begin at home’.

I always include worthy local organizations in my charity, and look particularly to support organizations that enhance the experience of living in our community.

This year, together with William Raveis Real Estate, I’m giving support to, and want to focus attention on a great local organization that provides special benefit to the New Canaan community.

NEW CANAAN CARES

provides responsive educational programs that support and strengthen parenting skills, positive youth development, and healthy lifestyles - free-of-charge and open to everyone - in order to advance the health and well-being of youth and families.

On May 24, New Canaan Cares

will hold its 30th Annual New Canaan Cares Homes Tour, which will feature a chance to visit 7 private New Canaan residences. This will be a self-guided tour, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Patron level tickets receive a special invitation to the Patron Party on Thursday, May 18 at 7:00 PM in the New Canaan Library’s state-of-the-art test kitchen.

The Hannelore Kaplan Team and William Raveis Real Estate are the event’s Premium Corporate Sponsor, and we encourage you to buy a ticket, be a Sponsor, check out all the great programming New Canaan Cares offers, and make a donation to support their ongoing efforts.

HANNELORE KAPLAN

Hannelore Kaplan

914-450-3880

CALENDAR SPOTLIGHT: JUNE 3-4

LEARN MORE AT WWW.FINEDAYFAIR.COM

Worldwide Awards & Recognition

HOME & GARDEN INSPIRATION FROM THE UPCOMING

FINE DAY FAIR

Our favorite seasonal countryside fair is back to celebrate the growing season. Over 60 of the most interesting collectors, curators, makers, and artisans gather to showcase inspiring finds for your home and garden. Plants, flowers, hundreds of antiques, found treasures, and handmade goods can be found at one of our favorite hidden gems, Onatru Farm Park in South Salem, New York, right over the New Canaan line. Join us on June 3-4, 2023 for a fantastic time with family and friends.

BRIGHT PRINTS

CHOOSE BRIGHT HUED PATTERNS AND BLOCK PRINTS FOR YOUR TABLE AND CLOSET.

CURATED HEIRLOOMS ADD INTEREST AND CHARACTER. THE THRILL OF THE HUNT!

Our reputation as a leader in luxury is unrivaled. Global industry experts at Luxury Lifestyle Awards have named William Raveis among the elite Top 100 Real Estate Brokers and Developers of the World for 2022. Everywhere, from Nice to Naples, Greenwich to Greece, people recognize our luxury brand and luxury personal service from agents who deliver best-in-class experiences.

Voted #1 Luxury Broker by Luxury Portfolio International®, our global reach connects us to the widest audience of high-net-worth buyers across the world. Our partnership with Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® gives agents access to an international network of nearly 140,000 real estate professionals and over 550 luxury brokerages across 70 countries.

Please call for a confidential consultation. We’d love to talk with you.

NATURAL BEAUTY

STOCK UP ON GARDEN GOODS BOTH GORGEOUS AND USEFUL FOR YOUR BEST GROWING SEASON YET.

FOUND TREASURES USE CODE "BNC" FOR 10% OFF ALL TICKETS.