WAG Magazine

April 2012

What Makes Moby Tick?

(Art and Architecture) Isabel Toledo Beyond the inaugural ensemble

Captivating centuries

living Brick, stone and clapboard

The Hart of the Abbey

Hollywood’s Mother Dolores

Lara Spencer’s Yard-Sale Treasures

In the Manor of

MICHEL E

april 2012

LIVING WITH HISTORY 12 Living history 16 WHERE PAST IS PRESENT 18 AMERICA’S ‘LIVING’ ROOM 21 labor of love 24 FORTUNATE SON 26 furnishing taste 28 COLONIAL CHARM 30 A JEWEL Of THE SOUND 32 GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE PARIS 34 THE OTHER WHITE HOUSE 36 A BLUE LAGOON 38 A MIGHTY FORTRESS 39 NO EXTREME MAKEOVERS 42 SHELTER FROM THE STORM 44 DUMPSTER DIVA 49 upward moby-ility 57 OBJECTS OF DESIRE 58 BREAKFAST AT…KLAFF’S 59 TABLING DESIGN 60 WHERE THE BOYS AREN’T

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April 2012

Features

47 wares

Designing history

53 way

Upstairs downstairs

62 wear

Like skittles for digits

64 wear

Going her way

66 windows

The spirit of a place

68 whims

Les Nouvelles

70 wear

Fashionable investments

72 wagging

Alligators, raccoons and hippos

74 wheels

Ready for its close-up

75 wheels

Swiss clocked

76 wanders

Where a castle is home

80 wine&dine

It was a very good year

81 well

Home-body

82 well

WAGvertisers Advanced Dentistry of Westchester Inside back cover adofw.com Bruce Museum - 39 brucemuseum.org Cappy’s Travel Center - 6 travel-by-net.com The Center for Dermatology - 33 thecenterforderm.com The College of New Rochelle - 63 cnr.edu Country Willow - 61 countrywillow.com Churchills - 11 churchillsmountkisco.com David Bravo Photographs - 77 davidbravo.com Douro Restaurant - 67 dourorestaurantbar.com Empire City Casino Inside front cover empirecitycasino.com The Federalist - 37 thefederalistonline.com Greenwich Hospital - 3 greenwichhospital.org The Greenwich Medical Skincare & Laser Spa - 31 greenwichmedicalspa.com

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Histor-ectemy

83 well

One word: plastic

85 worthy

Architectural restorers; residential real estate firms

87 when&where Upcoming events

89 wit

We wonder: Who rates your Lincoln Bedroom?

90 watch

We’re out and about.

96 class&sass

With Martha Handler and Jennifer Pappas

8 Meet the visitors 10 Editor’s letter 4

Michael Berger, Kristina Cook, Marcia Pflug, Marne Roskin and Tom Spanos

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All news, comments, opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations in WAG are those of the authors and do not constitute opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations of the publication, its publisher and its editorial staff. No portion of WAG may be reproduced without permission.WAG is distributed at select locations, mailed directly and is available at $12 a year for home or office delivery. To subscribe, call (914) 694-3600, ext. 3020.

All advertising inquiries should be directed to Marne Roskin at (914) 694-3600 ext. 3016 or email mroskin@westfairinc.com. Advertisements are subject to review by the publisher and acceptance for WAG does not constitute an endorsement of the product or service.

WAG (Issn: 1931-6364) is published monthly and is owned and published by Westfair Communications Inc. Dee DelBello, CEO, dd@wagmag.com Michael Gallicchio, Chief Operating Officer Marie Orser, Chief Financial Officer

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waggers new waggers Carol E. Curtis,

a financial writer, formerly covered hedge funds and regulation at Securities Industry News. She worked on Wall Street as vice president of a major bank brokerage, and is the author of “Pay Me in Stock Options” (John Wiley & Sons, 2001).

Her second book, a biography of executive search pioneer Russell S. Reynolds, is due out this year from McGraw Hill.

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Bob Rozycki

ERIKA SCHWARTZ

Alexandra DelBello lives in Bedford,

where she attends Fox Lane High School as a freshman. Since infancy, she’s been at home on the water and now competes in national and international sailing events. Alexandra loves vacationing with her family, especially on Martha’s Vineyard. She also enjoys writing and painting.

Sarah Hodgson

listens when dogs talk. A professional dog trainer for more than 25 years, Sarah shares her expertise as a best-selling author, syndicated columnist and print-media contributor. Additionally, she has appeared as a guest expert on network and cable television.

debbi O’shea

has spent her entire career in fashion. She was the director of personal shopping for both Lord & Taylor and Bergdorf Goodman. Debbi is currently the personal shopper at Richards in Greenwich and brand ambassador for Giorgio Armani Black Label. A breast cancer survivor, she is an active fundraiser for The Ashikari Breast Center and the Breast Cancer Alliance of Greenwich. O’Shea also writes the beauty and fashion blog DivaDebbi, (DivaDebbi.com) and is a style contributor for the website Women’s Voices for Change.

Mary Shustack Image from Moby’s tour photography book and album “destroyed.”

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editor's letter Georgette Gouveia

Some years ago, I interviewed a music historian from London for a story on movie soundtracks. By way of introduction, I explained that I was from White Plains, a suburb of New York City.

“Oh, I know White Plains,” he said brightly. “It was the home of Percy Grainger.”

It was indeed the home of Percy Grainger, the Australian-born pianist, composer and arranger who may best be remembered today for his settings of such folk tunes as “Country Gardens” but who was really much more than that. His gabled, brown-shingled house, where he lived from 1921 to ’61, stands amid parking garages and doctors’ offices on Cromwell Place.

And there it might sit unheralded save for the plaques from the National Register of Historic Places and the Westchester County Historical Society – and for the persistence of Stewart Manville, a keeper of the flame if there ever was one.

Manville first heard Grainger play in 1941 – the same year he heard another gifted pianist-composer, Sergei Rachmaninoff.

“They both had an assertive way of playing,” says Manville, adding that Rachmaninoff is buried at Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla. (Manville is the kind of guy who knows literally where all the bodies are buried.)

Grainger – who shared the house first with his mother, Rose, and then with his wife, the artist Ella Ström – was buried in his native Australia. Through a mutual acquaintance, Manville met Grainger’s widow and began helping her sort through her husband’s things a halfcentury ago. Eventually, the two married and since her death in 1979, Manville has carried on alone as curator, archivist and guardian of the memory of the man who was his wife’s first husband.

If that’s not love, I don’t know what is.

And that’s what this issue is about, although our theme is ostensibly about living with history in the great public and private houses of WAG country.

But there can be no great house without great love and the great people who provide it, buttressing these places with their bucks, their sweat, their “what was I thinking but I just can’t help it” passion.

In this issue, you’re going to meet a lot of new people, including Waggers “Diva” Debbi O’Shea, who’ll help you shop; Sarah Hodgson, our pet whisperer; and finance goddess Carol E. Curtis, who takes a break from business reporting to poke around WAG country.

But mostly, you’re going to meet peo-

Percy Grainger House

ple like our cover guy, Moby, who’s also making music with his camera and computer keyboard – writing an architecture blog and restoring his ’20s Hollywood home, which once belonged to Brando.

He and the others you’ll encounter have made a commitment to the past and in so doing, have found a present and a future.

OOPS

In our March story on veterinarian Carol Gamez (page 24), we misnamed the university she attended. It was Stanford University.

Our apologies to Dr. Gamez, our readers and a great school.

Also, in our March Les Nouvelles feature, we omitted a photo credit. Hillary Bushing took the photograph of Zoë Zellers on page 60. And the MacKenzie-Childs dog leash on that page was courtesy of Neiman Marcus. Apologies to Ms. Bushing, MacKenzie-Childs and Neimie’s.

Finally, we omitted the Animal League of Westchester Inc. from our list of pet shelters and rescues on page 85. It’s a truly WAGworthy organization. And finally, finally, the name of the photographer who took the casually charming shots at Open Door Family Medical Centers’ wine-tasting – Lynda Shenkman Curtis (page 93).

They say the sins of omission are as great as the sins of commission. If so, mea culpa all.

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Grand Hall Staircase, Glenview. Courtesy Hudson River Museum.

living history More than just brick and mortar

By Georgette Gouveia

W

hy do we preserve historic buildings, particularly houses?

“It’s a good question, because it makes us think about what we’re doing,” says Michael Botwinick, director of Yonkers’ Hudson River Museum, which includes the Victorian-era Glenview mansion.

But, Botwinick adds, it’s a question without a single answer.

“Once upon a time, we (preserved buildings) out of a mistaken connection to a grand tradition….Now it is less and less the case. We preserve historical sites, because they allow us to connect with our history in ways that reading books doesn’t.”

And when the site happens to have once been the home of a celebrated figure, the connection is all the more personal, powerful and poignant.

At Sunnyside in Tarrytown, the charming, Dutchflavored “snuggery” that belonged to writer-diplomat Washington Irving, visitors discover a man who savored both the solitude of a writer – note the inviting red daybed in his study – and the conviviality of a host, apparent in the formally set dining room.

“To know Washington Irving is to see where he lived, where he worked,” says Waddell W. Stillman, president of Historic Hudson Valley (HHV) in Pocantico Hills, which administers Sunnyside and five other sites. “That experience of the authentic can’t be replicated….It’s

our mission to see that it’s here for new generations.”

And it’s not just the experience of the rich and famous – many of whom created legendary houses like Glenview, Lyndhurst, Kykuit, Boscobel and Montgomery Place along the Hudson and the LockwoodMathews Mansion in Norwalk – but of those who passed this way more quietly and still left a mark.

HHV presents Philipsburg Manor from the viewpoint of the enslaved Africans who actually ran the Sleepy Hollow farm and gristmill for the landowning, mercantile Philipse family in the 18th century. (Slavery was not fully abolished in New York until 1827.)

“One of the things we learned in interpreting slavery at Philipsburg Manor,” Stillman says, “ is that if you talk about it in the abstract, you don’t open yourself up to understanding it as you do when you immerse yourself in a place.”

Even at Glenview – the High Victorian country home of New York City financier John Bond Trevor, wife Emily and their four children – Botwinick says, “We know more about the people who worked (here) than we do about the Trevors. We know every servant by name, and they tell us something about the history of Yonkers.”

At one point, the Hudson River Museum had to bring in a craftsman to repair the servants’ stairs in the manse, which had been cantilevered, rather than nailed, into place by a cabinetmaker. He signed his

Sitting Room, Glenview.

Courtesy Hudson River Museum.

13

Courtesy Boscobel House and Gardens.

Front Drawing Room. Courtesy Boscobel House and Gardens.

Courtesy Lyndhurst National Historic Site.

14

handwork and dated it – Dec. 26, 1876. The day offers us a glimpse into labor practices in those days, Botwinick says: Here he was on the job right after Christmas.

Not every historic home, however, should be a house-museum, experts say, particularly in an age when attendance on many area house tours has stagnated and some residents can barely afford to stay in their own dwellings let alone support the grand manors of the past.

“It’s time to look at some of these houses in new and different ways,” says Katie Hite, executive director of The Westchester County Historical Society in Elmsford.

Among those under review is Lyndhurst in Tarrytown, once the Gothic Revival abode of New York City Mayor William Paulding, merchant George Merritt and railroad baron Jay Gould. The site, a property of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, has reportedly been losing viewership and revenue for the last five years. While the trust is handling the property from a regional office to save money, it is looking to hire a new on-site director and director of visitor services this year and will open it once more this spring with a full schedule. “It’s a big challenge, and we’re going to be looking for a lot of community support and ideas going forward,” says Dobbs Ferry-based architect Stephen Tilly, chairman of The Lyndhurst Property Council.

What about a “Dark Shadows” event? The 1960s vampire soap opera was shot at Lyndhurst and Tim Burton is preparing a film of the cult favorite with Johnny Depp as the enigmatic Barnabas Collins.

“There are plans in motion for a movie tie-in,” Tilly says.

For other historic properties, viability may mean private ownership under certain conditions. Such is the case of the Abijah Morgan House in Bronxville. Dating from 1810 and an era when men mustered there to prepare for fighting the British, again, in the War of 1812, the house is believed to be the oldest in the village. Frieda Riggs bought it with her husband, Arad, in 1937. Sixty-two years later, she bequeathed it to The Bronxville Historical Conservancy, which she helped found, so that future families could enjoy its special historicity.

Even historic sites that succeed as house-museums have found many other uses in the present. In April, the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum – the Gilded Age country home of financier and railroad tycoon LeGrand Lockwood – commemorates the 100th anniversary of the sinking of RMS Titanic with an exhibit on survivor Helen Churchill Candee, who was the mother of Edith Mathews, an early-20th century owner of the estate.

In May, artist Dmitri Wright will begin a four-part series on plein-air painting at The Greenwich Historical Society, also known as the Bush-Holley House, the colonial Cos Cob saltbox that was a summer home to many of the American Impressionists.

Then in the summer, Boscobel, the clean-limbed neoclassical estate in Garrison that is one of the finest examples of Federalist (early-19th century) style extant, will once again host the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. “(Historic houses) can serve lots of other purposes,” Hite says, “and still remind us of what went before.

“It’s an interesting time in preservation,” she adds.

“But it seems, to me people can’t just say, ‘it’s old and has to be saved.’ You have to see how it works.” n

15

Where

past is present HHV raises profile with new digs

By Georgette Gouveia “It’s been a long-term dream of (Historic Hudson Valley) to have a headquarters and proper library to house our distinctive collections on the Hudson River Valley,” says Waddell W. Stillman, the nonprofit’s president.

That dream has now been fulfilled. Six months ago, HHV moved into a new brick building in Pocantico Hills – a mere stone’s throw from the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture and its partner restaurant, Blue Hill at Stone Barns.

The move from a Tarrytown office building to a stately Georgian-style structure that bridges past and present comes at a time when HHV is exploring ways to make local history – and by extension, itself -- viable into the future.

Events like “The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze” at post-Revolutionary Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson (think Christo’s “The Gates” for kids) and “Horseman’s Hollow” at Philipsburg Manor in Sleepy Hollow (think Anne Rice meets Washington Irving) draw tens of thousands of visitors to the region each fall. But attendance at house tours at the six sites HHV administers has flattened.

Besides Van Cortlandt Manor and Philipsburg Manor, a working 18th-century 16

farm and grist mill that was run by enslaved Africans, HHV oversees: Sunnyside, author Washington Irving’s self-described “snuggery” of a home in Tarrytown; the Union Church of Pocantico Hills, renowned for its abstract Matisse rose window and jewel-colored Chagall windows on biblical themes; Kykuit, the neighboring Rockefeller family estate; and Montgomery Place, a Classical Revival mansion on more than 380 acres of undulating lawns, woodlands and gardens in Annandale-on-Hudson.

The organization also maintains a collection of more than 21,000 books, manuscripts, rare books, pamphlets, maps, architectural plans and artworks.

While Stillman says HHV is “looking at its programming profile for 2013,” he adds that it would be premature to discuss any specifics.

“There are new challenges to connect people to their history,” he says. “We’re challenged by how to use the latest cultural trends, and we’re determined to do so.”

Perhaps the greatest hurdle for HHV – which has an operating budget of about $8.5 million and some 55 full-time staffers – is how to serve yesterday’s story with today’s technology and language. The key

may lie in HHV’s new home, situated on nine rolling acres bequeathed by Laurence Rockefeller, the fourth child of John D.

David Rockefeller gave $2 million for the $10 million cost of HHV’s new home. New York state chipped in $6 million. The remaining $2 million came from other funds and board members.

The building is a prime example of how the present marries the past. It’s state-of-theart from the amenities to the climatecontrolled archives but is not modern looking.

Rockefeller Jr., who founded the organization as Sleepy Hollow Restorations in 1951. HHV is very much a Rockefeller family affair. Both Laurence, who died in

2004, and his youngest brother, David, were trustees, as are other family members. David Rockefeller gave $2 million for the $10 million cost of HHV’s new home. New York state chipped in $6 million. The remaining $2 million came from other funds and board members.

The building is a prime example of how the present marries the past. It’s state-ofthe-art from the amenities to the climatecontrolled archives but is not modern looking.

“We wanted to build a building that would fit into local history and yet at the same time, we didn’t want to give a false representation of historicity,” Stillman says.

So HHV called upon Peter Pennoyer, a Manhattan-based architect who is also an architectural historian and an author of books on Delano & Aldrich, the firm that did Kykuit, and Grosvenor Atterbury, who did Stone Barns. Pennoyer created a sweeping, stately affair – part country home, part office building – whose materials (brick and white wood) and neoclassical elements (a portico with Corinthian columns) reach back to the Georgian style of the late-18th and early-19th centuries.

“Also, brick is indigenous to the Hud-

son Valley and one of the crafts we demonstrate at Van Cortlandt Manor,” Stillman says.

Inside, the green library – with its tomes and other treasures, including ceramics, contained in glass cases – is particularly inviting, while the pale-yellow conference room, with its reproductions of HHV portraits, looks out onto a bucolic landscape through French windows.

The interior is by Thomas Jayne, a scholar of the decorative arts and one of the coauthors with Pennoyer of “The Architecture of Delano & Aldrich.”

The reproductions of portraits and scenes of Hudson River life that are on view at the six sites offer another clue to HHV’s approach to history.

“Our own collection is heavy on dead white men,” Stillman says.

At the new digs, HHV has enlivened it with portraits of African-Americans, Native Americans and women like the Levy sisters, whose father, Moses, was a business associate of the landowning, mercantile Philipse family. These works capture the richness of local history while relating to the diversity of today’s population.

It’s just one more way HHV is stepping out of the past to draw present-day viewers into it.

Historic Hudson Valley’s six sites are opening again this spring for seasonal tours. For details, visit hudsonvalley.org. n

Sunnyside photograph by Bob Rozycki.

17

America’s ‘living’ room New Met galleries capture the artistic birth of a nation

By Georgette Gouveia

18

Ammi Phillips’ “Mrs. Mayer and Daughter” (1835–40).

I

Matthew Pratt’s “The American School” (1765).

f you want to understand the soul of a country, you need to look at its art. And nowhere do you get a fuller, more thrilling exploration of America’s psyche than in the New American Wing Galleries for Paintings, Sculpture, and Decorative Arts at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan.

At once classic and modern, understated and magisterial, the newly expanded and reconceived 30,000-square-foot space represents the latest architectural triumph for The Met. (Its new Islamic wing – with shimmering illuminations, ceramics and textiles seen through filigree doors and windows – is also not to be missed.)

The Great Hall of Van Rensselaer Manor House, Albany.

The New American Wing Galleries are the third and final phase in a decade-long, $100-million-plus renovation, under the direction of Morrison H. Heckscher, the Lawrence A. Fleischman chairman of The American Wing. More important, however, they chart the artistic trajectory of this nation – from colonial backwater to fledgling democracy to emerging 20th-century superpower with its own aesthetic voice.

“I’m glad to hear you say that,” Heckscher remarks. “I think these galleries were a revelation for my colleagues and me. Once the plan was established with so many galleries of modest size, it was possible for the paintings and sculpture curators to tell a very different story of American art” – one that could break down and plumb indi-

vidual themes and periods in an intimate way.

Ode to England

In the first galleries, America is still a child looking back to its mother, Great Britain, for inspiration.

Nowhere is this more significantly apparent than in Van Rensselaer Hall, part of the manor house Stephen Van Rensselaer II built outside Albany between 1765 and 1769 after his marriage to Catherine Livingston. While the Van Rensselaers were among the earliest Dutch settlers, the house and the hall reflected British tastes – from the clean-limbed French Rococo furnishings to the exquisite grisaille wallpaper evoking Old Masters drawings.

“This is hugely important,” Heckscher says. “It’s the

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held on a gold chain, digs into his right leg.

Britain’s influence on America continues in galleries of Revolutionary portraits, capturing American and British officers; post-Revolutionary canvases of major American political figures; and works like American artist Thomas Sully’s 1838 oil study of “Queen Victoria,” which catches the creamy sweep of her back and her intoxicating blend of hauteur and sensuality.

By George!

Ralph Earl’s “Elijah Boardman” (1789).

Samuel F. B. Morse’s “Susan Walker Morse (The Muse)” (circa 1836–37).

It’s not until you arrive at the galleries featuring the Hudson River School of landscape painting – which defined America as the new Eden in the decades bracketing the Civil War – that you sense the stirrings of a new voice.

“The Hudson River School painters were dealing with issues of the environment and land use,” Heckscher says.

“It’s a narrative and story that will resonate with modern viewers.”

While it’s true that Thomas Cole, Asher B. Durand, Hudson’s Frederic E. Church, Dobbs Ferry’s Samuel B. Colman and Hastings-on-Hudson’s Jasper F. Cropsey were all drawing on the great European landscape tradition of artists like Claude Lorrain, they were using that tradition to reflect a vastly different place – one more rugged and sweeping.

“Instead of monumental history painting, you got monumental landscape painting,” Heckscher says.

No work is more monumental in the New American Wing Galleries than Emanuel Leutze’s “Washington Crossing the Delaware” (1851), a 12-foot, 5-inch by 21foot, 3-inch oil on canvas that dominates the lofty Peter Jay Sharp Foundation Gallery. Though the work suggests something of Théodore Géricault’s “The Raft of the Medusa” (1818-19), it is an entirely American allegory: While the original W.’s men struggle with ice flows, the father of our country keeps his eye resolutely on the prize that lies beyond the shore, the birth of a new nation.

A new identity

John Singleton Copley’s “Daniel John Walker Alexander’s Crommelin Verplanck” (1771). “Repose” (1895).

greatest surviving fragment, the most important room from the most important pre-Revolutionary house in New York.”

Van Rensselaer Hall is the only period room in the New American Wing Galleries. The other 19 in The American Wing, dating from the 1680s to the early-20th century, were renovated and reopened in 2009. Such installations are key to the museum’s history, he says: “The Met has been collecting interiors since 1910….

These rooms provide a context for works of art that lets you see ceramics, textiles and furnishings in the kinds of spaces and relationships for which they were intended.”

20

Nearby, paintings by portraitist John Singleton Copley mirror the style of British artists Thomas Gainsborough and Joshua Reynolds – a prosperous citizen, or one of his family members, against the backdrop of the land he possesses. In Copley’s oil painting of future Dutchess County Congressman “Daniel Crommelin Verplanck” (1771), the boy sits on the colonnaded steps of the family’s country house in Fishkill, with Mount Gulian looming in the misty, verdant distance. But Copley gives the Gainsborough-Reynolds approach an idiosyncratic twist: Daniel – who looks like the nerdy kid on ABC’s “The Middle” – gazes coolly at the viewer as his pet squirrel,

From the ashes of the Civil War emerged a new American art. Painters and sculptors would still look to Europe.

(See the American Impressionists of the late-19th and early-20th centuries.) But the subject matter would be distinctly American with a distinctively vivid American style. You can see this in Winslow Homer’s turbulent seascapes, the poignant exhaustion of the Indian rider and horse in James Earle Fraser’s bronze “End of the Trail” (1918), the audacious feminine modernity of John Singer Sargent’s “Madame X” (1883-84), and the gritty urbanism of the Ashcan School.

Finding a palette that would work for these varied movements was a challenge.

“I have seven curators, and we all have ideas for colors,” Heckscher says. “Some prefer light colors; some, saturated colors.”

Heckscher made the executive decision that as it is one collection, it should have one color. The result is hard to describe. Think of cocoa folded into whipped cream. The resulting pale mocha is at once airy and imperial, harmonizing a swath of styles, gilded frames, natural light, limestone trim and white oak floors. It recalls the motto on the Seal of the United States – “E pluribus unum (out of many, one).”

“My idea was to give the galleries a sense of gravitas and height and perspective,” Heckscher says. “They’re so not like a living room.”

Maybe not our living rooms but rather the ‘living’ room of American history.

For more on The American Wing, visit metmuseum. org. n

labor of love A South Salem couple revel in their pre-Revolutionary saltbox

By Jane K. Dove Photographs by David Bravo “I always wanted a special house,” Janice Strauss said as she sat in the charming kitchen of her 1734 saltbox home in South Salem. “Both my husband Ted and I wanted the feeling of history around us. When you walk into this house, you realize that it is older than America and has survived so much. And it is still here.

It’s the warmest, most comforting feeling you can have.”

The sense of warmth and tranquility that imbue the home is reflected in the name the Strausses have given their property – Peaceable Kingdom. On the National Register of Historic Places and the New York State Register of Historic Places, it has a more formal title – the Osborn-Bouton-Mead House.

The home sits on 2.6 acres overlooking the back of Ward Pound Ridge Reservation. The 2,000-square-foot dwelling is on its 1734 foundation and retains most of its original structural details.

The Strausses bought their home more than 35 years ago and spent the first years working to make it livable and restore its period detail, including oak floors, paneling, doors, hardware, three fireplaces, windows and a chimney that serves the fireplaces.

“We looked at more than 300 houses before we bought this one,” Janice said. “It was a three-year search that ended in 1977.”

Until the Revolutionary War, the property was owned by the Joseph Osborn family, who, as British sympathizers, apparently abandoned it in the mid-1770s. In 1783, the property was awarded to Lt. Joseph Bouton, a Revolutionary War hero, by the Commission on Forfeitures.

It remained in the Bouton family until 1864 when it was transferred through marriage to the Mead Family, whose members lived there until the last one died in 1974.

Teamwork pays off

Janice said that when they first bought the house in January 1977 and started work, some parts of it were like being in a “crater on the moon,” especially the kitchen, which basically did not exist except for its fireplace and beehive oven.

“We did 90 to 95 percent of the work ourselves,” she said.

“When we bought the house, the previous owner had de-

When you walk into this house, you realize that it is older than America and has survived so much.

— Janice Strauss

cided to ‘modernize’ it. His idea of modernization was to paint everything white. Walls, woodwork, doors, cabinets: Everything was white. And this was over many layers of other paint going back into the past.”

Janice said she and her husband had to strip off a dozen coats of paint in some rooms. “It was hard work, but we just kept at it.”

Once the white paint was conquered, the couple moved on to attending to the details of restoration. Fortunately, Ted knows basic carpentry and was able to build some closets and shelves as well as attend to other needed work.

It took the pair six weeks to make the house habitable.

Incredibly, the work was done while both of them pursued corporate careers.

“Looking back, I can say it was a labor of love,” Ted said.

“We kept our focus, starting with (the dining room) that we finished completely to give ourselves encouragement.”

“When we got to the kitchens and baths, there was nothing to replicate since 18th-century houses lacked anything like we have today,” he added. “So we decided to go with a simple, sleek look, mixing dark wood cabinetry and stainless steel in the kitchen and using new bathroom fixtures.”

The Strausses said one of their primary goals was to bring the house back to what it was when first built and to make it come alive again.

“This is not a large house and every room has a purpose,” Ted said. “We live in it fully. There is no empty or wasted space.”

Period perfection

The first floor contains two parlors, a keeping room (the colonial equivalent of the family room), kitchen, library and half-bath. The rooms contain original beams, raised paneling and six over six windows, most with the original glass.

Moving upstairs, there are two bedchambers identical in size, a smaller third bedroom, a master bathroom and a guest bathroom.

The Strausses enjoy their lives – and their home – to the fullest. Ted runs Ted Strauss Websites L.L. C., while Janice is retired after running her own business for a number of years. Both are members of the town of Lewisboro’s Landmarks Advisory Committee and the Lewisboro Volunteer Ambulance Corps.

“Wherever we go, whatever we do, we come back here to our haven and have a sense of peace,” Janice said.

Ted agreed: “We love every minute we spend here and do not want to be anywhere else.” n 21

Conyers Fa r m Georg ia n New Listing

T

he sweeping drive leads to the entrance court of this stately stone Georgian with slate roof, prominently set on 14+ manicured acres with far reaching vistas over rolling lawns and gardens. Boris Baranovich, renowned architect known for his flawless sense of scale, quality of detail and refined appointments, designed this magnificent estate to create an ambiance of timeless elegance. The unparalleled caliber of materials and workmanship is apparent throughout the residence. The large gracious public rooms include a pine paneled library, living room, formal dining room and family room, all superbly appointed with fireplaces, intricate moldings, raised paneling and quarter sawn wide oak floors. Many of the rooms have French doors opening to the west facing terrace.

The generous gourmet kitchen opens to the beautiful family room as well as an office/computer room. The luxurious master suite, also with a fireplace, has stunning views of the gardens and beyond. There are two large dressing rooms and two impeccable baths. Five additional bedrooms, four baths, exercise room and laundry room complete the second floor. An extensive playroom comprises the third floor. This exquisite home is filled with light with most rooms having two exposures. Special features include a two bedroom cottage, and a three bedroom guest house, pool, tennis court and heated barn/garage. Price upon request.

Please call Exclusive Agent Brad Hvolbeck, CRB, CRS. 203 -661-5505 (office) 203 -940-0015 (cell) 123 Mason Street

www.prubhre.com • Greenwich, Connecticut 06830

© 2012. An independently owned and operated member of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc.

• 203.661.5505

Prudential is a service mark of The Prudential Insurance Company of America. Equal Housing Opportunity.

L

Old Greenw ich Shore Colon ia l

ocated on a quiet street south of the village in Old Greenwich, this classic Shore Colonial was recently constructed with the highest quality and meticulous attention to detail, including extensive mill work, high ceilings and hardwood floors throughout. The first floor features a living room, wonderful gourmet kitchen with breakfast nook, dining room, generous family room with fireplace and French doors leading out to a terrace and beautifully landscaped level backyard. The second floor offers a large master suite complete with oversized closets and luxurious master bath and three additional well-proportioned bedrooms and two baths. The light-filled lower level includes another large family room, bedroom, exercise room and full bath. Within walking distance to schools, beach, railroad and village, this wonderful sun-filled home is in move-in condition. $3,350,000 Please call Brad Hvolbeck, CRB, CRS 203-661-5505 (office) 203-940-0015 (cell)

S

Br u sh - Lock wood Hou se

et on 5.2 acres in the Stanwich Historic district, this white wood shingle home is rich in architectural significance. The original portion of the Brush-Lockwood house was built in 1792. Extensive remodeling in the Second Empire style, complete with Mansard roof, was done in 1867. A truly distinctive antique home, it is filled with craftsmen details including intricate cornices, decorative brackets and trusses, deep wood moldings and ornate plaster medallions. Random-width wide-plank oak floorboards are found throughout the 8 bedroom/3 bath house, along with well proportioned rooms, several cozy nooks, and symmetrical design inside and out. The large barn originally dates back to 1794. A Gothic Revival extension was added later. The heated barn/garage could be converted to a guest house, artist or yoga studio, gym, or stable. A chance to buy one of the few remaining authentic uncompromised historical homes in Greenwich. $2,400,000 Please call Brad Hvolbeck, CRB, CRS 203-661-5505 (office) 203-940-0015 (cell)

123 Mason Street

C lapboa rd R idge

C

har ming propert y on pr ivate lane of f Clapboard R idge Road. Stone terrace overlook s gardens t hat have matured to create a park like sett ing w it h lovely old stone walls. Gracious rooms w it h C at hedral ceilings, wood beams and st ained gla ss w indows create lovely rooms for liv ing and entert aining. First f loor ma ster w it h f ireplace. $2,780,0 0 0 Please call Krissy Blake (Owner/Broker) 203-536 -2743 (cell)

B

www.prubhre.com • Greenwich, Connecticut 06830

© 2012. An independently owned and operated member of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc.

Tida l Waterfront

eautiful park-like, one acre in sought after location close to town, walking distance to train. This bright, cheerful home in a private waterfront association sits on a saltwater tidal inlet with access to Long Island Sound and has deeded rights to Mead Point Beach. The main house has four bedrooms, three baths, living room with fireplace, den, dining room, eat-in kitchen and family room. Many of the rooms have expansive views of the tidal inlet and marshlands. There is a one bedroom, one bath apartment over the garage perfect for guests or au pair. A charming home with expansion possibilities. $2,795,000 Please call Giselle Gibbs 203-536-2723 (cell)

• 203.661.5505

Prudential is a service mark of The Prudential Insurance Company of America. Equal Housing Opportunity.

Fortunateson History all in the family

By Patricia Espinosa

Curtis Wood

I

n the expansive front hall of Dearfields, Curtis Wood’s Greenwich home, there’s a portrait (circa 1794) of an ancestor, Nehemiah S. Bates, one of Bedford’s original settlers.

The resemblance between the two men is uncanny.

When I point this out, Curtis, clearly delighted, responds with, “Thanks, you made my day.”

For Curtis, there is both pride and pleasure in being framed by the past. Not only can he trace his family from 1641, but he lives in a post-Revolutionary home and his mother played a key part in the development of Greenwich realty.

He is a branch of a tree with deep roots.

When we meet at Dearfields, Curtis greets me at the door with a big smile, eager to give me a tour of the place.

With the exception of plastic Fisher-Price toys belonging to his darling 4 ½-year-old twins, Mollie and Hadden – wife and mom Deborah is a neonatal nurse at Greenwich Hospital – the house is filled with beautiful antique furniture. Walls are adorned with old portraits, many of which bear the subjects’ names at the bottom on small tarnished brass plates. These did not come with the house, nor were they bought in an antique store. They are paintings of Curtis’ ancestors and have been passed down for generations.

Curtis hands me a brown file labeled “Wood Family Tree.” Sitting at the antique table in the living room, I begin to sift through a stack of old family pictures, genealogy documents and newspaper clippings of wedding announcements, obituaries and other notable events. It doesn’t take me long to figure out his family belonged to “polite society.”

“History is really important to our family,” says this member of the Sons of the Revolution, who counts among his ancestors a supporter of American independence.

He’s come to the right place.

Considered one of the finest historical homesteads in Greenwich, Dearfields was built in 1797 by Dr. Amos

24

Mead, a surgeon in the Continental Army, as a wedding gift for his son Richard. Later, the house passed to his son, Col. Thomas A. Mead of the 9th Regiment, Connecticut Militia, who entertained the Marquis de Lafayette in his home in 1824 – the year the Frenchman toured the former colonies he helped liberate in anticipation of the golden ju-

bilee of American independence. A plaque commemorating that historic event hangs prominently on what is now the front of the house.

Made of solid hand-hewn oak and white clapboards, the colonial house looks much like it did when it was first built, with few time-wrought changes. A segment porch with square white columns serves as a frame for the black paneled double-Dutch door with a brass knocker. In the middle of the door, an inscription reads “Richard Mead 1797.” There are twin windows on either side. The unique front hall spreads out wide, inviting guests to come in.

Originally situated on the site where the Greenwich Library stands today, the house caused a big stir in 1929 when it was moved from the corner of the Boston Post Road and Dearfield Drive to Grove Lane, just three blocks away.

Chimneys were taken down and the furnishings carefully removed and reassembled to match the original home, except for one crucial detail. The front of the house was set to face the backyard because the mistress of the house didn’t want to see or hear the awful noise that came from the new Model Ts driving by.

The descendants of the Mead family occupied the home until 1950, when Mrs. Ramsdell Harwood purchased the property. She lived there till she sold it in 1977 to Dorothy and Gerard H. Wood, Curtis’ parents.

Dorothy Wood offers another colorful thread in the Wood family tapestry, as a woman making a name for herself as co-owner of the oldest real estate firm in Greenwich.

It began in 1899 when Thomas N. Cooke founded the first real estate company in Greenwich and set up shop in the brick Tudor-style building (circa 1877) located at the top of Greenwich Avenue. Many of his clients came from New York City and would arrive at the train station, where Cooke would meet them in horse and buggy and ride them around town, showing them properties.

Eventually, the firm was passed down to Cooke’s only heir – his niece, Dorothy Cooke Merchant. The other Dorothy in this story, Curtis’ mother, joined the firm in 1969 as managing partner. Together, the two women ran the successful business until 1984, when the firm of William Raveis bought Thomas N. Cooke Inc. Today William Raveis is the seventh largest independently owned real estate company in the nation.

Dorothy went on to open Carrott & Wood Greenwich Realty Inc. with Jack Carrott. It wasn’t long before Curtis joined the family business.

In an ironic twist, William Raveis bought Carrott & Wood Realty in 2002. Curtis moved on to Prudential Connecticut Realty on East Putnam Avenue, where he has worked ever since.

When I ask Curtis if he will ever sell Dearfields, he looks at me and says resolutely, “Of course not. Eventually, I plan to pass the house down to my children.”

The saga continues.... n

Deerfields, Curtis Wood’s home

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25

Frances Brunner-Bright and children Toby and Grace, against a Maison Jansen Louis XVI-style ebonized gray vein marble-top commode.

Furnishing Taste Story and photographs by Dana Ramos

A

ntiques are like wine: After you get a taste of the good stuff, well, you probably want more. Maybe you’ll even start to read and collect, enriching your experience and appreciation of wine or antiques.

And so it is with Maison Jansen, the well-regarded design brand whose client list has included royals, designers and stars as well as those who enjoy living like them.

Begun in 1880 by Dutch-born JeanHenri Jansen, the French company continued until 1989. Throughout the years, it grew internationally and encompassed a wide variation of styles and reproductions that appealed to the likes of the Shah of Iran and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. It is well-known that Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis furnished much of the White House with Maison Jansen, which ruffled the feathers of those who would have preferred more Americana in the most famous house of the United States.

To learn more about Maison Jansen, I take a trip to Greenwich Living Antiques, 40,000 square feet of dazzling furniture, objects d’art and nearly everything else related to home decor. It’s located in the antiques district of Stamford, a roughly threeblock area of huge centers like this one.

“But we are known as one of the premier places in the entire country for Maison Jansen furniture and decorations,” says 26

Sam Pizzichillo, the owner and founder of Greenwich Living Antiques.

He’s tall with an easy-going manner that instantly dispels the cliché of a stuffy antiques dealer.

“Our basic calling card is the Maison Jansen Hollywood Regency style, which ranges from the 1930s through the early 1960s,” he adds. “And, of course, we carry a tremendous amount of their famous French look, the reproductions.”

As Pizzichillo leads me through the vast collections, I keep stopping to stare at wonderful pieces.

“Oh, that’s not Maison Jansen,” he points out as I am captured by a stunning commode made of fine mahogany and gleaming bronze details. “That’s from a new collection I just acquired of Russian neoclassical antiques. It’s like looking at jewelry, right?” A perfect way of putting it.

Some boldface names that currently collect Maison Jansen and often visit Greenwich Living Antiques in search of new favorites include “Judge Judy, Regis Philbin, Tommy Hilfiger, TV personality and designer Nate Berkus,” Pizzichillo lists.

“Diana Ross also comes in. And I get a ton of well-known decorators like Michael Smith and Lynn Skoras of Los Angeles and Bunny Williams. Ask anyone in the business — those are huge names in the designing world.”

I ask Pizzichillo about the sort of layperson who is usually attracted to Maison

A Maison Jansen Louis XVI-style parcel gilt commode with gray vein marble accompanied by bronze mounts and fluted columnar uprights, nestled in the corner of a den in the Brunner-Bright home in Waccabuc.

Jansen and what makes the line so special.

“Oh, all kinds of people love it,” he says.

“Mostly anyone who appreciates excellent design and quality, a solid line that holds its value. That can be young people just starting out or older people redoing their homes. Because the furniture is basically timeless, it’s easy to mix and match with newer, more contemporary designs.”

As we continue through the store, I turn over some tags and am stunned by the prices – not because the furniture is so expensive but because it’s not. Pizzichillo smiles knowingly at my surprise: “That’s right. The prices – at least mine – are no more than what most people pay for far less quality with new stuff. And the beauty of the Internet – you can go online and compare what’s out there and what pieces are selling for in various places.”

He goes on to note that he gets buyers from all over the world who shop directly off the Greenwich Living Antiques website.

“In fact, I’d say 80 to 85 percent of my sales are from the website. I’ll ship anywhere and everywhere,” he says.

Pizzichillo grew up in Brooklyn surrounded by antiques.

“My father and uncles had three stores in Brooklyn, and my family lived in one antique shop – actually lived in it, in a back room,” he says, adding that he now lives in a house on Long Island. “They learned by doing. They started out in rubbish removal and began to realize there was money just being thrown away.”

Sam remains the only member of his family who is still involved in antiques.

“I don’t like what I do,” he says, pausing for a polished effect. “I love what I do.”

Greenwich Living Antiques, 481 Canal St., Stamford, Conn. (203) 2745130, GreenwichLivingAntiques.com. n

Valbella

Thank you to our loyal patrons and friends for 20 great years!

Valerie, David and Staff This is the 20th anniversary of Valbella at its Riverside location. Three graciously appointed dining rooms overlook a newly landscaped exterior with original gaslights and a new patio with water features and fire wells.

Its most requested dishes have been included in the menus. Evening dinners in the wine cellar on a heated granite table and alcoves with pocket doors for privacy –– surrounded by wines of the finest vintages –– should definitely be experienced.

Valbella is an elegant venue for private parties, weddings, special occasions or simply dining with someone special. Located just off I-95; valet parking service available.

LUNCHMonday to Friday, noon to 3 p.m.

DINNERS – Monday to Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 5 to 11 p.m.

Closed Sunday Phone: (203) 637-1155 (For more information, call Nick.)

Email: valbella@yahoo.com www.valbellact.com

27

Colonial charm 1760 Wilton home

mixes work and play Story and Photographs

by Zoë Zellers “We were looking for a historic house. We were looking for something different,” Peggy Garbus remembers of the house hunt she and her late husband, Rick, endured 17 years ago before settling into a charming 1760 double-center chimney colonial.

“I felt like if I was living in New England, then I wanted to have the full experience,” she says, placing her white ceramic mug besides the vase of white tulips on her sunbathed glass-top coffee table.

Here she flashes a smile, reflecting the many smiles on the faces in the surrounding black-and-white portraits. Behind her canvas sofas – accented with chartreuse, poppy and black-and-whiteprint throw pillows – is a high round tabletop that displays just a few of the many subjects, mostly children, whom Garbus photographs professionally throughout Fairfield and Westchester counties. It’s apparent that she embraces the idea of living with work and art, designating part of the first floor as a studio. Above one of her two oversize fireplaces, she had a neighbor, Francis Corsaro, help install a pull-down viewing screen. It’s a clever way to marry today’s technology to one of the home’s pre-Revolutionary features that Garbus fell for instantly.

Garbus grew up in Ohio where the “housing developments looked the same, and I really didn’t want to repeat that.” She moved to New York City in 1981, and soon after began working at Merrill Lynch while developing her photography passion with trips to Union Square. For 14 years, she called the city home, and it was there that she met Rick, an attorney.

The urban mélange of old apartments, townhouses, former tenement buildings and modern high-rises was a far cry from her childhood surroundings, and the couple enjoyed living in a series of apartments, mostly on the Upper East Side.

Still, Garbus says, “We knew at some point that we wanted to leave,” and so began their suburban search, taking them to New Canaan, Darien and Westport before they “really just fell in 28

love with (rural) Wilton.”

Often, it seems, the unusual home finds the special homeowner.

“I happened to be looking in The New York Times one day,” Garbus recalls, “and I saw an ad for ‘Charming antique with four bedrooms, threeand-a-half baths on two acres,’ and we rushed up here and looked on a weekend and that was it.”

Although her house isn’t a registered historic property, she says, “I believe there are two dozen 18th century homes in Wilton and this is one included in a booklet published by the town of Wilton.”

The first homeowner was Daniel Gregory and “the Gregory family is one of the founding families of Wilton.”

Since the original Gregory homestead is across the street and an adjacent property belonged to the same family, she believes her house was built for his son.

“This was an eyebrow colonial at one point so we do have the two walk-in beehive ovens and from what I’ve seen from the historical society, we had the tiny windows on the second story, and so this was more of a Cape-type home, and then they built up in 1840,” adding two back bedrooms and an attic, she explains.

Certainly the additions of each homeowner “make it all interesting to try to

Peggy Garbus

figure out what’s here,” Garbus says.

(Add to that a backyard filled with findings like “fun old bottles, pieces of glass and pottery,” and you realize that the family had signed up for a real adventure).

“This house met the bill, and we moved in here Memorial Day 1995,” Garbus says.

“We had two and a half children at that point. We had the two girls (Haley,

now 19, and Berett, 17)… and then I found out that William (16) was on the way the day before we closed on the house in Wilton.”

“The downside of what happened when we moved is that this house had been in the same family for the last 50 years and there was no washer and dryer in the house. There was no washer-dryer hookup,” Garbus says, pausing to let that drama soak in.

That was the first of a few home improvement projects that she began with Rick and continued after his passing.

Her renovations like that first project have been focused on modern updates and making the home her own, but she’s careful to stay true to its original character. The last major renovation actually took place in 1840.

Garbus did take down a wall to create an open-format first floor and removed Sheetrock from the ceiling to expose rustic hand-hewn beams painted glossy white. To the gorgeous gallery kitchen – with its clean marble counters, natural pine floorboards, footed white cabinets, Viking stove, farmer’s sink, and view of the backyard – she added

a skylight in 2006. It’s easy to imagine her satisfaction in cutting through the 7-foot ceiling and letting in the light, as she describes the moment as freeing, punching a fist up through the air.

Still, Garbus chose to leave many of the unique, imperfect charms of her historic home. On the second floor, for instance, there are white wood doors leading to the bedrooms, which are painted in an assortment of soft candy-colors like mint and orange.

“If you look, every door is completely different than the next…and some the owners even put on backwards,” Garbus says with a laugh.

While richly historic properties like Garbus’ come with these fascinating features to accent, she also felt enthusiastic about incorporating her own collected treasures, like floral oil paintings, natural history prints, antique baskets, leather-bound books and white porcelain pitchers, some of which she found while volunteering at Wilton’s semiannual Minks to Sinks consignment sale.

The bright house is also warmed by the addition of spring flowers in every entertaining room, which make for a subtle yet striking contrast with Garbus’ expansive display of photography.

Instantly these photos reveal one of Garbus’ magnificent gifts – making people feel right at home. n

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29

A jewel of the Sound Greenwich’s Brush-Lockwood House is an architectural gem

By Patricia Espinosa

Brad Hvolbeck at the Brush-Lockwood House. A full-length front porch accentuates the five-bay symmetrical façade. Photograph by Patricia Espinosa.

30

Nestled in the heart of the Stanwich Historic District on five and half acres, the Brush-Lockwood House is an architectural delight from a bygone era.

Built in 1792, it was extensively renovated in 1867 in the Second Empire style, complete with a mansard roof.

Today, the Brush-Lockwood House, which is on the market, is one of 260 houses to have been recognized by The Greenwich Historical Society’s landmark registry program since its inception in 1987.

Brad Hvolbeck – owner of Prudential Brad Hvolbeck Real Estate and the listing agent for the Brush-Lockwood House – acknowledges that there exists a “thinner market” that appreciates both the architectural details and the historical significance of a home of a certain age.

These prospective home-buyers “love the style, and they’re not too interested in home theaters or huge family rooms. Some of them don’t even care for air conditioning,” says Hvolbeck, a fourth-generation Greenwich resident who has lived in historic houses his whole life.

In the case of the Brush-Lockwood House, they really don’t make ’em like they used to. Creaking randomwidth wide-plank oak wood floors, cozy nooks, blurry vistas seen through floor-to-ceiling handblown glass windows on triple-plastered walls, patinated brass doorknobs and hinges on solid-wood paneled doors are all features that may be seen by many as quirky and impractical. But for a smaller segment of the population, these unique details and meticulous craftsmanship are what make buying an historical home so alluring. Part of the attraction, too, lies in the richness of history and the satisfaction of restoring an old home to its full former beauty.

The Brush-Lockwood House was built by Benjamin and Mary Reynolds Brush, who arrived in Greenwich from Huntington, Long Island in 1725 and helped establish the Stanwich Congregational Society in 1731.

In 1855, the Brush and Lockwood families were joined when Mary Angelina Brush married George A. Lockwood.

While the marriage was not a happy one, it did produce five children before the couple eventually separated. During the time they lived there, Mary remodeled the home in the fashionable Second Empire style, with the most noteworthy element being the wood–shingled mansard roof, characterized by a flat top and sloping sides.

Even in its day, the home was considered exceptional.

Built by a family of means for genteel living, the white woodshingled, 2 and a half story landmark has a full-length front porch and a stick-style porte cochere (carriage porch), with one-of-the-kind jigsaw-cut ornamentation, oversize brackets and spade-shaped cutouts. This type of architecture is so unique, it may very well be the only intact example in town, according to the Greenwich historical society.

On the property is a charming large barn that dates from 1794. A Gothic Revival extension with deep cornices was added later, as was a heated workshop.

An octagonal gazebo with an elaborate crown of four curved openwork buttresses creates a picturesque outdoor sitting area.

Not exactly your garden-variety Home Depot gazebo.

The Brush-Lockwood homestead has been on the market for only two weeks, and Hvolbeck has already had seven showings – “as many young families as older.”

There are, however, restrictions on what can and cannot be done to a home in a designated historic district. The façade cannot be changed, which applies to the windows, doors and even the outdoor paint color. Any additions may only be done to the back of the dwelling and need to be approved and in keeping with the style and tradition of the home. Surprisingly, the interior of the home is entirely another story. It can be completely redone.

Inside and out, the opportunities abound for those wanting to own a little piece of history. n

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girls just wanna have paris

I

Doni Belau sitting in a Paris café.

Photograph by Anthony & Audrey Brock.

32

By Dana Ramos

was recently at an party, telling an acquaintance about a woman who started up an all-things-Paris based website that tout le monde is talking about and has become de rigueur as a pre-trip visit.

“You mean Doni Belau?” the acquaintance cut in. “Girls’ Guide to Paris?”

That little exchange reveals how quickly this startup website, GirlsGuidetoParis.com, has become the go-to place for anyone planning a trip to Paris or France who wants to know about the best or newest stores, restaurants, hotels and much more. And because “April in Paris” is such a natural – not to mention a song – this is the perfect month to introduce you to Doni Belau, who is known as much for her taste in eclectic decor as she is for her knowledge of and fascination with the City of Lights.

“I started Girls’ Guide in 2009, with the idea of creating a community of Paris-lovers. We now have 300,000 readers a year and 35,000 others each month who are checking us out for the first time,” Belau says.

Girls’ Guide is not a typical travel guide.

“Think of it as a bunch of friends who know all the ins and outs and are sharing their favorite places with you,” Belau says. “You’ll find information and reviews on everything from soaps to perfumes, chocolates to wine. Our virtual army of Parisian scouts writes about anything of interest.”

Readers can visit GirlsGuidetoParis.com, or they can sign up for a monthly newsletter that contains recipes, wines-of-the-month, and special deals and offers.

Not only have Belau and her team visited and sampled everything they write about, they welcome readers’ opinions and tips as well.

What Francophile or fashionista wouldn’t want to know when Hermès holds its rare sale on its signature scarves, or when a great new boutique has appeared? Or find out which hotel is offering astounding price breaks to members of the brand-new Girls’ Guide travel club?

Even if you aren’t planning a trip but want to shop for the latest fashions, fads and decor without leaving your home, Girls’ Guide is a great resource. For instance, I learned about a fabulous store in the Saint-Germain-desPrés area called Blanc D’Ivoire, where you can buy stylish baby bedding or sophisticated tableware and oodles of other home accessories. Thanks to the Girls’ Guide and my laptop, I don’t even need to get out of bed to buy a sumptuous silk French quilt at blancdivoire.com.

But why a girls’ guide? Aren’t men welcome?

“Of course,” Belau says. “It’s just that women in particular are known to become obsessive about Paris. It’s the romance, or fashion, that je ne sais quoi. Men can make fine use of the site for reviews on restaurants and shops and tips on where to take their loves if they want to plan a romantic getaway. You know the age-old question men always ask: ‘What do women want?’ Well, here’s the answer – Paris. You can never go wrong with Paris. And men can join our travel club. We’re gender-neutral.”

Belau, who was born in Nebraska in the mid-’60s and married her high school sweetheart, took a trip to Paris in 1988 with her husband and fell hard for the city.

View of the Dordogne River, from the patio of the Doni Belau’s historic home in the Bordeaux region of France. And her den, right. The stainless-steel kitchen in her Bedford Corners home, with 1950s-style lamps. Photograph by Dana Ramos.

“My husband, Robert, also loved it, and we kept going back,” Belau says. “In 2000, we bought an apartment there that we could rent out, share with friends and family, and, of course, have a place to stay on yet another trip there.”

Then she began taking her daughter and sister and friends. “There is no better girls’ getaway trip than Paris,” she says with an emphatic nod. Fait accompli, pas de question. Guys want Vegas, girls want Paris. Doesn’t everyone know that?

So how would you expect Belau’s own residence—a 1940s Cape-style set among farm estates in Bedford Corners—to be decorated? Like Paris, you can’t pinpoint Belau’s look to one particular style or era.

“I don’t want to be limited,” she says. “I like to find things that really strike me, then make it work.”

Her house is an eclectic mix of furniture and colors — distinctly modern but with a timeless feel.

Same with the artwork. There is a David Salle lithograph in the same room with a Matisse lithograph and a Picasso lithograph, “Jacqueline,” which Belau bought from Sotheby’s. A signed Robert Longo lithograph from his 1980s graphite “Men in the Cities” series hangs in a gleaming stainless-steel kitchen with lamps crafted in the 1950s-style by Danish designer Louis Poulsen.

Belau’s background was in communications, and when her children were born, she became a stay-at-home mom who volunteered for political organizations and worthy nonprofits. Even though she spends a great deal of time on her Girls’ Guide venture—there are Girls’ Guides to London and New York in the planning stages—she still stays active in various groups, including serving on

cenTer

the board of directors of Ubuntu Africa (ubafrica.org), dedicated to underserved, HIV-positive youth in South Africa.

Belau maintains a second home, built in the 1780s, in the historic Bordeaux region of France, nestled among vines and sitting directly on the Dordogne River with private access and a dock. As with the house in the States, eclecticism rules. Trips there “are conveniently related to my business,” Belau says with a smile. “After all, now I absolutely must keep traveling to Paris!”

What is Belau’s best tip regarding Paris?

“Just go,” she says. “You don’t have to spend a fortune or wait for the perfect travel partner. Life is short. Don’t keep putting off that dream trip. Go.” For your Gallic adventure, visit GirlsGuidetoParis. com. n

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The other White House White Plains’ Soundview Manor

S

itting majestically on four acres in the historic Soundview section of White Plains, the large white Palladio-style mansion known as Soundview Manor has been called “one of the crown jewels of the city.”

Built by landowner Robert B. Dula in 1920 as a wedding gift for his son, Robert L Dula, and his new daughter-in-law, Elsie Hinman of Brooklyn, the stately white manor is the largest private residential estate left un-subdivided in White Plains.

Soundview Manor is also one of many large residences reflecting diverse architectural styles, including colonial, Georgian and Tudor.

In 1980, attorney Doris Sassower acquired the Manor.

She has lived there for more than 30 years, raising a family and later establishing an upscale bed and breakfast in 1993 at her home, which is listed on both the New York State Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places.

Often referred to by local residents as “The White House,” the mansion was under consideration to become the Westchester residence of Bill and Hillary Clinton.

When then first lady Hillary Clinton visited with her daughter Chelsea back in 1999, she said “This was like coming from the White House to the White House.”

Love at first sight

“I fell in love with the house as soon as I saw it back in 1980,” Sassower said. “It was a beautiful place and because I was a practicing attorney, its location close to the 34

By Jane K. Dove Photographs by David Bravo Westchester County Court house was a draw.”

Sassower said the home was in excellent condition, both inside and out.

“The structure was fine but I had a vision of what it could become in terms of decor,” she said. “I realized it was a relic of the past and wanted to preserve its history.

I bought it as a family home, to live in for the rest of my life, and not as an investment. We have lived in it as a family, had a wedding for one of our daughters here, and it gradually evolved into what you see today.”

It took years to redo the 6,000-square-foot home. The result is a warm and charming place with a distinct English country flair, accented with an array of Asian touches.

Life in the house changed when the Westchester Bed & Breakfast Association approached Sassower in 1992 to join the group.

“At first I didn’t want to do it but then decided to go ahead,” she said. Soundview Manor was opened to the public as a bed and breakfast in l993, and today attracts visitors from around the country and the world who enjoy its elegant accommodations.

The home

Visitors enter under a portico with classical columns.

Entertaining is made easy with a large living room on one side and a dining room that opens to a covered veranda on the other. The main floor contains three wood burning fireplaces, gleaming hardwood floors, period detailing, French doors and large windows that bring the property’s beautiful views inside.

A large family room with double-sliding glass doors opens onto another, private veranda, featuring views of a rock garden and apple trees. A spacious country kitchen has a separate breakfast room and large butler’s pantry.

A circular staircase leads up to five large bedrooms, including two master suites that open onto private terraces.

Another bedroom suite, two additional baths and another family room comprise the family wing of the home.

A staff wing has three bedrooms, two baths and a separate back staircase.

The third floor is dedicated to a penthouse suite with a fireplace and three sets of French doors opening to wraparound terraces with seasonal views of Long Island Sound.

Outside, the four beautifully landscaped acres feature large specimen trees, including Japanese maple, tulip, copper beech and chestnut. Flowering fruit trees, magnolias, azaleas

and rhododendrons provide a riot of color in the spring. An enclosed tennis court completes the property.

Legal pioneer

Over many of the years she has lived at Soundview Manor and operated the bed and breakfast, Sassower has maintained her strong ties to the legal profession.

One of six women to graduate from the New York University School of Law’s class of l955, she was destined to become a future leader of the women’s movement.

Believing there was discrimination against women in the legal profession, Sassower did what she could to change societal attitudes. She was part of the formation of the Professional Women’s Caucus, the first respected support group for what became known as the women’s movement. In 1971, as head of PWC’s legal arm, she pressured American law schools to cease their discrimination against women.

Her advocacy skills changed things for women for the better and she went on to the field of family law. By the early l970s, she had become known as “the mother of joint custody.” Her pioneering efforts have received national recognition over the years and she has been honored by the National Organization for Women for “outstanding achievements on behalf of women and children in the area of family law.” She is now retired and working pro bono as co-founder and director of the Center for Judicial Accountability Inc. Now nearly 80, Sassower is locked in a dispute with the city of White Plains over the use of her home as a bed and breakfast.

“I am now in limbo about the future of my beautiful home but will fight on and hope for the best,” she said.

For more, visit SoundviewManor.com. n

Often referred to by local residents as “The White House,” the mansion was under consideration to become the Westchester residence of Bill and Hillary Clinton. When then First Lady Hillary Clinton visited with her daughter Chelsea back in 1999, she said “This was like coming from the White House to the White House.”

Doris Sassower

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A blue lagoon Couple savor a spectacular saltwater setting

K

By Carol E. Curtis Photographs by David Bravo

enneth M. Reiss and his wife, Sylvia, were not looking for a house back in 1988 when they stopped by a real estate office in Darien while walking the dog. Ken, a history buff, was intrigued by one offering – a farmhouse on the water, built in 1800, sitting empty for a year and a half.

The structure, on just over an acre, was painted an ugly shade of mustard, and the rabbit warren of small, shabby rooms inside had not been refurbished. There were water stains from years of neglect.

Yet the setting, in Darien’s exclusive Tokeneke area, was spectacular. The house is perched on the water between salt and fresh water lagoons, in an area that is home to many species of wildlife, including swan families that sometimes battle for territory on the nearby marshland.

For the couple, the house was love at first sight.

“I bought the water (views), and Ken bought the house,” says Sylvia, a former antiques dealer.

Her husband, past president of the Darien Historical Society and author of “The Story of Darien, Connecticut,” published through the Society in 2009, wasted no time delving into the origins of the house. He says it was likely built in the late 1700s, then rebuilt in 1800.

Before the Revolutionary War, he explains, the Selleck family was the biggest landowner in the area. John and Jonathan Selleck were merchants who made a fortune smuggling contraband into New York City. In return for their service to the community, the city of Stamford gave the Sellecks a sizable plot of land.

By the mid-1700s, the Sellecks were well-known farmers in Darien. They included Gold John Selleck, who died young, but not before he had a son, Gold John Selleck Jr., who built the farmhouse around 1800, then mysteriously vanished.

The farm then became home to the Ferris family, who lived there for 80 to 85 years, with the property becoming known as the Ferris Farm.

When the family either died out or moved away around 1900, the house fell into the hands of real estate speculators, who used it as a corporate office where they put together the original Tokeneke Park as a summer colony for wealthy families.

Today, the Tokeneke area is arguably the most exclusive place to live in Darien.

“Living in Tokeneke is more of an aspira-

36

tion than an option,” Lisa Prevost wrote in a 2005 New York Times article describing the area. “Tokeneke is the province of a fortunate few who have staked claim to views of the area’s quiet inlets, marshlands and freshwater lagoons. This is not starter-home territory.

Houses under $2 million are hard to come by. Choice properties rarely change hands.”

Scattered among Tokeneke’s 200-plus houses are many old homes, including Spanish Colonial Revivals, Tudors and a handful of unusual fieldstone cottages designed by Frazier Peters in the 1920s.

The farmhouse fell into a state of neglect after its use as a corporate headquarters. It was rented out and became the bedraggled, deserted farm Ken and Sylvia came upon and fell in love with nearly a quarter of a century ago.

“The first thing we did was to rip out all the little rooms,” says Ken. “Then we sat and stared at the dangling plaster for a long time before we knew how the house ought to be used. That is not something young people would do today.”

Their vision ultimately resulted in a home where the original structure flows smoothly into painstaking restoration. For example, the original kitchen, now a cozy sitting room, retains its wood floor and fireplace, including a niche carved into the wall where the original owners did their baking.

Lacking gas or electricity, the original owners stuffed burning coals from the fireplace into the niche until it was hot enough for cooking. Then they cleaned out the coals and baked in the niche as long as it retained heat, starting with the food that needed the highest temperatures.

After their initial round of changes in the early 1990s, including adding a new kitchen and bookcases, the couple “sat with that for another five or six years” before the next phase of restoration, Sylvia says.

“Scale is hugely important when you are dealing with old houses,” Ken explains. “We were looking for seamless integration.”

Sylvia bought the antique furniture piecemeal. The fire screen was a typical find from the booth next to theirs at an antiques show. The only new things in the house are upholstered chairs and sofas.

“No matter how long you live in a house like this, there are going to be interesting little surprises,” Ken says.

“This house is like that favorite old uncle who can still surprise you,” he says. “A house like this becomes a part of the family.” n

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A mighty fortress A Redding house ‘exactly as it was built to be’ in 1741

By Carol E. Curtis Photographs by David Bravo

I

n 1993, Willard G. Rowley and his family were living in Darien, with a plan to build a Georgian reproduction in Greenwich and move there.

But shortly after the house sold, negotiations to buy a suitable lot fell through. He and wife Catherine shifted their sights to a lot in Southport, and again, the negotiations blew up.

“We had to leave Darien. With less than a week to go, we had no idea where we were going to be and school was starting,” says Rowley, a former investment banker turned conservationist.

While reading the Sunday New York Times, he came upon a tiny $8 ad that read, “For sale: stone house on 65 acres” – in Redding.

Rowley set up an appointment to see it, and says, “I knew instantly when I saw the originality of the house that I had to buy the property.”

Lucky for him, the owner was in a mood to negotiate. U.S. Trust was selling the house on behalf of the New York Zoological Society, which received the property as part of the estate of John L. Livermore, a wealthy bird fancier.

Rowley got U.S. Trust to accept his flat offer of $1 million.

“We closed on it four days later and moved in the next day,” he says.

The four Rowley children began school in Redding two days after that.

38

When they moved in, Rowley says, “It was like moving back 270 years. I brought a key and walked into the past.”

What the Rowleys got was a 1741 cutstone main house with four stone fireplaces and a beehive oven on 65 acres of mature hardwoods, meadows, fields and streams surrounded by hand-built fieldstone walls.

The estate included a guest house and carriage house, each with two bedrooms and came with a colorful history.

Taking it with you

Originally, Gurdon Marchant purchased the property from a local Indian chief and George II of England as part of 3,812 acres – the entire western section of Redding.

Marchant proceeded to lay out all of the town roads and appointed himself first town clerk. He then constructed the main house over the next nine years. It was made of stone and wooden beams, quarried and cut on the property, and features handblown glass in the doors and windows. Several of the original panes are still in place.

“He chose these extraordinary 65 acres out of his entire purchase … because they were located on extremely well-drained soils, situated over a huge, deep gravel deposit with excellent water as well,” Rowley says. “People who come to Redding do so in order to experience the beauty of a truly historic New England town, while enjoying a high degree of privacy.”

The Marchants were a thrifty family.

As local lore goes, after patriarch Gurdon passed away, his son asked, “Have you seen Dad’s wallet?”

The family soon realized that the deceased had very likely been buried with his wallet still in his pants. Since he was in the habit of carrying around substantial sums of money, the family decided to exhume the body. Sure enough, there was the wallet, full of cash. The family retrieved it and promptly returned Gurdon to the grave.

The incident made quite an impression at the time.

“They were a rich and powerful family so people were amused and also somewhat horrified that they would go to such lengths for a wallet,” Rowley says.

The property remained in the Marchant family until it was sold in 1918 to a New York lawyer named Burlingame. Between 1920 and 1929, Burlingame added bathrooms and a kitchen to the main house and built the guest house and carriage house. He sold the property to John Livermore in 1931, and it became know as the Livermore Estate.

Rowley says that he was determined to preserve the structure in its original state, rather than restoring it by ripping out rooms and building additions. While exploring the outbuildings, he discovered the original oxbow yoke that, he says, “was used to drag every stone here from a mile

away – through the woods, one at a time – to build the house.”

That was a massive task. Each piece of black granite used on the front of the house is 18 inches thick and 18 inches high and weighs as much as 12,000 pounds.

Out of the past

Today, the house retains all of its original character, with few concessions to the 21st – or even 20th – century.

“There is nothing modern in it but an elevator,” says Rowley, adding that it was added after Mrs. Livermore broke her hip while descending the original narrow, winding staircase.

Even without many modern conveniences, his children – now grown – loved living there, Rowley says: “They had a phenomenal time playing in the woods. They were in the safety of the surrounding stone wall. We have a marsh with otters, deer, geese and ducks living here. It is a phenomenal nature preserve and I greatly appreciate being able to keep it intact.”

Although the property is currently on the market, Rowley says he may wind up selling the land and the barns but keeping the house: “This is a really rock-solid fortress, a massively well-built house. It deserves to stay exactly as it was built to be.” n

no extreme makeovers Or how (not) to restore a historic home

By Dana Ramos

P

erhaps it’s a favorite fantasy of yours, buying that magnificent old home built in the 19th century — in Greenwich or Bedford, Rye or Westport — and restoring it to its former glory days.

You imagine how you’ll host a dressy party in the ballroom, slowly descending the grand, sweeping staircase, or cozy up with the family in front of humongous carved mantel as a fire crackles and you tell the children that 200 years ago, another family just like yours sat right here, just as you are now.

Oh, you’ll have electricity, of course.

WiFi, lines for five phone numbers and a master bathroom featuring a wet and dry sauna and a shower with six showerheads — one of them the popular new rainwater type.

But that comes much much later. First you have to have to ask yourself: Is money no object? Check. Is your marriage strong enough to withstand the biggest home renovation anyone has ever endured? Check. Have you thought this

through before purchasing the property by consulting one of the top architects on the East Coast— one who specializes in just this sort of mega-project, and who will be able to tell you whether or not you can even keep that mantel or McKee Patterson staircase?

Better be sure you plan to check that on the list. It may save your money and marriage.

Architect McKee Patterson — his friends call him Mac —is just the person you need at your side before you sign the deed.

“I’d say about 50 percent of my work involves major renovations to historic homes. It’s so much more interesting to me. Sure, it’s easier to work on a new house. But renovations are much more fun and challenging. And it’s wonderful

to work with such beautiful homes; most were built from 1700 through the 1930s. After that, quality sort of drops off.”

Patterson, who lives in Litchfield County, is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and also has certification from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, which qualifies him to do architectural work on any home in the United States. He’s a founding partner in Austin Patterson Disston, based in Southport, with another office in Quogue, N.Y. This full-service firm, which began in 1982, has grown to a staff of 24 with a focus on residential, interior and institutional projects.

During the past 30 years, Patterson has worked on roughly 65 historic homes.

So how does one take that first step, what is the process?

“The first and most important step is consulting an architect. I walk through with a client and we talk about what works and what doesn’t work. I ask the client what is it they love about the house, and what they feel they need and want.

For some people, they love the property first and foremost. Others love the ambience, the old structure.

“After this discovery period, we map solutions to the problems. You may have a clear idea of what you want but a renovation is driven by many factors, such as site conditions, local laws. Maybe there is a gorgeous old tree that anchors the house and needs to be preserved. At the end of the day, the house has to work from a functional standpoint.

“We also need to discover if the house is sound enough — built well enough to merit the work being considered. If it’s poorly built to begin with, it’s tough to justify doing, or if it is completely bugridden. In these cases, we salvage what we

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Before

Before

40

Georgian Revival, Greenwich.

Photograph by Jonathan Wallen.

Arts & Crafts Residence.

Photograph by Jeff McNamara.

Before

can and take the house down. I have to be upfront with a client so they really understand what they are getting into.”

You also need to know ahead of time what you might run into legally.

“The two biggest things that often come into questions is a grand staircase that might not be up to current code — but is likely to be protected (for its) preexisting or important nature,” Patterson continues. “Old mantels are usually not to code. If something is a serious hazard, I try to work out a solution. For instance, there is a fabulous wooden mantel on a project I’m doing now. I convinced the owner to switch to gas logs, which never get to a roaring fire and thus are far less likely to cause a problem. During renovation, I try to make these old homes as safe as possible.”

What about homes that are listed as “historic?”

Patterson explains that it depends on each area and what those listings actually mean.

“If a home is actually listed on a state historical registry, you run into all sorts of issues. And some towns have historical districts, making changes subject to review. You might not be allowed to do much or anything at all for that matter. But if it’s listed at the local historical level, most likely you can do anything you want. You want to know these things

Colonial Revival, New Canaan.

Photograph by Jeff McNamara.

before you get involved with a house or project, of course.”

Patterson is unhappy with poorly renovated homes.

“New England is littered with additive architecture — homes that create a false history because it has evolved and wasn’t limited to the same period. If done properly, it is fine to mix periods — think of it as an evolution — but there is often the tendency to overdo things with over-opulent trim, for instance. I strongly advise clients to use restraint and to adhere to the original idea and feel of the house. “ In other words, “beauty” does not mean “more.” This is a concept that should be kept in mind whether giving a facelift to a home — or a human.

If you are in love with an old home, take the time to preserve it the right way, Patterson says.

“You shouldn’t block or dwarf the main house or bury the heart and feel of the original design. My overriding feeling is when doing this, do it beautifully, use restraint. It will be more timeless. Don’t do anything that is faddish like putting sinks on top of vanity tops, which is very popular now but doesn’t belong in an historic home. Whatever you do should look great in 25 or 50 years. It should age well.”

Timeless “beauty” advice that should be applied to old homes, and new ones as well. n

Before

Historical Colonial, Greenwich.

Photograph by Jeff McNamara.

41

Shelter from the storm Westport home served as a pre-Revolutionary refuge

L

By Carol E. Curtis Photographs by David Bravo ong Lots Road in Westport is home to many grand Gold Coast homes. But it is one of the more modest among them that has the distinction of being the oldest house in this historic town, dating from when settlers lived in fear of American In-

dian attacks.

The current owners, Susan and Morgan “Dutch” Wynkoop, have cared for the house so lovingly that the charming dwelling won the Westport Historic Preservation Award in 2009.

Dutch inherited the 17th century home from his mother, Aimee, in 1991. That was 20 years after his mother and father had purchased the house as the result of a job transfer. The property, which had seen many short-term occupants by that time, was in bad shape.

“You could see daylight between the walls and the beams,” Dutch says. “Rain was coming through the roof, and it was painted a dingy white.”

Young Dutch and his family all pitched in with the overhaul. They replaced the roof and septic system, repainted the house and turned a lean-to used for storage into part of the living room by tearing down the separating wall.

“Room by room, we renovated,” Dutch says. His mother was especially vigorous: “She took a sledgehammer to the old plaster.”

The beams remain original and like many old houses, a baking oven sits next to a large central fireplace in the original kitchen, now the living room. Used for cooking as well as heating, the fireplace was going seven days a week in those days.

The original house consisted of two rooms upstairs and two downstairs. Newer rooms and another kitchen date from the 1800s. The house now has five bedrooms, two

42

fireplaces and three bathrooms surrounding the massive original central chimney.

After Dutch and Susan married, they moved into the home and raised their daughter there, carefully preserving the original bones of the house while upgrading other features.

“By that time, I wasn’t afraid of the house,” Dutch says.

“I knew which pipes were going to freeze.”

Still, moving into such an old property isn’t for everyone, he concedes. After a squirrel chewed its way into the basement and repairmen were called in, they took the old boards off and discovered there was nothing in the wall to nail replacements to. The fix proved much more extensive than anticipated.

Setting the date

From the start, Dutch says, his family realized that the house was old – but they didn’t know just how old. His mother dated the property from 1775, but before that the records were in Old English, and she was unable to read them. They hired an architectural historian who dated the house between 1680 and1700, but in the absence of records, he was unable to say for certain just how old it was.

Enter the town of Westport. In 2009, the Westport Historic District Commission designated the home a local historic property. As part of the designation, the town agreed to research the home to attempt to fix the exact date of construction.

The resulting study, issued two years ago, concluded that the house was built between 1683 and 1687 by Capt. John Osborn, son of Richard Osborn, who fought the Indians in the Pequot War. Back then, it was the policy of the crown to take as much land as it could from the early settlers. The settlers

fought back by deeding land to keep it from the king.

“They deeded parcels that were very narrow but very long,” commonly measuring a half-mile wide by 10 miles long, Dutch says. The practice gave its name to Long Lots Road.

The particular long lot on which Dutch’s house stands was deeded to Richard Osborn for his service fighting the Indians. He passed it on to son John, whose name is on a plaque on the front of the house. The lot was gradually parceled out, resulting in the modest property of just over an acre on which the house sits today.

Hiding place

If this house could talk, early stories would likely feature Indians. Fear of being attacked by local tribes was a fact of life in late-17th century Connecticut. To create a refuge, the original builder put a small room on the second floor that can only be entered by a trap door pulled down by hand to serve as a bridge. When it was up, visitors would not realize the room was there.

Susan, Dutch’s wife, explains that when the Indians threatened to attack, the early settlers likely took refuge there, either to surprise the Indians and shoot them from behind or hide until they went away.

The room today, like the ones surrounding it, has been beautifully preserved. Susan, a history buff and current president of the Westport Historical Society, has furnished the house with a decorator’s eye and a Victorian feel, using antiques collected over the years, including vintage silver from mother-in-law Aimee.

The present dwelling sits proudly among its grand neighbors, including the Fairfield County Hunt Club across the street, home to the horsey set.

Very old and lovingly cared for, it more than holds its own. n

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Dumpster diva One person’s junk is another woman’s treasure

F

By Patricia Espinosa

or nearly a decade, Lara Spencer has been living a double life.

The “Good Morning America” lifestyle anchor – and Riverside resident – moonlights as a decorator and most recently, an author, too.

In her new book, “I Brake For Yard Sales” (Stewart, Tabori & Chang), which debuts this month, Spencer reveals her favorite haunts for finding treasures – from yard sales to flea markets to thrift shops to auctions and yes, even to the occasional dumpster. The nifty book is chock-full of helpful treasure-finding tips, replete with splendid before and after photographs of “ugly ducklings emerging as beautiful swans” that would inspire even the most unimaginative homeowner. The former “Antiques Roadshow” host reminds readers that it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg to decorate your home in a unique and stylish way, just a little bit of vision and a whole lot of persistence.

Recently, I had the opportunity to ask Spencer about her new book:

Tell me about the inspiration for the title, “I Brake For Yard Sales.”

“The inspiration for the book is simply my passion for the hunt, transforming my secondhand scores into first-class showstoppers. I love putting the pieces together to create rooms that are chic, comfortable, and layered. I love a room that looks like it has a story to tell.

In the book you credit your mom for teaching you everything you know. How does she feel about the book?

“My mom is incredibly proud of the book. She sees all her tricks and tips used in a whole new way and that gives her great pride. I started hunting and shopping for found treasures with her when I was very young and it is still one of our favorite things to do together. She has different taste than I do, which is great because we help each other see things we might not normally consider. She always says I am better than she is at being able to spot a swan hiding beneath ugly duckling upholstery or paint, but I don’t think so. She is still the master. “

Your sense of humor and style really comes through in the book.

Who is your audience? Is this a how-to book, a pretty coffee table book or both?

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“Well, thank you. Let’s just say you probably won’t find Kelly Wearstler or Bunny Williams wearing a Hefty bag at a rainy flea market in their design books. The fact that I admit to dumpster-diving on the front

cover should tell you this is not just another pretty coffee table book. I want readers to get down and dirty on their hunt for interior design treasures. That’s the fun part.

I am passionate about design. But I don’t take it, or myself, too seriously.

“I wanted my book to be pretty enough to decorate a coffee table, but I really want people to use it….”

Comedian Kathy Griffin writes a hysterically funny foreword to your book, in which she refers to herself as a flea market virgin until you “popped her cherry” the day you took her shopping for hidden treasures. Tell me about your experience decorating her home?

“Kathy Griffin is a decorator’s dream client. She was very clear about the look she wanted, which is always a giant help.

When you don’t know how you want your room to feel, it’s very difficult to get it right. In Kathy’s case, she told me she wanted to feel like she was living in ‘a fabulous gay man’s Palm Springs retreat.’

I mean, how many times are you going to get that request from a client? So it was great fun and we laughed a ton.

“I made the mistake of bringing her to an estate sale deep in the San Fernando Valley, because it was chock-full of incredible mid-century pieces that hadn’t been touched since 1969. It’s amazing how two people can look at a pair of chairs so differently. I ran over to a pair of vintage Warren Platner chrome wire chairs and could barely contain myself that they were only $400 for the pair. Admittedly, the rust and stained gold velour fabric were a little unsightly, but I knew what an easy fix that was for these chairs that retail for $1,500 each.

“Kathy, on the other hand, was absolutely terrified and could not get past the grungy fabric, convinced the chairs would give her a rash that might never go away. Thankfully, Kathy recovered, and decided she would let me find the pieces on my own, requesting to hear the stories of where things came from and what they looked like only after they were re-done and perfectly positioned in her home. As she used to say, ‘I am on a need-toknow basis.’ She was blown away with the pieces I found for next to nothing. She saved thousands of dollars and loves the fact that she has a one-of-a-kind space. In fact, she has just asked me to help her decorate a guest room for her mom, Maggie.”

What is your most treasured find?

“I hate this question. ... I love so many of the pieces I have found over the years, and my most treasured changes as my style and mood changes. I would say the find that really turned my hobby into a passion was

when I was about 22. I bought a pair of signed and numbered Picasso lithographs at a Salvation Army thrift shop for $35.

They are not the most valuable find I have ever made, but they proved what my mom always said, that great things can be found anywhere. You just need to have a good eye and an open mind. I also absolutely love the Danish modern chair in Kathy’s living room that I covered in white faux croc. The fabric was nasty, but the bones were incredible. I paid $350 for it and have since seen only one, on 1stdibs.com, for $3,500. That one was hard to part with.”

Tell me about the one that got away.

Is there something that you’re still kicking yourself about not buying?

“Again, with the difficult questions. Too many to name. When I was younger, I wasn’t as confident in my eye, so I would see a great piece, then continue walking around a flea market, and inevitably, when I went back, it was gone. You snooze, you lose. I never did buy the Platner chairs for Kathy, because she wouldn’t let me put them in the car. I should have snatched them up for me.”

Having lived in Los Angeles for many years, I can appreciate your Rose Bowl Flea Market and Long Beach Flea Market treks. If you had to pick one place to ‘hunt’ for treasures, where would it be?

“Both the Rose Bowl and the Long Beach Flea Markets are among my very favorites. So many cool pieces and very different from the things you find here on the East Coast. In this area, I love the Elephant’s Trunk in New Milford. I also absolutely adore the antique centers in Stamford – a great variety and better-curated for those, like Kathy, who don’t want to get down and dirty.”

In the book, you say there’s nothing you would rather be doing than “sale-ing” – the word you use to describe shopping at yard sales, flea markets, thrift shops and even the occasional dumpsters. What is it that appeals to you most?

“It’s the treasure hunt that excites me. It’s being able to see a piece in a way that others may have overlooked and know that with a little work, something that cost so little can make such a big impact in a space. And let’s face it, who doesn’t love a bargain?”

What are you currently on the hunt for?

“Hollywood Regency lamps with a big glam factor for a house I am doing in Los Angeles. It’s a Greenwich couple that has relocated, and she wants her home to reflect her preppy East Coast vibe and her new surroundings. So I am looking for pieces in faux bamboo, accessories that add pops of bright yellow and Kelly green, and cool, one-of-a-kind objects to create a layered, lived-in look. It’s such a great house, and I want the pieces in it to be comfortable, fun and gorgeous, like the woman who lives there.” n 45

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Designing history

I

By Patricia Espinosa

n the spirit of our historic homes issue, I’ve asked three Greenwich designers, each distinctly qualified, to offer his or her viewpoint when it comes to creating interiors for homes of a certain pedigree.

In her firm, Ellsworth Ford Associates, Robin Kencel has taken a special interest in preserving, restoring and renovating historic properties throughout the United States, as in the Phillip Johnsonrenovated 1770s glass barn she decorated in Madison, Conn. Her designs endeavor to create beautiful interiors that complement the architecture, never competing or distracting from it.

Christina Roughan’s work at Roughan Interior Design is marked by her timeless sophistication and her keen ability to mix classic with modern. Roughan believes that interiors are to be lived in and reflect

the people who reside in the spaces, even if the space happens to be an historic 1800s limestone townhouse in Manhattan.

Ralph Vuolo, owner of Ralph Vuolo Designs, has consulted on historic preservation, art and antiques. As co-founder of the Greenwich Neighborhoods Preservation Association, he has worked with the Greenwich Historical Society and The Historic District Commission to establish an historic district of 50 buildings and structures by a watermill. His favorite projects are those that merge new and old, bringing a fresh perspective to decorating with antiques like the featured dining room in this 19th century Cape Cod house in Rye. With years of experience, each is committed to honoring the uniqueness of historic structures by creating designs that live in the present while respecting the past. Because good design never goes out of style.

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1. Be mindful of the scale 2. Be responsive to opporand proportions of each room tunities that enable you to be and the home overall. The consistent with the home’s departure point for decoratoriginal architecture. ing any historic home is un3. Select materials of a qualderstanding the architectural ity and personality that are style, resulting in a harmony consistent with those origiof the space and furnishings nally used in the home. The in it. In the photo above, lady’s master bath above took the monastery dining table, as its inspiration a 1930s JanRobin Kencel high-backed upholstered dinsen lavabo, mirror and brass ing chairs and luxurious sofas vanity. It took three searches were designed to fit this Philip Johnson- to find a soft peach/pink marble that was renovated antique barn on the Connecti- similar to that of the bath pieces for use as cut shoreline. flooring and tub surrounds.

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Photograph by Thomas M. Ancker.

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4. Stay true to the original charm and integrity of the home. Don’t stray too far. The stairway of the Manhattan townhouse, above, was so glamorous, I wanted to keep it that way. I enhanced the traditional moldings by painting the walls an off-white (Donald Kaufman DKC38) and the raised moldings and trim, gray (Benjamin Moore OC-22 Calm). I then chose a dark-gray center Italian wool carpet and a light-gray contrasting stripe boarder to highlight the edges of the stairs.

These small details enhance the original charm of the house and allow the entry to flow gracefully. The architecture really becomes an art piece.

5. Understand the architecture of the home to get a clear direction of the design. As the photo, above, illustrates, the client wanted a happier and more open 48

Photograph by Thomas M. Ancker.

place for her children to use as a TV area and a possible guest room. I accomplished this by keeping the existing architecture, removing the old Venetian plaster, Christina S. Roughan adding new raffia wall covering and painting the ceiling white. When that was complete, the design was easy to achieve.

6. Design for function and beauty. Historic homes are notorious for spatial problems. That is why it is very important that each room function as it is supposed to.

This should be a large part of your vernacular when determining the design of each interior. Interiors are not beautiful unless

they function.

7. Confirm town rules and regulations.

Check with your city or town to find out its rules and regulations for renovating an Ralph Vuolo historic home.

Some municipalities are more stringent than others.

8. Always use an expert for any architectural or structural repair and do your research.

9. Mix antiques with modern elements.

The owner’s challenge in the 19th century Cape Cod house, above, was to restore, update and open up this charmer.

The dining room maintained its original

appeal with the new and old woodworking blended together. The antique display cabinet is a family heirloom. We found a round 19th century English pedestal dining table and had custom contemporary chairs made. The pale sea-foam colors lighten up the space while making the antiques pop. The mirrors are 1930s and add light and glamour.

10. Shop antique stores and buy what you love. You can merge styles and centuries, and we have many to pick from.

In the traditional center-hall colonial, above, in Greenwich, the living room is filled with antiques ranging from 16th century French to 19th century English.

The finds include Chinese porcelain and a convex 18th century American mirror.

The blend of periods and light colors gives the room a cheery feel.

49

50

MOBY

I

n the world of mononyms – think Cher, Madonna, Beyoncé – there are few men. One who springs to mind is Moby. But though he goes by one name, he has many roles – musician, DJ, vegan, activist, photographer and Darien native.

Recently, NPR’s “World Café” program saluted him as one of the most significant music-makers of our time, giving airtime to “Run On,” the hit off his 1999 electronic dance album “Play,” which went on to sell more than 10 million copies worldwide.

It also marked the first time a CD had every single track licensed for film, TV and advertising, making it a true global phenomenon. Perhaps a bit ahead of his time, Moby’s electronic dance music has had an influence on today’s pop genre, much of which relies on the use of synthesizers and a variety of sounds and other music.

“I don’t think I’ve ever done anything terribly new or innovative,” Moby said in

Photograph by Bernd Arnold.

upward moby-ility Renaissance man adds to his outrageously huge repertoire

By Zoë Zellers response to his “World Café” selection.

“I guess I’ve just had more visibility than some other people. I’m sometimes credited with bringing electronic music to a bigger audience. If, in fact, that’s the case, it’s a complete accident, because all I’ve ever tried to do is make music I really care about.”

At 46, Moby is remarkably honest and polite. He seems grounded – he doesn’t drink alcohol and has been vegan for nearly 25 years. But he’s never pushy – “I don’t care if you wear leather,” he says, adding, “It looks nice.” He seems to know who he is. He’s maintained the same shaved head and rectangular, black plasticframed glasses for decades. And he seems unfazed by the celebrity of the music industry, opting instead to be completely

absorbed in artwork – which is heading in an architectural direction.

Shutterbug

This past year Moby released his 10th studio album, “destroyed.,” with a photography book of the same name, his first. As it turns out, photography is no new venture for the artist, who’s been shooting as long as he’s been making music.

Last month Moby, clad in a black hoodie and dark-rinse jeans, made a stop at Greenwich’s Samuel Owen Gallery to celebrate an exhibit of his work, sign books and say “Hi” to gallery’s owner Lee Milazzo, an old friend and former Big Apple roommate.

An admitted insomniac, Moby nonetheless clutched a cup of coffee as he welcomed the excited throng, patiently drawing cartoon characters and autographing copies of “destroyed.” The

stark white walls behind him showcased 32- by 60-inch framed crowd shots from his international tours, which he photographed in varying tints from sepia to green with a digital camera.

Moby’s ability to capture the crowd’s energy before a performance is what drew Milazzo to his portfolio. Plus, it’s something Milazzo got a taste of when Moby once brought his friend onstage before the start of a show.

“He said, ‘Brace yourself.’ The spotlight hit and the feel of the simultaneous roar of the crowd directed straight at Moby literally felt like I was hit by a car. All that energy and everyone screaming at once and towards you is a feeling that few people get to experience…. That is what he is trying to convey…. And then even still, you can see each photo is so dramatically different.

In some of them the crowd is shirtless.

Some are all guys. Some are really colorful.”

Moby’s “destroyed.” also reveals a thoughtful contrast between such high-energy moments and quiet spaces in touring.

“Normally when people take pictures of mu51

sicians on tour or when musicians take pictures on tour, they tend to document the glamorous stuff, you know?” Moby said. “So you see pictures of Eddie Vedder throwing himself into a crowd or Led Zeppelin on their private plane, and one of the ideas behind the book was to show this very different side of life on tour, which is basically a lot of strange emptiness.

“And oddly enough, friends of mine who are musicians or other people who have to live a lot in hotel rooms, when they see the book it really resonates with them because when you’re on tour only about 10 percent of the time are you doing something even remotely glamorous.

The rest of the time you’re by yourself, usually in an empty airport or an empty hotel room or an empty dressing room.”

The title of the book and the cover photo come from a sign Moby spotted in LaGuardia Airport that read, ‘Unattended luggage will be destroyed.’

“But the sign only said one word at a time so I just stood there taking pictures of the sign whenever it flashed the word ‘destroyed,’” he said with a soft laugh.

It’s a word that encapsulates life on the road.

“I’m not complaining, but they’re all these very anonymous, sort of lifeless environments. And when you try and live in these strange, anonymous environments, it ends up almost like destroying everything that’s familiar and regular about your life.

So that’s kind of what the photographs are about and the music is the sort of music I wanted to make that would fill these strange, lifeless spaces and maybe try on one hand to be inspired by them but also make them feel a little less impersonal.”

Artistic DNA

Moby’s venture behind the camera is not surprising since he was raised in an artsminded family and developed his passion for 52

photography by “just spending days in the darkroom at (Purchase College).” (Nights were spent spinning songs from New Order as a DJ at The Beat club in Port Chester.)

Born in Harlem and raised in Darien, Moby describes growing up in “this weird artistic family.” His arts lineage begins with his great-great-great-granduncle,

“Moby Dick” author Herman Melville.

The way Milazzo remembers it, “His name is Richard, but his (late) father said, ‘Richard is such a big name for such a little baby,’ so he’s always been Moby.”

The family’s creativity gene extends further, Moby said: “My mother was a painter. My grandmother was a painter. My uncle was a photographer. My other uncle was a sculptor. So everyone in my family did some sort of visual art and I guess I thought I’d do that as well. When I was growing up, photography seemed like the most powerful, immediate, resonate art form. With darkrooms especially, the fact that you could somehow capture an im-

age on silver nitrate and reveal it through chemicals, that magical aspect of it really appealed to me.”

That passion found another vehicle this year with the launch of Moby’s architecture photo blog, inspired by his recent move to Los Angeles. It’s a far cry from his Lower East Side apartment and many Connecticut dwellings, which have included an old factory in Stamford, a rent-free 1920s carriage house in backcountry Greenwich and homes in Darien, Danbury, Stratford and Norwalk.

But today, he literally lives “right below the Hollywood sign,” said Milazzo. “His backyard view is Lake Hollywood.”

Moby has restored his 1920s Hollywood Hills “Wolf’s Lair” mansion, which was built by real estate developer L. Milton Wolf.

The home once counted Marlon Brando and the Rolling Stones as residents.

“Even though I’ve traveled a lot for work, I’ve never really lived anywhere else but New York or Connecticut, so I moved out here because Manhattan has become so expensive and it seems as if a lot of interesting people have been priced out,” Moby said. “My neighbors in the Lower East Side in the ’80s were writers, junkies and musicians and now in the Lower East Side my neighbors tend to be tourists and hedge-fund managers.

“L.A. is a big, insane, dysfunctional city, but it’s still really weird and cheap so anyone – any musician, any writer, any

filmmaker, any photographer – can still come here and find cheap rent and find a way to do their art. It makes for a really odd, interesting climate. Also, I really like being warm in the wintertime.”

The month-old blog features a mix of tightly shot, stately vine-covered country homes and anonymous mid-century apartments, all photographed in romantic black and white to reveal clean lines and intriguing shadows. Years ago Moby got the idea that “all good architectural photography should be in black and white,” like Julius Shulman’s photographs. The secret ingredient to the blog is a combination of his quiet humor, photographic know-how and appreciation for homes, which comes in part from having lived in a fascinating mix, from an apartment in an old Lower East Side factory to the left tower of Manhattan’s iconic Eldorado to a 1970s Fishkill abode that he beautifully restored. Already the blog is earning kudos from the Los Angeles Times and Architect magazine.

“I just love the weirdness of L.A. architecture because it’s completely random and it’s all these buildings that were either built really inexpensively or really fantastically by weird artists or cheap slumlords,” Moby said.

His noncelebrity ’tude keeps fans and paparazzi at bay.

Said Moby, “I dress like a used-car salesman.”

To view Moby’s blog, visit mobylosangelesarchitecture.com. Check out Moby’s book and album “destroyed.” sold together, (Damiani), $39.93. n Page 49: Cover of Moby’s album “Play.”

Page 50: New York City door, photo by Moby.

This page, top: Crowd shot from “destroyed.” and middle: Moby in concert.

way

upstairs downstairs A couple takes leave of the dream that was their Bedford Victorian

By Jane K.Dove Photographs by Tim Lee and David Bravo

Presented by Houlihan Lawrence

Porch

Barn

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Smaller barn

Den

Dining room

“W

hen I first saw the house 16 years ago, it was like loving arms reaching out to me,” said Ilene Scheer, owner of the magnificent Suttons Corners Farm in Bedford.

“I looked at this beautiful Victorian house on the top of the hill and had a vision of my whole life there – my husband and children, horses, dogs, family and friends.

It was like the house embraced me. It was my dream and there it was, right in front of me.”

Built in 1879, Sutton Corners Farm is one of the great estates of the Guard Hill section of Bedford. It harks back to an era between 1880 and 1940 when a privileged few lived in a kind of country splendor that will probably never be known in Westchester again.

The original owner, prominent New York City art dealer James Sutton, built the home for his bride, Florence, the daughter of R.H. Macy, founder of the department store empire. The home was set on several hundred acres and he spared no expense, hiring a well-known French architect to build a big house on the top of Guard Hill Road. Frederick Law Olmstead, the visionary behind Central Park, created the landscape design.

The wealthy young couple fit quickly into the local society, with its house parties, formal dinners, charades and recitals in the music room, garden parties and croquet on the lawn. The ladies all went calling, while the sportsminded gentlemen rode to the hounds and played tennis.

When the summer season ended, society moved back to lavish townhouses on Fifth and Park avenues in Manhattan.

Over the years, Sutton Corners Farm has been welltended, so when Robert and Ilene Scheer first saw it from the foot of the long, tree-lined driveway, they knew they could complete the alternations needed to make it their own and bring all of its amenities into the 21st century while maintaining the charm and ambience of America’s past. As a result, this 5,800-square-foot residence blends past and present and is well-suited to both grand-scale entertaining and comfortable family life.

Victorian beauty

“We were living in Chappaqua and looking for a larger house, especially for a piece of property that could accommodate our nine show horses,” Ilene Scheer said. “Sutton

Living room

Corners Farm, with its 12 acres of large paddocks, Lawton Adams-designed riding arena, large six-stall barn and an auxiliary barn fit the bill to perfection. The grounds also offer direct access to Bedford’s network of beautifully maintained riding trails.”

Scheer was an accomplished rider on the hunter-jumper show circuit, competing at high levels.

“When we moved here, we had horses imported from Germany, Holland and France and others that were boarded,” she said. “Sutton Corners Farm was the perfect place for them.”

If the accommodations for the horses were superb, the house was in a league of its own.

From the sweeping wraparound porch to the inviting interiors, Sutton Corners Farm envelopes you with warmth and positive energy. Gleaming parquet floors with intricate designs, carved moldings and beautiful period fireplaces grace many of the rooms.

Unusual tracery plasterwork brings an Asian touch to some of the walls and ceilings throughout the home. All of the main rooms open onto the expansive porch with soaring ceilings and 11-foot windows completing the airy feel.

The Old World details found throughout the home are

SUTTON CORNERS FARM at a Glance • Bedford • 5,800 square feet • 12 acres • Rooms: 14 • Bedrooms: 6 • Bathrooms: 4 full; 1 half •A menities: Stables, fence paddocks, riding ring, in-ground pool, guest cottage • Price: $3,250,000 first seen in the grand entrance hall, where a magnificent curved staircase combines with the handsome parquet floors and finely detailed walls and ceilings to offer an impressive welcome.

In the front parlor, fireplaces enhance the gracious ambience. In the living room, a stately brick fireplace framed by an antique walnut mantel imported from Europe is a striking focal point. The dining room features a coffered ceiling, a regal fireplace and a large window seat. The bookcase-lined library echoes the atmosphere of one in an old English hunt55

ing lodge with its upholstered walls.

The large country kitchen, featuring honey-hued cabinetry and state-of-the-art appliances, invokes family and friends. A second room off the kitchen serves as a butler’s pantry. A light-filled breakfast room, paneled family room, mud room and powder room complete the main level.

The second floor is graced by the same refined detailing as the rest of the home.

This floor has a master suite with a handsome tiled fireplace, an office/sitting room, two walk-in closets and a full bath.

Two more bedrooms, one with its own fireplace, share a full hall bath. Another bedroom, full bath and laundry room complete the floor in a separate wing.

And there is still more. A third floor contains a playroom, office, gym, maid’s bedroom, full bath, cedar closet and additional storage.

Meanwhile, the grounds of Sutton Corners Farm offer many opportunities to relax and enjoy the beauties of Guard Hill.

There’s a beautifully sited private pool, complete with a sun deck and cabana. Several Victorian-style outbuildings dot the expansive, meticulously landscaped grounds, including a large guest cottage located near the pool; a two-story studio with a workshop, office and full bath; and the original dovecote that now serves as a playhouse.

“I will miss this place

deeply but

hope it finds new owners

that will love

it as we did.”

Pure joy

“As soon as I saw this house, I wanted it badly and I wanted to put my heart and soul into it,” Scheer said. “We hired Dave Zublin, a well-known designer and builder to do the needed work. We kept the Victorian architectural style and integrated some new European-style features.

“I was here, overseeing everything ,” she added. “I did my research, both historic and financial, to make sure everything turned out the way we wanted it. I was determined that my vision for this beautiful place would become a reality. And it did.”

Scheer said the years she lived in the house were pure joy.

“I pinched myself every morning, thinking how lucky I was to live here,” she said. “I couldn’t believe I was living my dream. I will never forget my 16 happy years at Sutton Corners Farm.”

Now that son Jeremy and daughter Rachel are off to college, Scheer and her husband, an audiologist, have returned to Manhattan.

“I am off in a new direction, designing handcrafted gold and precious stone jewelry that is carried in fine stores, including Neiman Marcus, and was featured in ‘Sex and the City,’” she said.

“I will miss this place deeply but hope it finds new owners that will love it as we did.”

For more information, contact Beth Silfen at (914) 234-9099. n

56

Ilene Scheer

Objects of desire To Paul Vandekar, an antique is an experience “The Internet today has helped everyone become instant experts with sourcing items and it obviously helps one find new sources. ... But generally, the Internet is no substitute for building a personal relationship with a dealer whom you like and respect and who uses a lifetime of knowledge to advise you.”

4. What are the trends in using antiques in historic homes? Are clients interested in purity or eclecticism?

“Obviously, every client’s needs are different, but eclecticism is definitely the look today. A house doesn’t have to be all antique. A mixture of pieces of different periods can look very exciting. Remember when we look at the great country houses in England, we see a collection formed over centuries reflecting a variety of owners’ interests formed over time. They weren’t trying to form a ‘collection’ but just great objects that reflected their taste and were the best that they could find. When they bought Chippendale furniture it was new.

But it worked wonderfully with their Roman objects and other possessions.”

5. Is there a lack of American antiques and are we depending more on European imports – or is this simply a matter of taste?

A Fine Chinese Export Cache Pot in Underglaze Blue and Gold depicting Pomegranites and Banana Trees, Circa 1750-75.

T

he president of Earle D. Vandekar of Knightsbridge Inc. in Westchester and Manhattan, Vandekar is an expert in English ceramics and Chinese Export as well as China Trade watercolors. He’s also become one of the most knowledgeable specialists in sailor’s woolworks – wool pictures made by sailors and marines in the 19th century, which collectors call “woolies.”

Recently, he took time from his busy schedule to answer questions from WAG on the relationship between antiques and historic homes:

1. Tell us a little about how you got into the antiques business. We know the company still bears your father’s name.

“I am a fourth-generation member of my family company. The family originally began selling antiques in Amsterdam in the late 1800s. My grandfather came to London in 1916 and then my father joined him after the Second World War. We were located on Brompton Road in London for 40 years. I joined the company after college in the early 1970s, initially to help

out one summer. I had intended to make a career working for an international aid agency. But I became fascinated with the history of the huge selection of ceramics I came in contact with in our shop and became intrigued with how the objects were used and why the designs were created. As a psychology major, I also was fascinated by the international nature of our clientele.

On any day, we used to get clients in from the Middle East, Portugal, Japan, Germany and the United States. Each was interested in different types of items and for each we had a different type of interaction. I was hooked. I opened a branch of the company in the United States in 1978.”

2. Are clients becoming more sensitive to using antiques in their homes?

“Not really. One of the wonderful things I love about dealing in antiques is helping clients build collections, especially those who have period houses and who wish to add objects appropriate for the house. In fact, ever since I’ve been in the States this has been the case. I exhibit at the Philadelphia Antiques Show, which is one of the longest-running world-class

antiques shows, where the majority of the dealers specialize in antiques for the period house. And in December in Norwalk, the Fairfield County Antiques Show provides a venue for an amazing collection of items. As prices for American furniture rose through the stratosphere, many collectors were pushed out of the market.

But that is no longer the case with prices coming down significantly during the latest recession, providing homeowners now with opportunities to add wonderful period pieces to their homes.”

3. How would you assist a client who wishes to complement an historic house with objects from the same period?

“We work out what types of items they need. I have or find pieces that complement the house. I use a network of friends and associates around the world that I’ve built up over time. I recommend clients to visit antiques shows, museums and read books and publications to get a feel for the variety of objects available and to find something that appeals to them. You must become passionate about the pieces you live with.

“It’s a matter of taste. Remember in the 18th century, many families had English objects in their homes prior to the Revolution. George Washington had First Period Worcester porcelain on his mantelpiece.”

6. How valuable are antiques compared to newly manufactured pieces?

“One must always consider the intrinsic value of an item. Most new pieces lose most of their value immediately. An antique has a monetary value through time and will hold and increase that value. It has a value, because it can be a beautifully crafted object. But it also has an intellectual value. I look at an antique as a time machine – a witness to different times and hundreds of years of its journey, change, location, ownership and use. ...

These pieces still possess the ability to create that awe if we let them talk to us.

Sitting down to a meal with antique porcelain plates and glass transforms an everyday event into an experience. That is the value of an antique.”

For more on Paul Vandekar and antiques, visit vandekar.com, tumblr.com/ blog/earlevandekar or paulvandekar. blogspot.com/, or like him on Facebook at facebook.com/vandekarantiques for updates on new acquisitions and free show tickets. You may also call (212) 308-2022. n 57

Joseph Klaff Passero with his wife, Allison Passero

Breakfast at… Klaff’s Story and photographs by Olga Loginova

R

emember that opening scene from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” in which Audrey Hepburn walks toward the jewelry store and stares dreamily inside?

When I went to Klaff’s for an interview with chairman Joseph Klaff Passero, I felt like I was that lost girl who found solace in “the quietness and the proud look” of this elegant home-design center (but for the Givenchy dress and any resemblance to the great actress, unfortunately).

And it’s not that diamonds have less appeal to me than most stunning sinks, tile and kitchen hardware, but rather that the discreet luxury emanating from every item on display in the Scarsdale showroom made me feel happy and at home.

There’s much more to Klaff’s than just the polished interior and an abundance of choice. Speaking of which, when the late Andy Rooney stopped by to buy a light bulb, he reportedly got so overwhelmed with the assortment that he promised to make a radio show out of it. Among other big names that have been Klaff’s devotees are the recent Oscar winner Christopher Plummer, Bette Davis, Paul Newman, Robert Vaughn and other prominent people whose names are kept secret by the store’s personnel.

Founded in 1921, by Joe and Mary Klaff as South Norwalk Plumbing Supply Co., Klaff’s has gone a long way to become a one-stop home-design center. Today there 58

are three stores – in South Norwalk, Danbury and Scarsdale. The store in Scarsdale – actually several showrooms in one, each with its own motif – features kitchens, tiles and stones, decorative hardware, bathrooms, and outdoor and indoor lighting fixtures. Fully integrated, as if in a real home, the artful displays provide endless patterns to sophisticated customers.

For 91 years, Klaff’s has been a family business, and this sense of family has helped the company to weather the two worst recessions in modern history.

Never once during the recent tough years has Klaff’s compromised its quality for lower prices. Instead, the company cut back on benefits and regrouped. According to Passero, launching the new design center in Scarsdale in 2009 was very risky. But looking back, he says it was an excellent business decision. Thanks to customers’ loyalty, Klaff’s is gradually returning to its pre-recession revenues.

A vibrant, charismatic man, Passero not only inherited his grandfather’s name but also his looks and business acumen. He knows Klaff ’s inside out. Just like his mother, Mollie (now the store’s owner), his siblings and cousins, he started working at Klaff ’s when he was a little boy. From loading and unloading trucks, to checking inventory and selling bulbs to running the operation, Passero never dreamed of a life outside the family business.

He’s also the visionary behind the Klaff’s design state-

ments. For the last 30 years, he has traveled the world searching for new patterns and the hottest trends, such as vintage faucets, crystals and natural materials and designs inspired by a range of influences, including New England, Iceland and Asian minimalism.

But of course, it’s not only about trends. As Passero put it: “Just as for my grandparents, my ultimate goal is to help customers envision their dreams with the paints and canvases we provide. We help people have beautiful lives in their beautiful homes.”

After a pause, he added with a smile, “Joe and Mary would be incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved through the years.”

Indeed, Klaff’s has many reasons to celebrate and it does so in a generous manner. For several years, the three design centers have been hosting tastings prepared by local chefs and open to the customers and friends. The tradition has become so popular with the public and food lovers that Klaff’s has published a cookbook, written by the chefs, available in its stores. Among the plans for the future is the launch of an online Klaff’s store.

Last but not least, the prices… Well, I’d better quote Ben Alliker, Klaff’s general manager in Scarsdale, who says, “You may come here for a $100 faucet or for the faucet that costs $20,000. You chose how expensive you want it to be.”

Well, maybe one day…. n

tabling design

By Zoë Zellers Photographs courtesy of Deborah Rhodes

“E

ntertaining is a huge part of the Southern culture,” home designer Deborah Rhodes says. After her picturesque Southern upbringing by a seamstress mother and a gardening father, Rhodes moved to New York City and launched herself in the fashion accessories community. Today she and husband Paul Podryski, her business partner, accessorize the home, finding inspiration in the natural surroundings of their colonial in Westport. I caught up with Rhodes to discuss her successful move from fashion design to creating her own home line and what’s to come.

Q: How does your early work in fashion inform your home line?

A: “I began designing in the 1980s having graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and the desire to work with my hands.

During that time, fashion belonged to the young. It was an explosive time for music and fashion (think Madonna and Studio 54) in New York….I literally looked around me and thought that there was a void of fun, colorful hats and hair accessories that spoke to youth. With fabric, feathers and jewels in hand, I made my first collection. I approached the fashion merchants at that time – Bergdorf Goodman, Henri Bendel, Saks. My collection sold and I expanded my millinery business across the country.”

Q: What are some of your more memorable fashion collaborations?

A: “I worked alongside such people as Nicole Miller and Cynthia Rowley to cre-

ate hats for their runway collections. My hats were worn by Twiggy and Shirley MacLaine.”

Q: Where did the motivation to start the home line come from, given your market and critical success in fashion? Tell me the story behind the idea for your famous braided round placemats.

A: “It ironically was Henri Bendel that sparked my entry into home fashion. The buyer asked if I could apply my millinery braid to make a placemat for its very trendy home-accessories boutique. This was the mid-1990s and people were just beginning to turn their interest inside to create a personalized environment that reflected their inward style, as was I. “My background in fashion set a perfect stage for my home designs. Over the years, I became familiar with many types of fabric and how to use them. Natural materials such as shells, wood and straw were a big part of my spring and summer seasons in fashion. Conversely, during the fall and winter, I used metallics, Czech glass, feathers and braids. I translated all of this knowledge into home accessories.

“After the launch of the original braided millinery mat, I became very interested in the home…. I embraced nature and entertaining. My product line of placemats consists of 30 shapes in nearly 200 colors.

I design my linens in a factory in Eastern Europe that spins, dyes and weaves fabric to my specifications. My napkin rings are still lovingly made at my studio in Connecticut where my original samples makers from millinery still assist me.”

Q: What gets your creative juices going?

A: “I am drawn to anything that is made by hand. Fun and whimsy are essential in my design. My influences are derived from nature, as clichéd as that sounds. I create items based on flowers, wood and even stone colors and textures.”

sonal changes with pillows, flowers and the ceramics I feature.” (The house is also home to two daughters, Savannah, 18, and Penelope, 15, two dogs and three cats.)

Q: Do you have big developments in the upcoming year to mention?

A: “My customer base begins with bridal registry and follows that customer through her family-time entertaining. My products can be combined in many ways so that selections can be endless, allowing the customers to invent a look for their tables. This can be urban, coastal, lodge or outdoors. I design two collections a year to encompass the spring and summer seasons and, of course, fall and the holidays, including placemats, linens, coasters and napkin rings.”

A: “(I’ll be introducing) a line of room accessories called ‘Capri.’ It is a look of mixed media. Oversize platters and bowls feature rope handles reminiscent of nautical looks – perfect for outdoor entertaining or displaying collectibles you find on the beach. I am also introducing a line of dinnerware I named ‘Alice.’ It is very playful and has the sculptural texture of my placemat braid. There are charming, petal-shaped platters, rickrack edges and plates. It makes you smile as if you were Alice (in Wonderland) at the tea party.”

Q: Why pay attention to accessorizing the table?

Q: Where can we buy your merchandise?

Q: Do you have a typical customer?

A: “I have always felt the table is ‘the heart of the home.’ There is nothing more giving of yourself than creating a wonderful setting and serving food to family and friends. I love to cook as a creative process and entertaining is a real pleasure to me.”

Q: Describe the aesthetic of your home. Do you ever make seasonal decor changes?

A: “The windows are plentiful and allow in tons of light. I love color, artwork, books and ceramics. In my house expect green, lavender, hot pink, orange, chartreuse, taupe and chocolate. I make sea-

A: “Today we sell across the country to fine stores. (Locally, shoppers can go to Lynnens and Hoagland’s in Greenwich, The Whitney Shop in New Canaan, Breeze in Chappaqua and Simon Pearce locations in Greenwich and Westport.)

We sell worldwide in London, Tokyo, Paris, Seoul, Oslo, the Caribbean and Mexico. I am thrilled I will be featured at Fortnum & Mason, where (Queen Elizabeth II and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge) were recently photographed having tea. I hear that the Queen orders her Christmas pudding from Fortnum & Mason as well.” n 59

Where the boys aren’t In becoming a nun, actress Dolores Hart found her greatest role

By Georgette Gouveia In 1963, actress Dolores Hart – the thinking woman’s ingénue – was at the top of her game.

She had shared Elvis Presley’s first screen kiss in “Loving You,” triumphed on Broadway in “The Pleasure of His Company,” and shown her cinematic range as a Holocaust survivor in “Lisa,” and a coed navigating the romantic perils of spring break in the delectable “Where the Boys Are.” She was about to sign a million-dollar contract. Her next film would team her with Marlon Brando and Warren Beatty.

Life magazine had done a spread on her and her fiancé, adoring architect Don Robinson, selecting housewares for their new home.

And then, she walked away from it and into a new life as a Benedictine nun at The Abbey of Regina Laudis in Bethlehem, Conn.

Her irresistible story of the call to the divine, to community, service and love itself is told in “God Is The Bigger Elvis,” the recently Oscar-nominated documentary directed by Tarrytown’s Rebecca Cammisa and produced by Scarsdale’s Julie Anderson. It will be presented on HBO April 5.

What makes this story and the approxi60

mately 36-minute film so irresistible is that at its heart is a mystery: Why would a young woman – an intelligent beauty loved by a fine man with a brilliant career behind and ahead of her – chuck it all and don a habit to live with a group of women on a working farm, praying and chanting throughout the day and taking meals in silence in a cloistered atmosphere? There can be only one answer – “a deep, intense call,” Cammisa says.

Or as Hart – now Mother Prioress of the abbey – says in the film, ever the radiant actress, “God Is The Bigger Elvis.”

Behind the grille

The tradition to which Mother Prioress has been called, the Rule of St. Benedict, was established circa 529 in Italy with the first of a dozen independent monasteries.

Benedictines take vows of stability, binding the nun to a particular abbey; conversion of life, reaffirming her devotion to God through community daily; and obedience to the abbess, who represents the authority of Jesus Christ. The motto of the Benedictines is “ora et labora” – “prayer and work.” In the film, the nuns exemplify prayer through the exquisite use of Gregorian chant in both the Mass

and the Divine Office – a series of psalms that begin at 1:50 a.m. with Matins and continue throughout the day and evening with Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers and Compline. Prayer is the underpinning of Regina Laudis (“Queen of Praise”) – founded in 1947 by Mother Benedict Duss on 400 acres that include a former brass factory and elevated to the status of abbey in 1976.

But as “God Is The Bigger Elvis” makes clear, the abbey is not only singing nuns.

“This is a working farm of 37 women living in community,” Cammisa says.

The nuns – educated women from all walks of life – make their own cheese, blow their own glass, cut their own marble and work the smithy. They grow vegetables and raise livestock. There’s a kind of exhilarating feminism afoot there that has always been part of the sisterhood.

Cammisa recalls seeing one nun hitch up her habit to reveal a leather tool belt with a cell phone. These are not the Amish. There’s a scene in “God Is The Bigger Elvis,” in which Mother Prioress bops to Offenbach’s “Orpheus in the Underworld” with her pet parrot, her computer in the background. It was given to her by Don Robinson, who

never married and visited her every year until his death in 2011.

Just as the nuns of Regina Laudis make use of the latest technology, they also commune with the modern world, despite a life lived behind a grille.

“They’re allowed to have guests and can leave the abbey for stated purposes, with permission,” Cammisa says.

One recent spectacular example – the Oscars, for which Mother Prioress once again walked the red carpet. (She was a presenter in 1959 and remains a voting member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.)

“It was fantastic,” Cammisa says. “I felt like the wife of a star….Everyone wanted to meet her.”

And though the film didn’t win, Cammisa adds that Mother Prioress loved the whole experience, for though she left Hollywood, Hollywood has never left her: “She’s still an actress. That hasn’t changed, and she’s also a nun.”

Indeed, with friend Patricia Neal, the Oscar-winning actress, Mother Prioress founded The Gary-The Olivia, an openair theater at the abbey, in 1986.

As she says on the abbey’s superb website:

c o u n t r y w i l low Furniture • Lighting • Window Treatments • Rugs • Custom • Kids

Spring Sale Event new spring showroom • savings to 50%

30,000 Sq Ft of Comfort, Quality & Design

Dolores Hart and Elvis Presley in “Loving You.” Photograph courtesy of Photofest Collection/HBO.

“I never felt I was ‘walking away from Hollywood.’ I felt I was walking into something more significant and by that, I took Hollywood with me.”

Damascus moments

Yet some things inevitably were left behind, including the dream of marriage and children.

Perhaps the most heartbreaking scene in the documentary depicts her final meeting with Robinson, whose health had been declining.

“He was completely in love with her,” Cammisa says. “She was it for him.”

After he kisses her goodbye and leaves, the camera captures her watching him depart, tears rolling down her cheeks. She wipes them away and crosses herself.

Mother Prioress’ calling has not come without sacrifice or initial resistance even.

In the film, she describes how she – the child of a handsome teenage couple, bit players in Hollywood who divorced when she was a toddler – first came to Regina Laudis for a rest while starring on Broadway in “The Pleasure of His Company.”

She had no plans to become a nun and was relieved when Mother Benedict Dunn told her it was not for her.

And yet she played St. Clare, who gives

up her worldly life, to follow St. Francis of Assisi and found the Order of the Poor Clares, in the film “St. Francis of Assisi.”

Something was pulling Mother Prioress.

And then the pull became undeniable.

Cammisa, too, was reluctant. She had done “Sister Helen” (2002), about a Benedictine who opens a home for recovering addicts and alcoholics in the South Bronx.

When HBO’s Sheila Nevins – “the doyenne of docs” – suggested a documentary about Mother Prioress, Cammisa says she told her, “I don’t want to do another nun movie. I’ve done my nun movie.

“Then I went up there. The abbey is a one of a kind place. I fell in love with the abbey, the nuns and Mother Prioress.

“When I was there, I felt I had experienced a place that I wished the world was like. I wish people cared for the land the way the nuns do. I wish people cared for one another the way the nuns do. I wish everyone had that focus for work and prayer.”

We may not be able to join an abbey as Mother Prioress did. But perhaps we can take the abbey into our hearts.

“It’s an example,” Cammisa says, “of how to live.” n

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61

wear

Olga Loginova models spring colors available at Neiman Marcus. Le Métier de Beauté makeup

by Jenny Alves. Manicure by Nancy Imhoff at Premier Atelier Salon & Spa in The Westchester.

Photograph by Ryan Doran.

Like Skittles for digits A fling with spring’s sweet nail colors

By Zoë Zellers Nails are decidedly one of the season’s sweetest accessories, playing a starring role in spring’s most thoughtful head-to-toe fashion narratives. Bursts of traditional reds and pinks by Laura Mercier and Chanel tie pastel or stark white ensembles together, while ultra-trendy neon polishes by the likes of Deborah Lippmann, manicurist to the stars, make a bold, unexpected statement.

Last summer was all about nail art – with elaborate 62

vignettes on each fingernail. But this spring, solid candycolored hues like bright blues and yellows stand out – though you should avoid the faux pas of matching bright digits and tootsies by wearing a neutral toenail polish if you opt for flashy fingers.

Yves Saint Laurent encourages double layering, offering its limited edition Manicure Couture duos in yummy color combinations like “Bubble-Gum Pink” and “Tangerine Orange.” Neon nails harmonize with resort wear

while Estée Lauder’s hot pinks and purples play with the color-block trend when paired with flirty pink lipstick.

Sparkles retain their allure again this spring, as do glamorous satin-finish shades, this time with lines like Le Métier de Beauté offering more sophisticated color options than ever.

With so many enthralling choices in colors and fun finishes from matte to super shiny, and all for under $30, this season a girl really can taste the rainbow. n

Congratulations to the Castle Gallery of The College of New Rochelle

The Westchester Biennial opened March 27 at the Castle Gallery of The College of New Rochelle. Pictured at the Gallery are, from L. to R.: Judith Huntington, President, The College of New Rochelle; Janet Langsam, CEO, ArtsWestchester and Katrina Rhein, Director of the Castle Gallery.

Winner of the 2012 ArtsWestchester Community Arts Award For more than three decades, the Castle Gallery of The College of New Rochelle has served as a valuable educational and cultural resource for the greater Westchester community, presenting a wide range of original exhibitions. In recognition of this vision and commitment to enriching the arts community, the Castle Gallery has been awarded the 2012 Community Arts Award from ArtsWestchester.

Continuing this tradition of excellence in the arts, the Castle Galley is proud to host The Westchester Biennial 2012, a juried exhibit featuring 20 of Westchester’s finest artists. The exhibit, which runs through June 17, is the only one if its kind open exclusively to Westchester artists.

The Castle Gallery is open Tuesday, Thursday & Friday, 10 am to 5 pm, Wednesday, 10 am to 8 pm, and Saturday & Sunday, 12 to 4 pm. And don’t forget to join us on April 29 from 1 to 4 pm for Family Fun Day at the Castle Gallery, a celebration of Earth Week featuring an afternoon for creative and eco-conscious play, healthy food and fun for the whole family. Join us and discover a world of great art that awaits you at our beautiful New Rochelle campus.

For more information about exhibits and events at the Castle Gallery, call (914) 654-5423 or visit www.cnr.edu.

The College of New Rochelle

wear

Going her way Isabel Toledo’s maverick designs

I

By Zoë Zellers Images courtesy of Celebra

sabel Toledo has long been regarded as the designer’s designer.

She’s an innovative couturier with a body of work built on timelessness, craftsmanship and a fine European sensibility that has often been absent from the mainstream American marketplace. She has the impressive ability to mix luxurious materials with humble, rack-friendly knits like jersey, turning out what has been called her “liquid architecture” garments.

And she operates outside of the fashion machine, choosing to produce clothes on her own time rather than show during New York Fashion Week.

That maverick instinct has helped earn her a solo exhibit at The Museum at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) in Manhattan as well as kudos from industry peers, including the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award for Fashion Design in 2005.

It may also have been what brought Isabel – author of the new memoir “Roots of Style: Weaving Together Life, Love, and Fashion” (Celebra) – to the attention of another independent-minded woman – First Lady Michelle Obama.

That dress

For what was Barack Obama’s groundbreaking inauguration, Mrs. Obama chose a ground-breaking outfit – Isabel’s lemongrass wool lace origami shift ensemble.

“I think the closest garment that people think about as being unusual for an inauguration was Jackie Kennedy’s rather beige-colored ensemble with the famous pillbox hat,” says Patricia Mears, deputy director of The Museum at FIT. “I thought (Mrs. Obama’s ensemble) was something so marvelous and unique, not only fresh in terms of fashion, but you’re talking about a spirited way of looking at the future.

“The garment is beautiful from a distance, but also extraordinary up close,” she adds, pointing out the dress’ hidden opulence of thick lace detail, slight shimmer and layers of pashmina cashmere.

The fabric choice was both qui64

etly luxurious “for the wearer to make the piece ever more special” – and functional since the inauguration took place on a cold day.

That moment was Isabel’s most public to date. She’s not one to pursue Hollywood. But maybe because of this, she’s been able to maintain a fan base of fashion mavens, artists and curators for decades.

“I think you have to have a strength of personality to wear Isabel,” says Mears, who counts her among the great couturiers who have continued to evolve throughout their design careers. And because of this, she says, “From a historical point of view, she will be viewed very favorably.”

Soulmates

More than just an independent designer’s narrative of success, “Roots of Style” is one of the finest love stories you’ll read this year.

It’s filled with drawings by husband Ruben Toledo, one of the most talented fashion illustrators of our time. The two were both born in Cuba – a year and a day apart – and immigrated to New Jersey as children who eagerly embraced American culture. They met in high school, where Ruben instantly thought, “This is the woman I’m going to marry.”

Meanwhile, Isabel had got her hands on the family sewing machine and taught herself to make clothes so extravagantly edgy that at age 14 she was able to catch rides into New York City and gain admittance to hot spots like Studio 54. There she’d win go-go dance competitions and rub elbows with already established designers like Karl Lagerfeld and Thierry Mugler. Isabel had star power (or rather, potential) from the start, which may be why it took some time for her to fall madly in love with Ruben, who was still wearing braces.

Still, one day, Isabel writes, “It’s as if suddenly something in me woke up!” and the two became inseparable and accidentally got married three times. (You’ll have to read the book to find out how that happened.) Today the two work side-byside in their New York City loft, which doubles as their work studio.

“They’ve never been separated in all the years they’ve been together since, ex-

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cept for about one week,” says Mears, who maintains a close relationship with the couple that began with the museum’s 2009 exhibit “Isabel Toledo: Fashion from the Inside Out.” It was actually Ruben who helped introduce Isabel’s work to New York’s major fashion scene (think Fiorucci and Patricia Fields in the ’80s) when he took the clothes out of her closet, walked around the city, presented them to buyers and struck deals then and there. His profound understanding of Isabel from their relationship as fellow artists and soul-mates makes him perhaps the world’s best PR rep and advocate for the sometimes-shy designer.

“Ruben for me has had tremendous impact,” Mears says. “I’ve learned as much from him about Isabel as from Isabel herself…. He is in a certain way a kind of objective voice for Isabel, and I found that so incredible because often when you work with high-end designers you’re dealing with paid representatives. Ruben’s far more committed relationship to Isabel is something that I have never experienced with any other designer.”

Isabel continuously writes of his influence on her own work through watching the way he paints, inspiring her to consider calligraphy in her draping. Her affinity for geometry and wide use of materials

– from lace to chiffon to denim to cashmere to jersey – shows fearlessness. It’s a quality that Isabel no doubt developed during her time as an antique-clothing restorer at The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute under the tutelage of fashion doyenne Diana Vreeland.

(Isabel tells a funny story of wearing two pairs of sandals on each foot at The Met, which prompted Diana Vreeland to ask to try them on, intrigued by the sensation of layering “sole”-mates.)

Isabel always produces something different and yet, she has developed a strong language and special approach to construction to the point where you know it’s an Isabel Toledo dress without looking for a label.

“That’s the sign of a couturier, somebody who uses dressmaking as an art.

There’s the sign of the artist,” Mears says.

“You’re talking about someone who views the creation of clothing as something more than trend or something that’s just to look good in. For Isabel, it’s a calling. And I think the thing that differentiates the really great designers of history (couturiers like Madame Grès and Balenciaga)…. is that they have this hallmark of style.”

Read “Roots of Style: Weaving Together Life, Love, And Fashion” (Celebra, $25.95). n

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window

The spirit of A place Story and Photograph by David Bravo

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T

his month’s issue celebrates antique homes.

It was a pleasure and a privilege to photograph those featured here, each one vastly different from the next, yet each one bound by a steadfast hold on days gone by.

Pictures are like that – no two the same, but each one, in some ways, a triumph of the past over the present.

As I passed through one home, I marveled at a fireplace that was constructed, stone by stone, before the railroad, before even George Washington was president. (Remarkably, that fireplace still works.) I thought long and hard about the effort to construct the fireplace, how Herculean to gather the materials, to have the vision of its construction before computers could calculate slope, weight and ratios of mortar.

And more compelling, how many families have gathered around the fireplace, sharing Thanksgiving dinners, birthdays, perhaps even grief.

As a photographer, this is the same principle that drives my craft – the desire to capture a time and the spirit of a place. In the same way that the treasures in each home have carried history through the years, so a photograph captures a moment in time, pressing the pause button on eternity.

Whether your home is newly constructed or hundreds of years strong, whether your furniture was delivered this week or passed down through generations, photograph your home.

Capture today the treasures in your midst. The challenge is not how to set the light and stage the furniture just so.

Go on assignment to capture the spirit of your place, your world.

Your children will thank you. n

les nouvelles by

What I’m wearing: Vintage jacket, Cheap Monday pants, Converse high tops and a hat from Paris’ 68 Hippy Market.

It’s April in Paris and the City of Lights is at once quietly and wildly luxurious.

Take a cue from the streets of Le Marais and SaintGermain-des-Prés and ring in spring with ladylike hats and scarves and gold bling on your soles.

And remember, leopard is the new neutral. Oh, and fashionable toilet paper is all the rage…. Only in Paris, kids.

Calissons from a couture candy shop

A haberdashery on Île Saint-Louis

Ice skating at Hôtel de Ville

Playful toilet paper

Tara Jarmon’s Derbies

Black gold

Every girl needs gold soles….

YSL’s spring trend report: Luxe leopard

Cheeky new graphic book on the age-old debate (Penguin Books, $20)

and a joy ride

….and navy and stark white done right

Tribal prints, according to Paris

Mod in Montmartre

Kitchen splurge: Eiffel Tower cheese grater

avali A stunning diaphanous Cavali, available at Richards of Greenwich, is a definite keeper. Photograph by Sergio Kurhajec.

70

wear

Fashionable investments

I

By Debbi O’Shea

have fond memories of watching my still glamorous Aunt Dee Dee, packing for exotic cruises to Europe and the Caribbean. I would sit on the end of her bed as she planned each night’s dinner ensemble.

I particularly loved a bateau velvet Pucci dress, in ice cream shades of chocolate, strawberry and vanilla. Where oh where is that Pucci dress now?

When it comes to fashion, are there items that should be passed down from mother to daughter (or aunt)? Is it reasonable to think that anything is too precious to be discarded?

Here are my thoughts on what constitutes a keeper.

Wedding Gowns – Not surprisingly, this is the most frequently stored and kept garment in a woman’s wardrobe. Yet, I have never once seen a daughter wear her mother’s original gown. From a sentimental point of view, bequeath it to your daughter. Just don’t expect her to wear it. Every bride is entitled to wear the dress of her dreams on her wedding day.

Eveningwear – These are not everyday frocks. They are purchased for special occasions and receive less wear and tear. They are ripe with vintage potential.

Full-length gowns, embroidered evening coats or cock-

tail dresses that are couture, designer or of exceptional quality silk, wool, velvet, lace or beadwork are all potential heirlooms. They are also of value to vintage clothing stores that will purchase important items of a certain provenance in good condition to consign.

Store your treasures in breathable cotton garment bags, preferably in a cedar closet.

Furs – Sable, mink, chinchilla and broadtail coats have wonderful potential as heirlooms.

I have assisted clients in shearing Nana’s mink coat to use as a cozy liner for all-weather coats and used sable from an old stole as trim for a cashmere cape. Lynx, fox, and raccoon coats can be made into chic hip or kneelength vests.

Costume jewelry – In the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s, women commonly wore costume jewelry, inspired by important European jewels. Jacqueline Kennedy lent credence to the genre with the gumball-sized faux pearl choker she frequently wore.

Signed costume jewelry pieces from manufacturers like Miriam Haskell, Ciner, Napier, Trifari, Marvella, Boucher and Eisenberg are briskly collected and traded for many times their original prices .

Recently, I wore a Kramer “Diamond Look” pin that my own stylish mother had given me. I used it to accent a grosgrain belt on an off-the-shoulder, full-skirted cocktail dress I wore to a majestic wedding at The Frick Collection. It was a stunning touch that added a certain je nai se quoi to a classic black dress. Thanks, Mom. Luggage and handbags – Investing in handcrafted leather goods is truly a win-win. You get to enjoy something of extraordinary quality now and hand down or consign something of beauty and value later.

Who are the pinnacles of status? Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Lana Marks, Nancy Gonzalez and Bottega Veneta.

This past Christmas, one of my favorite clients came in to purchase his wife an Hermès’ Birkin bag. Together, we watched as the sales clerk tissued it exquisitely in a gorgeous orange Hermès box and festooned it with classic brown Hermès ribbon. Gently, I reminded him that he will have to be back soon enough, to purchase another.

“Why?” he asked, mildly baffled.

“Because you have two daughters and you just purchased an heirloom.”

One will never do.

To read Debbi’s blog, visit DivaDebbi.com. n

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wagging

Grace Coolidge with Rebecca.

President Harrison with Old Whiskers.

Alligators, raccoons and hippos Exotic pets once populated the presidential domicile

S

ure, everybody knows Bo, the current fourlegged White House occupant, but did you know that the White House is also home to 70,000 well-tended bees and has welcomed silkworms, raccoons, cows, an eagle, an elephant, a possum and a tiger? Not to mention dozens of dogs, cats, birds and farm animals? If the White House carpets could talk, they’d have quite a story to tell.

Recent presidential pets seem plagued by the same problems that afflict many of my dog-training clients.

While Bo is well-behaved and stays out of the spotlight, some canine residents of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. have behaved in most un-presidential ways. There was feisty little Barney, the George W. Bush family Scottie, who famously bit a Reuters reporter, and Buddy, the Clintons’ Labrador puppy, whose exuberant behavior overwhelmed and traumatized Socks, Chelsea’s aging cat. And then there was Lucky. Lucky was a Bouvier des Flandres given to Nancy Reagan by a March of Dimes poster child. Lucky was an energetic, large and unreliably housebroken herding dog, perfectly unsuited to life in the White House.

After a nine-month stay in Washington, Lucky moved to the Reagans’ California ranch and was replaced by Rex, a 15-pound Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

Dogs, cats and horses have always been so popular with our presidents that only four previous leaders have been pet-less. But what qualifies as a pet? You may be startled to learn that Calvin Coolidge, a famously quiet and serious man, kept a raccoon named Rebecca within the hallowed walls of the White House. Rebecca liked to bathe in the White House kitchen sink and squeeze the soap

72

By Sarah Hodgson into balls. During dinner, she ate in the bathroom adjoining the family dining room, enjoying shrimp, chicken, persimmons and eggs. After a grueling day in the Oval Office, Coolidge would stroll the grounds with a cat and later the ubiquitous Rebecca.

You may be startled to learn that Calvin Coolidge, a famously quiet and serious man, kept a raccoon named Rebecca within the hallowed walls of the White House.

Theodore Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy set the bar high for variety, although Roosevelt wins on creative pet names. Both presidents indulged their children with dogs, cats, birds, rabbits and ponies, but Roosevelt, an avid outdoorsman, added a macaw, a flying squirrel, a one-legged rooster, guinea pigs named Fighting Bob Evans and Father O’Grady and a garter snake, Emily Spinach.

Foreign heads of state often presented animals to the presidents as living representations of the bounty of their respective countries. Most were gratefully accepted, named and cared for. (John Adams even kept an alligator in the presidential tub.) Some of the less pet-like animals lived out their days at the National Zoological Park, managed by the Smithsonion Institution. Past residents include Billy the Liberian pygmy hippo, a pair of African lions named Tax Reduction and Budget Bureau, tigers

from the Sultan of Oman, a rare Mexican bear and several Australian wallabies and wombats.

Some dogs became a part of the historical record. Fala, a Scottish Terrier, was the constant companion of Franklin D. Roosevelt. When a rumor spread that Roosevelt inadvertently left Fala in the Aleutian Islands and redirected a Navy ship to collect him – at great cost to taxpayers – Roosevelt gave a speech denying this and defending his dog. He could tolerate slander directed at himself but against his pooch? Unthinkable.

A canine also played a role in the speech of a future president. When vice-presidential candidate Richard Nixon railed against critics who accused him of financial improprieties involving his backers, he acknowledged that he kept only one proffered gift – a small black-andwhite dog named Checkers.

Pets help to humanize the president and his family.

These voiceless and vote-less companions care not a whit for status or protocol. How else to explain the sight of Benjamin Harrison chasing a goat down Pennsylvania Avenue? The goat – Old Whiskers – was taking the presidential grandchildren on an unscheduled and presumably dangerous ride and it was up to the 23rd president of the United States to retrieve them.

Theodore Roosevelt brought his ailing son Archie’s pony up to the boy’s bedroom. Algonquin rode in the elevator to reach his destination. Fala attended FDR’s funeral. Indeed, few statues of this president exist without a small bronze rendering of his loyal companion.

It seems that even the White House is not really a home without a few trusted, furry companions. n

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wheels

Acura NSX Concept at 2012 NAIAS.

Ready for its close-up Acura ups the ante with the new NSX

I

s Acura revving up its profile, along with its fleet?

At Super Bowl time, the automaker scored with a cinematic commercial about its revamped sports car the NSX, starring comedian-collector Jerry Seinfeld.

For “Seinfeld” fans, it was a typically Seinfeldian stroll down Memory Lane with lots of in-jokes, like the opener about Jerry offering another Acura aficionado a $20 bribe so he can be first on the list for the NSX. (Remember the episode in which Jerry throws $20 out the window and then finds $20, proving his theory that everything in life always evens out for him?)

The pièce de résistance comes at the end: Just as Jerry has finally found a bribe the guy will take – access to his

74

By Georgette Gouveia personal network of Manhattan zip-lines – fellow collector Jay Leno arrives to scurry the guy away on his jet-pack flying squirrel suit.

“Leno,” Jerry says, gnashing his teeth. Good stuff.

But wait, there’s more: The NSX makes an appearance – albeit as a modified convertible – as genius/billionaire/playboy/philanthropist Tony Stark’s preferred mode of transport in “The Avengers,” the superheroes film starring Robert Downey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson and Scarlett Johansson that’s due in theaters May 4. The folks at Acura stress that “The Avengers’” car was made just for the movie, the returning NSX is 18 months to three years away, the design is subject to change, blah, blah, blah. But then, you surmised this, didn’t you?

The point is that the trailblazing NSX – the first Japanese super-car when it appeared in 1990 – is coming back, in a new and improved form, of course. The sports car still has sleek curves like the two-seat original, which was part of Honda’s luxury brand lineup until 2005. But now there’s an electric motor up front to go along with the V-6 engine, making this an all-wheel-drive hybrid.

Acura calls it “a chance to test the boundaries between evolution and revolution.”

In the meantime, Acura fans can amuse themselves with the 2013 RDX, combining efficiency and power, and the brand-new luxury sedan, the ILX. “Are you ready?” Acura.com asks.

Yes, we are. n

Swiss clocked Aston Martin and Ferrari release new models to make you drool

By Ryan Doran

V12 ZAGATO

Starting at $500,000* The forthcoming land shark of luxury performance from Aston Martin, the Zagato debuted this March at the Geneva Motor Show. The British maker of bombshell rides sculpted its newest hard-to-attain classic (only 150 will be built) in cooperation with the legendary Italian style house Zagato, with which they designed the original DB4GT Zagato 50 years ago.

Today’s version is based on an engine with an all-alloy, quad overhead camshaft. That’s a 48-valve 5935cc V12 monster beneath the hood. The coupe-only rear-wheel

drive Zagato comes stocked with a fully catalyzed stainless steel exhaust system with active bypass valves. It pushes an impressive 510 lbs of horsepower, 420 lb/ft of torque, tops out at 190 mph and will get you from zero to 60 in a little less than 4.2 seconds.

This limited luminary is due to start its brief production in the next few months.

2013 FERRARI F12 BERLINETTA

Price TBA In the Ferrari universe, a new star has been born as another fades out. After its debut at the Geneva Motor

Show, the 2013 Ferrari F12 Berlinetta will replace the aged 599 GTB Fiorano in Ferrari’s stable of stallions.

The new ride was styled by Ferrari design partner Pininfarina. With a 6.3-liter V-12, 730 horsepower and 508 lbs/ft of torque, there is talk that this new model will easily take pride of place as the most powerful road-ready Ferrari. The model is due on sale late this year and early spec sheets give the F12 a top speed of 211 mph and rate it at going zero to 60 in 3.1 seconds.

Vroom.

Photos provided by Aston Martin and Ferrari.

75

wanders

castle Where a

is home

By Cappy Devlin

Looking self-satisfied, St. Patrick guards 76 Dublin Castle.

T

hey say every man’s home is his castle, but in Ireland, a castle can be your home – at least for a little while. There are hundreds on the Emerald Isle. Here are some of my favorites, including three sleepover stops:

Bunratty Castle, County Clare

Bunratty Castle is the most complete and authentic late-medieval fortress in Ireland, although it also offers a window onto later periods as well. Built in 1425, it was restored in 1954 to its former splendor and now contains mainly 15th- and 16th-century furnishings, tapestries and works of art. Alongside the castle is an extensive folk park, which offers a glimpse into Irish life in the 19th century. My first night in Ireland, I went to Bunratty Castle for the banquet, where I remember singing, drinking and eating with my fingers.

Good times.

Dromoland Castle, County Clare

Ideally located eight miles from Shannon Airport near Newmarket-on-Fergus, County Clare, Dromoland Castle quietly affirms itself as one of the most impressive and distinguished castle hotels in Ireland and one of Europe’s most desired 5 Star luxury destinations.

With four linked irregular turrets, the castle has been preserved in its Gothic Revival style. In 1962, Donough O’Brien, the 16th Baron Inchiquin, sold Dromoland Bravo half page_Layout 1 3/26/12 1:46 PM Page 1 Castle and 350 acres because of difficult financial circum-

Bunratty Castle, County Clare.

Real Life Portraits 701 Post Road Fairfield, Connecticut 06824 t/203.256.1722 www.davidbravo.com / email db@davidbravo.com

77

Blarney Castle, County Cork.

Ashford Castle, County Cong.

Dunluce Castle, County Antrim.

stances. Now owned by Bernard McDonough, the castle hotel also boasts a first-rate golf course.

Ashford Castle, County Cong

Turrets and ramparts, armor and oak paneling, Waterford chandeliers and gilt mirrors reflect the regal decor you’ll find at Ashford Castle in County Cong. Its first stones were laid in 1228, and since that time eight privileged Irish families have called this 83-bedroom castle home. I fell in love with Ashford Castle when my college classmate’s father, John Mulcahy, bought it in 1970 and oversaw its complete restoration and expansion, doubling its size with the addition of a new wing, building a golf course and developing the grounds and gardens. In 1985, a group of Irish and American investors purchased Ashford, and then sold it in 2007 to developer Gerry Barrett and his family.

Blarney Castle, County Cork

Blarney Castle, County Cork in the south of Ireland, was built nearly 600 years ago by one of Ireland’s greatest chieftains, Cormac MacCarthy. Over the last few hundred years, millions have flocked to Blarney, making it a world landmark and one of Ireland’s greatest treasures.

Now that might have something to do with the Blarney Stone, the legendary Stone of Eloquence (“gift of gab”), 78

Dromoland Castle, County Clare.

found at the top of the tower. Kiss it and you’ll never again be lost for words. If you come for the stone, also stroll through the beautiful, mystical Rock Close and gardens.

Waterford Castle, County Waterford

Situated on its own private island, Waterford Castle Hotel and Golf Resort offers luxurious accommodations in southeast Ireland. You experience a wonderful sense of anticipation as you make the short crossing by ferry to the island and travel the beech-lined drive to the castle. As you enter the massive studded oak doors, you’re greeted by the carved stone and wood-paneled hall, with its Jacobean antiques and intricate original tapestries. The castle contains 19 spacious guest rooms, which offer luxurious accommodations and stunning views of the surrounding estate. The award-winning Munster Dining Room is the perfect setting for a wonderful dining experience.

Dunluce Castle, County Antrim

The limestone cliffs of the White Rocks end abruptly against a dark basalt outcrop, which is majestically crowned by Dunluce Castle in Antrim, Northern Ireland, and joined to the mainland by an arched walkway, underneath which lies the “Mermaid’s Cave.” Reportedly, Richard de Burgh built or rebuilt the castle during

the Anglo-Norman period in Ireland, around 1150. The most colorful occupier was Sorley Boy MacDonnell, a Scottish chieftain whose clan established its dominance along the north coast in 1565.

Walking around Dunluce Castle is an insightful experience: It’s only when you come down from the gift shop and cross the bridge into the castle courtyard that you realize how large the castle actually is. Over the years, many changes and additions have occurred to the original structure. Inside you will find Norman, Scottish, English and other European architectural influences.

In 1928, the Earl of Antrim gave the castle to Northern Ireland to be preserved as a national monument, and since that time the Department of the Environment has taken great care of it.

Dublin Castle, Dublin

Dublin Castle has fulfilled a number of roles throughout its history. It was originally built as a defensive fortification in 1204 on the orders of King John of England.

Later it became a residence for the Viceroy of Ireland, the representative of the British monarch. Since then, it has served as a home to the Irish Parliament, a law court and a military garrison.

In 1938, the first president of Ireland, Douglas Hyde, was inaugurated at the castle, which has been the setting of the ceremony ever since. It also serves as the backdrop for state visits and more informal foreign affairs. n

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wine&dine

It was Rare a vintages very good year from historic estates

D

espite high prices and very limited availability – or maybe because of this – a handful of domestic and international wines from historic estates are garnering fervent fans and achieving cult-like status.

To gain insight into what makes these wines so enticing, I recently interviewed the proprietors/general managers of three of these better known so-called “cult wines” – Dick Grace, Pedro Alvarez Mezquiriz and Gaia Gaja – who were attending the Naples (Florida) Winter Wine Festival Charity Auction, to which they had donated substantial quantities of wine.

Established in the mid-1970s by former San Francisco stockbroker Dick Grace and his wife, Ann – on a Napa Valley property surrounding a 130-year-old Victorian house – the Grace Family Vineyards produces a Cabernet Sauvignon that fetches upwards of $225 a bottle.

“In a given year, depending on the condition of the grapes, we make between 500 and 850 cases of the finest quality wine we can make, produced organically and biodynamically with fruit from an ideal combination of soil and climate, and with an early morning harvest performed by friends and family who have a real sense of community and pride in the experience,” Dick Grace says.

Adding to the aura of the wine, he says with pride, is a greater sense of purpose: “The profit from its sales goes to the Grace Family Foundation, which supports a wide range of services, from helping the homeless in northern California to the construction and maintenance of health clinics in Tibet and Nepal.”

As to its availability, Grace adds, “We sell the wine directly to restaurants, retail shops and individuals – each making up about a third of our market – with a waiting list of more than 1,500 potential customers.”

For those interested in purchasing the wine, Grace suggests seeking out a local shop on the list, or signing up and waiting the eight to 10 years to make it to the list.

Originally, the plantings of Vega Sicilia – founded in 1864 in the Ribera del Duero region of northern Spain – were primarily Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot varietals, brought from cuttings in France.

However, this has changed over the years and the flagship Unico red wine is now more than 90 percent Tempranillo, with the remainder Cabernet and Merlot and sells for upward of $300 a bottle for current vintages.

“The high quality of the grapes used and a rather unique aging process of up to 10 years produces a product of great complexity, finesse and elegance that is quite special among Spanish wines and even wines from other parts of the world,” says Pablo Alvarez 80

By Geoff Kalish, MD

The Tuscany estate of Pieve Santa Restituta has been producing wine since the 12th century.

Mezquiriz, general manager of the estate. “Unfortunately, climate conditions do not allow us to make this wine every year. But even when we do, we can only produce 4,000 to 10,000 cases, which along with the quality accounts for the high price of the wine.”

Not surprisingly the wine has fans worldwide, with distribution to top-flight restaurants and some upper-echelon retail outlets in more than 100 countries.

Already a revered name in the northern Italian Piedmont region for its elegant, groundbreaking Barbarescos, Gaja is now making small amounts of exceptional Sugarille and Rennina Brunello di Montalcino from the vineyards surrounding the Tuscany estate of Pieve Santa Restituta, which has been producing wine since the 12th century.

“What differentiates our Barbarescos from those of other producers is the attention to the vineyards with reduction of crop size, a reasonable fermentation period and our combination of barrique and largecask aging process, which is the path we are taking in Tuscany to yield wines that provide a maximum amount of pleasure to the consumer,” says Gaia Gaja, oldest daughter of pioneering Italian producer Antonio Gaja. “Currently, the two wines produced at the estate are only made in years when conditions allow, making availability limited to high-end shops and restaurants. But we see so much potential for this estate that I am planning to move there to oversee and perhaps enhance the production.”

While all three thought there is good investment potential for their wines, they also felt that the wines should be purchased for aesthetic enjoyment, especially with food. “Actually we prefer to sell our wine

Gaia Gaja, oldest daughter of Italian vintner Antonio Gaja, carries on the family tradition. Photograph by Natasha Hughes.

to restaurants, where it will be consumed, rather than to shops for hording by individual collectors,” notes Pablo Alvarez Mezquiriz of Vega Sicilia.

And, while these wines escalate in price over time, the percentage increase is far less than for the highest level reds from Bordeaux and Burgundy, like Chateau Lâfite-Rothschild and Domaine de la RomanéeConti La Tâche. n

well

Homebody

By Sam Kopf

Even though Ryan Lochte’s laid-back attitude is part of what makes him a teammate, fan and journalist favorite, there are three areas in Ryan’s life where chill is just not cool. At home in Gainesville, Ryan, the custom shoe/clothing/bling collector, keeps a meticulously organized, surprisingly tidy pad. In the pool, Ryan swims focused, hard and fast. In the gym, his exercises are purposeful; his movements, efficient and his effort, maximum. Ryan is proof that even long-haired (well, formerly long-haired), rap-loving surfer dudes can be intense when it matters – like on cleaning day.

Here are two more exercises, modified from Ryan’s training program, for you to add to your circuit. For top results, take a cue from Ryan: Every time you hit the gym, give it your all. Focus on your breathing, activate your core and visualize your muscles contracting and relaxing through every rep.

Backwards Lunges with Scaptions (equals Ryan’s chain raises) Area worked – shoulders, legs, core 1) Holding light weights (around 5 pounds), stand with feet together, arms down by sides, palms facing body.

2) Extend right leg backward and bend left leg to form a 90-degree angle between the left hip, knee and ankle.

As you step back, raise arms to shoulder level at a 45-degree angle, thumbs facing the ceiling.

3) Lowering arms, return to standing position to complete one rep. Alternate legs and repeat 10 (men) to 15 (women) times.

Cable Wood Chops (equals Ryan’s ax wood chops) Area worked – core The twisting motion of this move makes it extremely im-

portant that you tighten your abs to protect your low back.

1) Adjust cable arm to highest level. Stand sideways, right hip closest to the machine. The closer your feet are to one another, the harder the move will be. Twisting slightly to the right at the waist, grasp one handle with both hands, fingers either interlocked or right hand over left.

2) With arms straight, bring them across the body in one slow, sweeping motion, from high to low, allowing your head to follow your hands throughout the move.

End with hands below left hip and body twisted slightly to the left.

3) Return to starting position and repeat 15 times.

Switch sides. n 81

well

Histor-ectemy A Cook’s tour of hormone research

By Erika Schwartz

A

s much as hormones are part of our everyday language, their importance in our lives and safety are shrouded in

mystery.

Physicians receive almost no training in the role of hormones in health maintenance and disease prevention, even if they are endocrinologists.

There is no training program in medical school on the use of hormones anywhere in the United States.

The public gets all its information from the media and word of mouth – not always reliable. We tend to believe that what a doctor or celebrity on TV or radio says is always correct – not necessarily the case.

It takes experience, arduous research and truly caring about your patients to provide them with what they really need. After spending the past 16 years treating more than 20,000 men and women with bioidentical hormones – which are not synthetic but rather identical to what the body produces – having written four books on hormones and countless articles in both medical and lay periodicals, I believe it’s time to shed some much needed light on the subject.

We are all the result of our hormone balance. When we are young and full of hormones, we are flush with energy, devoid of wrinkles, fertile and interested in sex. We are also healthy, and the incidence and risk of heart disease, cancer and other diseases is low. As we age, we lose our hormones and the risk of illness increases. Common sense and extensive medical research tell us that we need hormones to stay healthy and prevent disease.

To make the importance of hormones even clearer, all we have to do is look into their history to see that we are not the first generation to explore their use.

Indeed, the history of hormone research goes back a lot further than the invention of the horrific term “menopause” and the debate between Premarin (equine estrogen) and bioidentical hormones (specifically estradiol).

As far back as 1889, the Merck manual – the physician’s bible – listed 82

Ovariin, an oral powder derived from dried cow’s ovaries, as a treatment for “climacterica,” the name for menopause then. Then around 1930, Bert Collip, a scientist who discovered insulin, created the drug Emmenim, extracted from the urine of pregnant Canadian women.

The product had amazing results in menopausal women. The poet Edna St. Vincent Millay was among those treated with Emmenim to counter depression and “climacterica symptoms.”

In time, the use of estrogen from the urine of pregnant women became impractical due to high cost and limited availability. Thus researchers looked at stallions as sources of estrogen to counter the challenges of menopause.

While the stallions’ urine was useful, the horses kicked the buckets (literally), frustrating the collectors, so the scientists turned to the more accepting mares, whose urine in the third to 10th month of pregnancy contains more than 200 molecules of high-potency estrogens. In 1939, Adolph Butenandt received the Nobel Prize in Medicine for extracting estrogen from the urine of pregnant mares. The drug made from the pregnant mare’s urine, the now-infamous Premarin , was brought to market by Ayerst Labs in 1942.

Books followed extolling the virtues of Premarin, which to this day is used by millions of women. The problem is that although better than no hormones, Premarin still is too close to horse estrogens, causing more problems than it solves.

In 2002, a National Institutes of Health (NIH) study showed that Premarin, when combined with progestin, resulted in an increase risk of stroke, blood clots, heart attack and breast cancer. With Premarin failing us, bioidentical hormones, specifically estradiol, must become the estrogen of choice for most physicians and their patients.

Made from soy and yam oils, estradiol is safe and effective with excellent scientific support.

There is no reason to accept the ravages of aging as a way of life. Getting the right bioidentical preparation of estrogen, progesterone, testosterone and thyroid hormones will help keep women – and men – vital. n

One word: plastic

M

By Michael Rosenberg, MD

any people ask me why my chosen surgical field was named after a manufactured material, and I have to explain that plastic surgery is not in fact named for plastics. Rather, the origin of both names is from the Greek word “plastikos,” which means to mold or to shape. Just as the new material could be molded into the shape of a cup, spoon or plate, so, too, human tissue could be molded into new shapes or forms. Although both the science of manufacturing plastic materials and the field of plastic surgery were named in the 20th century, the origins of plastic surgery stretch back much further into antiquity.

Though they didn’t have the multitude of theatrical productions about plastic surgery back then, the history of plastic surgery is ancient, going back as far as 2000 B.C. in India and Egypt.

Egyptian hieroglyphics depict the earliest known plastic surgery procedures, in which reeds were used in nasal surgery to keep the airways open as the nose healed around them. In India, the physician Acharya Shushrut published a major plastic surgery text, the “Sushruta Samhita,” a compilation of surgical procedures. The Romans delved into plastic surgery as well, with descriptions of breast, eyelid, and facial surgeries surviving to today. In “De Medicina,” author Aulus Cornelius Celsus described surgical techniques related to facial and breast surgery. Afterwards, the development of plastic surgery was stalled through the Middle Ages until its re-emergence in a spectacular fashion in the works of Gasparo Tagliacozzi of Sicily.

In the 1500s, Tagliocozzi began the modern era of flap reconstruction of the nose. Beautiful drawings survive describing his attempts to reconstruct the surface of the nose by attaching the skin of the arm. The patient would continue in this somewhat awkward position until a new blood supply repopulated the tissue of the arm, and the arm could be detached and resume its normal functions. I’ll never forget seeing the original text of “De Curtorium Chirugiau” in the Webster Library at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons with its large drawings depicting this operation.

Surgeries continued over the next few centuries. But the modern era of plastic

surgery began as an outgrowth of the horrors of the First World War. With trench warfare and modern weaponry, hundreds of thousands of soldiers were left with traumatic injuries to the face, extremities and torsos. Dr. Sir Harold Delf Gillies – known as the father of plastic surgery – established The Queen’s Hospital, the first one devoted to reconstructive work, in Sidcup, England in 1917 following the Battle of the Somme. More than 5,000 facial plastic surgeries were performed there.

In 1931, the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons was formed, and the first plastic surgery residency was founded soon after

by Dr. Jerome P. Webster at Columbia.

Over the years, plastic surgery residents trained in reconstruction, cosmetic surgery, hand surgery and even transplant surgery. Most recently, we have seen the successful transplantation of the human face, as in the case of a man disfigured in a hunting accident, who was operated on by a team of 30 Spanish surgeons in 2010.

Progress in medical technology has gone hand in hand with advances in plastic surgery. The creation of the surgical microscope was quickly followed by the development of free flap surgery, where tissue was moved from one area of the body, along with its blood vessels, to a totally separate area of the body where the vessels and often nerves could be reattached by microsurgery. In the 1960s, the development of the breast implant began the modern era of both breast reconstruction and cosmetic breast augmentation. Liposuction, the most commonly performed cosmetic surgery procedure, has seen tremendous advances through the use of ultrasound and laser technologies, and there are multiple other examples.

In the 2000s, we have seen an explosion in the popularity of plastic surgery procedures, fueled by extreme media coverage and the development of less invasive procedures with minimal downtime. In fact, today the most common procedures in cosmetic surgery are the use of the injectables, which removedfine lines and wrinkles in the face. Truly, the modern plastic surgeon’s techniques have come a long way from their origins in ancient Egypt and India. Only time will tell where the future will take us.

Please send questions or comments to mrosenberg@plasticsurgeryweb.com. n 83

“Outstanding cOntempOrary design...the Barn is a seductive place.”

– m.h. reed, new york times

“dOn’t miss”

–new york times rating

430 BEDFORD RD, ARMONK, NY 914 730 0001 FOR RESERVATIONS WWW.MODERNEBARN.COM 84

worthy(Just a sampling of the fine firms in our region.)

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE Firms CENTURY 21 SCHNEIDER 255 Mamaroneck Ave. White Plains, NY 10605 (914) 345-3550 c21schneider.com COLDWELL BANKER GUMBO REALTY 6 Broadway Valhalla, NY 10595 (914) 682-2200 cbgumbo.com COLDWELL BANKER RESIDENTIAL BROKERAGE 278 Sound Beach Ave. Old Greenwich, CT 06870 (203) 637-4581 coldwellbankermoves.com 360 Main St., Suite 4 Ridgefield, CT 06877 (800) 756-3660 coldwellbankermoves.com DAVID OGILVY & ASSOCIATES 75 Arch St. Greenwich, CT 06830 (203) 869-9866 davidogilvy.com GAINS REALTY INC. 312 Battle Ave. White Plains, NY 10606 (914)-761-5668 829 Franklin Ave. Thornwood, NY 10594 (914)-769-9006 gainsrealty.com GRAND LUX REALTY INC. 428 Main St. Armonk, NY 10504 (914) 273-9688 grandluxrealty.com GREENWICH CAPITAL PROPERTIES AND ESTATES 68 Arch St. Greenwich, CT 06830 (203) 661-5400 GREENWICH FINE PROPERTIES 80 Mason St. Greenwich, CT 06830 (203) 661-9200 greenwichfineproperties.com HALSTEADCONNECTICUTL.L.C. 2 Greenwich Office Park Greenwich, CT 06831 (203) 869-8100 21 River Road Wilton, CT 06897 (203) 762-8118 183 Elm St. New Canaan, CT 06840 (203) 966-7800 379 Post Road East Westport, CT 06880 (203) 221-0666 1099 High Ridge Road Stamford, CT 06905 (203) 329-8801 HALSTEAD PROPERTY CONNECTICUT L.L.C. 140 Rowayton Ave. Rowayton, CT 06853 (203) 655-1418 671 Boston Post Road Darien, CT 06820 (203) 655-1418 HASTINGS RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE 196 Danbury Road Wilton, CT 06897 (203) 762-5099 hastings.idxre.com

HEGARTY & COMPANY REAL ESTATE INC. 166 Whisconier Road Brookfield, CT 06804 (203) 775-8353 hegartyrealestate.com HIGGINS GROUP REAL ESTATE 125 Greenwood Ave. Bethel, CT 06801 (203) 258-1448 75 Hillside Ave. Fairfield, CT 06824 (203) 259-7868 50 Water St. Norwalk, CT 06854 (203) 838-5005 1258 Bedford St. Stamford, CT 06905 (203) 504-5005 278 Post Road East Westport, CT 06880 (203) 226-0300 higginsgroup.com HOMERICA REALTY SERVICES 235 Mamaroneck Ave. White Plains, NY 10605 (914) 946-7100 homericarealty.com HOULIHAN LAWRENCE 4 Valley Road Bronxville, NY 10708 (914) 337-0400 houlihanlawrence.com INDEPENDENT REALTY GROUP 499 Federal Road Suite 20A, Brookfield, CT 06804 (203) 740-2452 candlewoodlakeproperties.com KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY WHITE PLAINS 120 Bloomingdale Road Suite 101 White Plains, NY 10605 (914) 437-6100 whiteplains.yourkwoffice.com NORTH COUNTRY SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY 39 King St. Chappaqua, NY 10514 (914) 238-2090 northcountrysir.com PRUDENTIAL BRAD HVOLBECK REAL ESTATE 123 Mason St. Greenwich, CT 06830 (203) 661-5505 prubhre.com PRUDENTIAL CENTENNIAL REALTY 4 Chase Road Scarsdale, NY 10583 (914) 723-5225 140 Chatsworth Ave. Larchmont, NY 10538 (914) 834-7777 prudentialcentennial.com PRUDENTIAL CONNECTICUT REALTY 136 E. Putnam Ave. Greenwich, CT 06830 (203) 869-0500 prudentialct.com PRUDENTIAL DOUGLAS ELLIMAN WESTCHESTER 438 Old Post Road Bedford, NY 10506 (914) 234-4590 404 Main St., Armonk, NY 10504 (914) 273-1001 101 King St. Chappaqua, NY 10514 (914) 238-3988 83 Katonah Ave. Katonah, NY 10536 (914) 232-3700

343 Manville Road Pleasantville, NY 10570 (914) 769-3333 3 Heritage 202 Center Somers, NY 10589 (914) 277-3648 elliman.com REAL LIVING FIVE CORNERS 60 Arch St. Greenwich, CT 06830 (203) 992-1444 realliving.com/five-corners REALTY SEVEN INC. 250 Danbury Road Wilton, CT 06897 (203) 762-5548 realtyseven.com ROUND HILL PARTNERS 189 Mason St. Greenwich, CT 06830 (203) 861-0050 roundhillpartners.com SETTLERS & TRADERS REAL ESTATE CO. 215 Post Road West Westport, CT 06880 (203) 226-0000 36 Mill Plain Road Danbury, CT 06811 (203) 797-9160 34 Dodd Road New Milford, CT 06776 (860) 355-0977 settlers.com SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY 1 Pickwick Plaza Greenwich, CT 06830 (203) 869-4343 sothebysrealty.com VINCENT & WHITTEMORE REAL ESTATE 629 Old Post Road Bedford, NY 10506 (914) 234-3642 vinwhit.com WEICHERT, REALTORS 68 Arch St. Greenwich, CT 06830 (203) 661-5400 weichert.com WESTCHESTER REAL ESTATE INC. 484 White Plains Road Eastchester, NY 10709 (914) 961-5510 homesny.com WILLIAM RAVEIS 45 Field Point Road Greenwich, CT 06830 (203) 869-9263 raveis.com

ARCHITECTURAL RESTORATION & HISTORIC PRESERVATION

ARCHITECTUREJEFFREY BELLOWS 27 Main St., Bethel, CT 06801 (518) 392-0084 architecturebyjeff.com

MCCANN-CRAFT INC. 190 Broadview Ave. New Rochelle, NY 10804 (914) 576-2142 mccann-craftinc.com

AUSTIN PATTERSON DISSTON ARCHITECTS 376 Pequot Ave., P.O. Box 61 Southport, CT 06890 (203) 255-4031 apdarchitects.com

PETER A. COLE, ARCHITECT 75 S. Greeley Ave. Chappaqua, NY 10514 (914) 238-6152 petercolearchitect.com

BARTELS-PAGLIARO ARCHITECTS L.L.C. 27 Elizabeth St. South Norwalk, CT 06854 (203) 838-5517 bartels-pagliaro.com

PHILIP WEINER ARCHITECTURE & INTERIOR DESIGN 60 Church Lane Westport, CT 06880 (203) 330-6934 philipweiner.com

BIALECKI ARCHITECTS 160 Main St. Gardiner, NY 12525 (845) 255-6131 bialeckiarchitects.com

RANNEY MICHAELS 6 Sconset Road Westport, CT 06880 (203) 221-3005 ranneymichaels.com

CPG ARCHITECTS INC. 1 Dock St. Stamford, CT 06902 (203) 967-3456 cpgarch.com

ROBERT COHEN ARCHITECT L.L.C. 9 Bayberry Ridge Road Westport, CT 06880 (203) 341-7781 robertcohenarchitect.com

CS ARCHITECTURE L.L.C. 107 Topstone Road Redding, CT 06896 (203) 938-2527 csarchitecture.com CULPEN & WOODS ARCHITECTS L.L.C. 400 Main St., Stamford, CT 06901 (203) 969-1444 culpenandwoods.com ELLSWORTH FORD 190 North St. Greenwich, CT 06830 (203) 629-5324 ellsworth-ford.com FAESY-SMITH ARCHITECTS P.C. 523 Danbury Road Wilton 06897 (203) 834-2724 faesy-smith.com FAIRFIELD COUNTY RESTORATION 26 Fitch St., Norwalk, CT 06855 (203) 838-8798 fairfieldcountyrestoration.com

ROB SANDERS ARCHITECTS L.L.C. The Carriage House 436 Danbury Road Wilton CT 06897 (203) 761-0144 rsarchct.com SEAN O’KANE AIA, ARCHITECT P.C. 412 Main St., Suite 8 Ridgefield, CT 06877 (203) 438-4208 sokaia.com STEPHEN TILLY, ARCHITECT 22 Elm St. Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522 (914) 693-8898 stillyarchitect.com TIEFENTHALER 314 Wilson Ave. Norwalk, CT 06854 (203) 857-0055 tiefenthaler.com

FLETCHER THOMPSON 3 Corporate Drive, Suite 500 Shelton, CT 06484 (203) 225-6515 fletcherthompson.com

TRADITIONAL LINE ARCHITECTURAL RESTORATION 143 W. 21 St. New York, NY 10011 (212) 627-3555 traditionalline.com

GERETY BUILDING & RESTORATION 500 W. Putnam Ave. Fourth floor Greenwich, CT 06830 (203) 531-8100 geretyrestoration.com

VICENTE-BURIN ARCHITECTS L.L.C. 200 Carter Henry Drive Fairfield, CT 06824 (203) 319-9571 vbarchitect.com

ABSOLUTE GREEN HOMES INC. 33 Truesdale Lake Drive South Salem, NY 10590 (914) 977-3088 absolutegreenhomes.com

GRANDBERG & ASSOCIATES ARCHITECTS P.C. 177 E. Main St. Mount Kisco, NY 10549 (914) 242-0033 P.O. Box 11142 Greenwich, CT 06831 grandbergarchitects.com

ANTINOZZI ASSOCIATES P.C. 271 Fairfield Ave. Bridgeport, CT 06604 (203) 377-1300 antinozzi.com

JAMES FLEMING, ARCHITECT 11 Alden Road Larchmont, NY 10538 (914) 834-7093 jamesflemingarchitect.com

ARCHITECTS’GUILD L.L.C. 137 Greenwood Ave. Bethel, CT 06801 (203)791-8778 architectsguild.net

MARK P. FINLAY ARCHITECTS AIA 96 Old Post Road, Suite 200 Southport, CT 06890 (203) 254-2388 markfinlay.com

INTERIOR DESIGN & FURNITURE RESTORATION ARTECO & DESIGN RESTORATION CORP. 8 Bogert Place Bronxville, NY 10708 (914) 793-9424 artecorestoration.com BAVIER DESIGN L.L.C. 46 Southfield Ave. Stamford, CT 06902 (203) 388-1818 bavierdesign.com

DAVIDSON’S FURNITURE RESTORATION & REPAIR 143 Cheesespring Road Wilton, CT 06897 (203) 762-8197 davidsonfurniturerestoration.com DAWN P. GEPFERT DESIGN P.O. Box 1120 Southport, CT 06490 (203) 292-8479 dawnpgepfertdesign.com ELLSWORTH FORD ASSOCIATES 190 North St., Greenwich 06830 (203) 629-5324 ellsworth-ford.com EXECUTIVE CRAFTSMAN INC. 62 Elm Tree Place Stamford, CT, 06906 (203) 324-6383 executivecraftsman.com GERETY BUILDING & RESTORATION Katonah, NY 10536 (914) 248-1300 Greenwich, CT 06830 (203) 531-8100 geretyrestoration.com GRANDBERG & ASSOCIATES 117 E. Main St. Mount Kisco, NY 10549 (914) 242-0033 grandbergarchitects.com HOMESTYLING 101 L.L.C. P.O. Box 102 Yorktown Heights, NY 10598 (914) 420-6506 homestyling101.com HUDSON VALLEY FINE FURNITURE FINISHING & REPAIR 8 Beech Trail Danbury, CT 06811 (203) 826-9458 myfurnitureguy.com JOHN EDWARD CLARK Based in Fairfield County, CT (203) 222-2275 johnedwardclark.com OAKLEY RESTORATION & FINISHING L.L.C. 30 S. End Plaza New Milford, CT 06776 (860) 350-6410 oakleyrestoration.com NEW ROCHELLE FURNITURE CARE 152 S. MacQuesten Parkway New Rochelle, NY 10550 (914) 380-6665 ROUGHAN INTERIOR DESIGN 9 Benedict Place Greenwich, CT 06830 (203) 769-1150 roughaninteriors.com TARRYTOWN WOODWORKS 6 S. Washington St. Tarrytown, NY 10591 (914) 332-4189 tarrytownantiquerestoration.com TODD. E. HINMAN FURNITURE CO. (203) 966-2385 hinmanrestorations.com VUOLO INTERIOR DESIGN Based in Greenwich, CT (203) 253-1414

85

JUST STEPS FROM THE WHITE PLAINS TRAIN STATION!

50th

ANNIVERSARY TOUR

TUESDAY

SUNDAY

››

››

MAY 15

JULY 22

SUNDAY

FRIDAY

››

››

AUG 12

SEPT 14

THE PEPÉ INFINITI CONCERT SERIES AT THE

WESTCHESTER COUNTY CENTER WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK

SCAN HERE

Tickets at the box office and ticketmaster.com 86

wmconcerts.com

BUY NOW

when&where THROUGH SATURDAY APRIL 14 ‘DRAWING THE MIND: NEURAL NETWORKS AND THE EMERGENCE OF COMPLEXITY’

An exhibit of works that trace mental states and patterns of thought, noon to 5 p.m. Tuesdays to Fridays, noon to 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 2 to 5 p.m.

Saturdays and Sundays; Concordia College, 205 White Plains Road, Tuckahoe. (914) 395-4520.

THROUGH SUNDAY APRIL 22 10TH ANNUAL ‘ORCHID SHOW’

Guest designer Patrick Blanc creates innovative vertical gardens with thousands of colorful orchids and companion paintings, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays to Sundays; The New York Botanical Garden, 2900 Southern Blvd., Bronx. $20; $18 seniors and students, $8 children (ages 2 to 12). (718) 817-8773, nybg.org.

MID-DAY CONCERT

Organist Elizabeth Wong performs at Grace Episcopal Church, 12:10 p.m.; 33 Church St., White Plains. (914) 949-0384, dtmusic.org.

FRIDAY APRIL 13 ‘BEHIND THE SCENES’

Robin Roberts from “Good Morning America” and Bob Levy from ESPN share stories about life on and off the set, 6:30 p.m. cocktail reception with journalists for premium ticketholders, 8 p.m. general admission; Fairfield University, Quick Center for the Arts, 1073 N. Benson Road, Fairfield. $50; $100 premium tickets. (203) 368-5567, fswinc. ejoinme.org.

SPIRITED MOVES Kelly D. Felthous as Elle Woods in “Legally Blonde.”

Photograph by Paul Lyden.

“Backyard Garden” by Lorie Gurian.

THROUGH SUNDAY APRIL 29 ‘GET READY TO GO BLONDE’

Westchester Broadway Theatre presents “Legally Blonde the Musical,” show times vary; 1 Broadway Plaza, Elmsford. $52 to $75. (914) 592-2222, broadwaytheatre.com.

SUNDAY APRIL 1 ‘A CAPPELLA EXTRAVAGANZA’

A cappella groups from local high schools perform at the 13th annual concert event to raise funds for Gilda’s Club Westchester, 2 p.m.; The Masters School, 49 Clinton Ave., Dobbs Ferry. $10; $5 students.

(914) 644-8844, gilda¬sclubwestchester.¬org.

GOLF LUNCHEON

EWGA Westchester Women’s Golf Association hosts its 14th annual Tee-Off Luncheon, noon to 4 p.m., Hampshire Country Club, 1025 Cove Road, Mamaroneck. $60; $50 members. (914) 332-1600, ewgawestchester.com.

“Grasses” by Lorie Gurian.

‘ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES’

An exhibition of works created by the Associate Membership of the Mamaroneck Artists Guild, noon to 5 p.m.; 126 Larchmont Ave., Larchmont.

(914) 834-1117.

THROUGH SATURDAY APRIL 21 ‘WALTER WICK: GAMES, GIZMOS AND TOYS IN THE ATTIC’

A showcase of large-scale color photographs from best-selling author Walter Wick’s books, as well as models used to craft the images, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tuesdays to Saturdays, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays; Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich. $7; $6 seniors and students. (203) 869-0376, brucemuseum.org.

MONDAY APRIL 2 SPRING COCKTAILS

The Westchester chapter of The New York League of Conservation Voters hosts its spring cocktail party, 6 to 8 p.m.; Castle on the Hudson, 400 Benedict Ave., Tarrytown. $200; $150 nonprofit and government employees. (212) 361-6350, ext. 204, hwilkes@nylcv.org.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 11 ‘BEST FRIENDS’ AWARDS RECEPTION

Friends of Westchester County Parks celebrates the 50-year anniversary of the Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation with honoree David Swope, 5:30 p.m. cocktails, 7:15 p.m. awards reception; Glen Island Harbour Club, 1 Glen Island Park, New Rochelle. $250. (914) 864-7048.

A performance by the Ailey II dance company incorporates the spirit of young dancers and emerging choreographers, 8 p.m.; Emelin Theatre, 153 Library Lane, Mamaroneck. $44; $22 students.

(914) 698-0098, emelin.org.

SATURDAY APRIL 14 ‘STEPPING UP FOR CMS WALKATHON’

A 3K walk to support the programs at Cardinal McCloskey Services, 8 a.m. registration, 8:30 a.m. warm-up, 9 a.m. walk begins, 10 a.m. breakfast and prizes; Iona Preparatory School, 255 Wilmot Road, New Rochelle. cardinalmccloskeyservices.org.

SUNDAY APRIL 15 BENEFIT GALA

A fundraiser for the Society for Universal Sacred Music features cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, dinner, a silent auction and performance by The New York Virtuoso Singers, 5 to 10 p.m.; Le Chateau Restaurant Francais, 1410 Route 35, South Salem. $125 per person; $900 tables. (914) 763-6819 or (914) 241-0303.

RAISING FUNDS FOR FELINES

Forgotten Felines hosts a ‘Champagne Brunch’ featuring a raffle of gift baskets 11:30 a.m.; Antuns of Westchester, 35 Valley Ave., Elmsford. $35. (914) 428-7969, forgottenfelinesny.org.

‘SUNDAY SIP AND ENTERTAINMENT’

A wine tasting and silent auction to benefit The BOOST Fund Foundation, 3 to 7 p.m., C.V. Rich Mansion, 305 Ridgeway, White Plains. $40. (914) 837-0219, wnfp.org.

TUESDAY APRIL 17 ‘A CELEBRATION OF BLYTHEDALE’

Cocktails, dinner and an awards program to support Blythedale Children’s Hospital 6:30 p.m.; The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers, 61 Chelsea Piers, New York City. (914) 831-2513, careyd@ blythedale.org.

87

when&where THURSDAY APRIL 19 SPRING LUNCHEON

The New Castle Historical Society hosts its annual luncheon with guest speaker Dan W. DeLuca, author of “The Mysterious Leather Man,” noon to 2 p.m.; Wippoorwill Country Club, 180 Whippoorwill Road, Armonk. $42. (914) 238-4666, newcastlehs.org.

Brian Cronin, David Hajdu and Deborah Baker

SUNDAY APRIL 22 ‘UNITED SOLE SISTERS LUNCHEON AND FASHION ACCESSORIES BOUTIQUE’ ‘CELEBRITEA’ A spring gathering featuring Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, The New York Times best-selling author of “The Dressmaker of Khair Khana,” 10 a.m.; Greenwich Country Club, 19 Doubling Road, Greenwich. $250. (203) 869-2221, unitedsolesisters.org.

FRIDAY APRIL 20 CELEBRATING VOLUNTEERS

The Volunteer Center of United Way hosts its 32nd annual Volunteer Spirit Awards benefit with emcee Lou Young, CBS TV 2 broadcast journalist, 8 to 10 a.m.; Hilton Rye Town, 699 Westchester Ave. Rye Brook. $75; $55 nonprofit staff members. (914) 948-4452, volunteer-center.org/awards.

This fundraiser for the New Rochelle Public Library Foundation includes sweets and a conversation with several authors for a fresh take on books, 3:30 p.m.; New Rochelle Public Library, 515 North Ave., New Rochelle. $85; $250 VIP tickets; $125 premium tickets. (914) 632-7878, ext. 16, nrplfoundation.org.

SHEN YUN PERFORMS

A performance inspired by ancient Chinese culture, fuses classical dance with early instrumental sounds, award-winning vocalists and more, 2 p.m.; 20 Lincoln Center, Manhattan. $200, $180, $150, $120, $100, $80. (800) 818-2393, shenyunperformingarts.org.

SATURDAY APRIL 21 THE BACON BROTHERS SIZZLE

THURSDAY APRIL 26 SUNDAY APRIL 29 Rock ’n’ roll tunes by movie star Kevin Bacon, his composer brother Michael and their band, 8 p.m.; AUTHENTIC GARDEN ANTIQUES Lycian Centre for the Performing Arts, 1351 Kings Highway, Sugar Loaf. $55. (845) 469-2287, lyciancentre.com.

‘TITANIC COMMEMORATION AND OPENING NIGHT GALA’

The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum opens its 46th season with a preview of an exhibit on the life of Titanic survivor Helen Churchill Candee, and discussion on the legacy of the RMS Titanic, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.; 295 West Ave., Norwalk. $200, $150. (203) 838-9799, ext. 4, info@lockwoodmathewsmansion.com.

‘TRASH? OR TREASURE!’

An antiques appraisal fair to benefit Hudson Chorale, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Scarborough Presbyterian Church Parish Hall, 655 Scarborough Road, Scarborough. $25 for first item; $5 additional items (maximum of three pieces). (914) 462-3212, hudsonchorale.org.

The Antique Garden Furniture Show & Sale brings together more than 30 dealers exhibiting a wide array of collectibles, show kicks off with a benefit preview party and collector plant sale, 6 to 8 p.m.

Thursday, show continues 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday to Sunday; The New York Botanical Garden, 2900 Southern Blvd., Bronx. $10; $200 preview party; show tickets $20; $18 seniors. (718) 817-8773, nybg.org.

SATURDAY APRIL 28 ‘COME PLAY!...UNDER THE BIG TOP’

A gala celebration to benefit Child Guidance Center of Southern Connecticut includes a cocktail reception, dinner, dancing and silent and live auctions, 6 p.m.; Roger Sherman Baldwin Park, 100 Arch St., Greenwich. Tickets start at $275. (203) 517-3320, childguidancect.org.

MONDAY APRIL 30 ‘JOURNEY ON’

A gala to celebrate the 29th anniversary of The New York Pops honors Tony Award-winning and Oscar-nominated songwriting team Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, 7 p.m. gala concert at Carnegie Hall, 881 Seventh Ave., Manhattan; 8:30 p.m. black-tie dinner dance at the Plaza Hotel, 768 Fifth Ave., Manhattan. Gala: $1,000 (one concert ticket and dinner seating) to $50,000 (premier first-tier box and dinner table for eight). Concert only: $90, $60. (212) 765-7677, newyorkpops.org.

‘SPRING FLING’

A wine and cheese happy hour followed by a buffet dinner, dessert and silent auction to benefit the Hudson Valley Pet Food Pantry, 5:30 p.m.; NinaMaria’s Restaurant, 301 Columbus Ave., Valhalla. $30. (914) 907-3433, hvpetfoodpantry.org.

THURSDAY MAY 3 ‘A NOVEL AFFAIR’

Food, spirits and entertainment to benefit The Ferguson Library, 6 to 9 p.m.; 1 Public Library Plaza, Stamford. $125. (203) 351-8205, fergusonlibrary.org.

SUNDAY APRIL 29 WALK-A-THON

SATURDAY MAY 5 The Child Abuse Prevention Center 5K walk/stroll SOUNDS OF THE STRINGS event includes refreshments, prizes, giveaways and music, 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. registration, 9 a.m. walk, 9:30 a.m. stroll; Playland, 1 Playland Parkway, Rye. $35 day of, $25 in advance; children under 12: $15 day of, $10 in advance. (914) 997-2642, lpaver@ preventchildabuse.net.

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Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty.

Photograph by Joan Marcus.

Westchester Chamber Symphony presents an allMendelssohn program featuring violinist Elmar Oliveira, 8 p.m.; Iona College, Christopher J. Murphy Auditorium, 715 North Ave., New Rochelle. $50; $40 seniors; $15 students. (914) 654-4926, westchesterchambersymphony.org.

amsterdam

bavier

bellovin

bryson

cohen

wit wonders: Who rates your Lincoln Bedroom?

“Willy Wonka. In hopes that he would reciprocate.”

– Lauren Amsterdam Executive creative director, AMSTERLAND: Advertising Utopia, Pocantico Hills resident “My children – Scott, age 23, and Charlotte, age 19, ‘rate my Lincoln Bedroom.’ They bring me so much joy and I love having them home with me.”

– Anne Bavier Owner, Bavier Design L.L.C., Stamford, Darien resident “Our favored guests prefer cross-ventilation over CAC (central air conditioning), walk to town and enjoy poking around estate sales and the farmers’ market. Those who really rate come equipped with sun hats and garden gloves. They are rewarded with a cooling dip at Larchmont Manor Beach and a pile of library books in our Lincoln Bedroom.”

– Ilene Bellovin Licensed real estate salesperson, Prudential Centennial Realty, Larchmont, Larchmont resident “The nicest guest room in our house has its own special name, too. It’s called ‘Ma’s bedroom!’ Ma is the name my children came up with for my mother when they were young. So, no, it doesn’t take being a VIP to have access to our house’s Lincoln Bedroom. All it takes is good timing. My out-of-town friends (and even other members of the family) just have to avoid coming any night my mother is staying with us. Otherwise, the room is always open to friends old and new in need of a place to rest their heads.”

– Kristin Bryson Founder and CEO, KB Communications, Ridgefield, Ridgefield resident

cole

“The eminent 19th century architect, Edward Lutyens once said, ‘There is no great architecture without great patrons.’ My clients deserve the Lincoln Bedroom guest suite. They are discriminating and understand successful historic home design and renovation projects are based on a mutual devotion to quality. By combining our energies, we create inspiring results that far exceed the sum of our individual efforts. The character and quality emerge from my devotion to meeting client needs, desires and priorities in creative and technical solutions. Now that’s something to rest upon.”

– Robert Cohen, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP Principal, Robert Cohen Architect L.L.C.,Westport, Westport resident “Paul Feiner, supervisor of the town of Greenburgh, for advocating (and hopefully implementing) the recycling of the old Tappan Zee Bridge into a linear pedestrian walking and biking park. This bridge will provide worldclass recreational opportunities for our region far in excess of its costs.”

– Peter A. Cole Architect, AIA, LEED AP, Chappaqua, Chappaqua resident “My choice for a Lincoln Bedroom guest would be Anthony Robbins. As a graduate of Tony Robbins Life Mastery University and a veteran ‘Firewalker’ from the Robbins program, I have had the opportunity to see how this man’s energy, drive, insight and intelligence have changed hundreds of lives, including mine. To have the chance of an up-close and personal evening spent with this wonderful energy, I would gladly give up my own bedroom and camp out in the garage. He has seen and counseled some of this century’s greatest minds as well as some of the world’s most powerful people but has always approached his success with a wonderful sense of joy and gratitude.”

– Diane Cummins Director of sales, Prudential Douglas Elliman, Katonah and Somers offices, Mahopac resident

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palumbo

“As an interior decorator, I believe that every room in your home is deserving of looking its best and should be decorated to reflect your tastes and style so I would give Dorothy Draper her choice of any room in my home. As one of the first notable female interior decorators, Draper trailblazed the industry with exuberant color, bold patterns and fancy moldings. She also felt that every room should have a bit of black in it, a sentiment I wholeheartedly agree with and execute in my designs as well. I’d like to think that she would feel quite comfortable in my home.”

– Joanne Palumbo Owner, Homestyling101, Yorktown Heights resident “I would give my Lincoln room up for Grammy Awardwinning R&B artist John Legend. Not only is he an amazing crooner who could entertain the rest of my guests, he fights for educational opportunity through his music (check out his album ‘Wake Up’), his ‘Show Me’ campaign, and as a Teach For America national board member.”

– Nate Snow Executive director, Teach For America Connecticut, Bridgeport resident “My parents Rita and Gene, who gave me life and taught me the wonders of love and laughter and the joy of living. If I had the luxury to have a second guest it would be George Clooney – except I would have to sleep in the bedroom with him, too.”

– Mady Wengrover Realtor, Vincent & Whittemore Real Estate, Bedford, Lewisboro resident

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Compiled by Alissa Frey. Contact her at afrey@westfairinc.com.

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watch what’s neu?

The Neuberger Museum of Art at Purchase College recently held an opening reception for two modern and contemporary exhibits –“American Vanguards: Graham, Davis, Gorky, DeKooning and Their Circle,” and “Visionary Sugar: Works

by Kiki Smith.”

Tony Maddalena, Pattie Grabel, Paul Zukowsky and Marc David Miller

Tennae Maki, Katherine Smith and Karen Summerson

Charles Cecil, Helen Stambler Neuberger and Janis Cecil

Helaine Posner and Kiki Smith

Gabriella Lewton-Leopold and Branic Howard

Ursula von Rydingsvard and Lesley Dill

Mark and Charlene Willis

Andre Ribuoli, Jennifer Mahlman and Felix Harlan

Jim Neuberger and Karen Wilkin

Bill Agee and Susan Faxon

young at art

Allan Houston, Knicks’ assistant general manager, a gallery guest (unidentified) and artist Asa Jackson.

Lee and Cindy Milazzo, gallery owners

Featured artwork

by Asa Jackson

Identifications are from left unless otherwise indicated.

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Recently, the Samuel Owen Gallery in Greenwich hosted 23-year-old Asa Jackson’s first solo exhibit of bright, mixedmedia paintings. The gallery was bustling for hours with locals, art collectors and Jackson’s family members, including his uncle, former Knicks player and current assistant GM Allan Houston, and his wife, Tamara.

Stylish guests enjoyed tuna tartare, Ciroc vodka and lively conversations about the exciting new artwork.

red Hot

Recently, the American Heart Association welcomed more than 750 guests to the ninth annual Go Red For Women luncheon at the Hyatt Regency Greenwich. Go Red For Women is a movement powered by women leaders on a mission to dispel the myths about heart disease – the No. 1 killer of women. Funds raised will support women’s heart health awareness, education and research.

Traci E. Alexander, award-winning journalist

Gentry Long of Equinox

Selena Watkins

Marria Pooya

Elizabeth Bracken-Thompson

Emily Pinon & Lou Liodori

Patty Palmieri and Kris Ruby

Anne Burrell, Food Network Chef

Pamela Coleman

Maria Freburg, Go Red For Women, chairperson

Gayle Speech and Eve Fogler

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watch Faith in leadership

Louisa and Warren Greene and Erika Higdon

Anni DeMarco and Nick DeMarco

Deborah and Chuck Royce

Henry Higdon and Russell Reynolds

Tom Knight, Kathie Knight and Jim Knight

Marian Burke, Marijane Hvolbeck and Russell Burke

Fred and Ken Singleton with Lowes Moore

On the Scouts’ team

Mount Vernon Boys & Girls Club alumni Ken Singleton, a Yankees’ broadcaster, and Lowes Moore, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of Mount Vernon, teamed up outside Solano’s Lincoln Lounge to promote the organization’s 100th anniversary. A gala was scheduled March 24 for the Hilton Rye Town, with Oscar winner Denzel Washington as host.

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An enthusiastic group of 320 clergy and business leaders recently attended the Greenwich Leadership Forum dinner, which presented its 2012 award for leadership to financial executive and philanthropist Charles M. Royce at the Greenwich Country Club. Singer Amy Grant, winner of six Grammys, was the guest speaker and performer. The Greenwich Leadership Forum provides a platform for business executives to explore how religious principles can play an important role in their decision-making.

Peter Hawkins and Leslie Laughren

Al McCready, Holly Singsen and Laura Bevill

Fordham alumnus Tom Humphrey, Paul and Kevin Dillon

Fordham says “Fore!”

Kevin Dillon, a star of HBO’s “Entourage,” didn’t need one when he appeared at a fundraising event for Fordham Golf, paying tribute to his dad and Fordham University golf coach, Paul Dillon. The event, held at the Links Club in Manhattan, featured WFAN radio’s Rich Ackerman as master of ceremonies, and Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Dave Anderson as keynote speaker.

Photographs by Chris Taggart, courtesy of Fordham University

Sex-book launch

More than 80 people recently attended the book launch party for “V is for Vagina” at Massa, an Italian restaurant and wine bar in Scarsdale.

The event was hosted by co-author and obstetrician/gynecologist Alyssa Dweck of Chappaqua. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to the Fistula Foundation.

Jené Luciani, author of “The Bra Book,” Mary Amy and Paul Moore

Tiffany Werbin-Silver, OB/GYN with Westchester Health, and Mary Alice Shallo

Nicholas Zak and Phyllis Juliano

Co-authors Robin Westen and Alyssa Dweck

Mara Weissmann and Leslie Hinderstein

Kahleen Rozowsky of Rye and Stacy Smith

Linda Fears, editor-in-chief, Family Circle magazine, and Cindy Bressler of the Bedtime Network

Jimmy Fink, DJ at “The Peak” 107.1, and Dennis Chillemi, LLS executive director

Training day

Sharon Parker, Maria Dunleavy, Ronnie Ram and Alex Krestin

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) of White Plains held its Team in Training Marathon Preview Party recently at Chat American Grill in Scarsdale. Some 50 people attended the event to learn about participating in Team in Training, an endurance sports-training program dedicated to finding a cure for blood cancers.

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watch Comedy for a cause

Jenna Wolfe, co-host of NBC’s “Weekend Today,” and Mario Cantone (“Sex and the City”) were the headliners of the recent comedy gala that Gilda’s Club Westchester held at The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester in White Plains. The gala honorees included Scarsdale residents Wendy Kleinman and Jodi Shapiro, who created the Gilda’s Club Westchester Mah Jongg Invitational three years ago in honor of their mothers, who both lost their lives to cancer.

Jenna Wolfe, Wendy Kleinman and Stephanie Falk

Stephanie Hollander accepting an award on behalf of Ernst & Young

Susie Wang and Robin Poses Markell

Carol Bennett-Schnorr and Bill Null, president of the board of directors

Cheryl Geller and Cindy Valk-Danish

Amy Mlodzianowski

Tom Allbee, Laure Aubuchon, Jennifer Allbee and Stamford Mayor Michael Pavia

Good eats

Scott Wapner, Joe Bastianich, Teresa Scanlan and Ernest Lamour

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More than 250 guests recently attended the Stamford Family YMCA’s “Fine Food for a Cause” event, which featured a feast of signature small plates from a dozen or more homegrown chefs. The evening included special honors for restaurateur Joe Bastianich and 2011 Miss America Teresa Scanlan and was emceed by Scott Wapner of CNBC’s “Fast Money Halftime Report.” The event raised more than $100,000.

Designing women (and men)

RMS Residential, luxury home builders headquartered in Stamford, recently hosted a “Night of Italian Design” with Mis En Scene, a highend home design store and commercial design center in Greenwich.

More than 100 guests attended the event to preview new products sold exclusively at Mis En Scene and to meet designers and homeowners from Fairfield and Westchester counties.

Rich Mele

Alex Turco, Maggie Nagle and Nicolas Cattaruzza

Harry Peden, Scott Stenquist, Frank Sparagna and Robert Cohen

Patti Bancone, Farnosh Olamai and Maureen O’Boyle

Cheryl Farley, Claire and Randy Salvatore, Karen Kelly and Paul Mattus Amy Andrews

Claire Maestroni

Rich Granoff

Jeff Kaufman and Cristen Marandino

Stephanie Couperier, Veronique Ingrand and Dorte Trionfi

Want to be in Watch? Send event photos, captions (identifying subjects from left to right) and a paragraph describing the event to afrey@wagmag.com.

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class&sass

By Martha Handler and Jennifer Pappas April is a great time for talking about the foolish things we do. I’ll go first. I’m such a fool that I’ll lie on a massage table for an excruciating hour as a masseuse gently sloshes oil over my body, rather than asking she use stronger pressure (and thereby possibly offending her). I’m also the fool that allows her hairdresser of many years to blow-dry her hair in a style that I abhor rather than explain (because I’m such a wimp) how I prefer it be done.

But enough about my foolish antics. What about all those technically challenged people out there who receive a group email and then rather than simply hitting “reply,” they hit “reply all,” causing your inbox to be flooded with hundreds of responses that are totally irrelevant to anyone but the sender? Come on people: This is Emailing 101. (FYI: The sender could avoid this situation by putting the addressees in the “bcc” box rather than the “to” box.) can certainly relate to overflowing J Iinboxes.

These days we are inundated with ways to communicate with one other – email, text message, Skype, cell phones, Facebook, Twitter, etc. It’s convenient yes, but the expectations for immediate response are immense. It’s just become a huge burden and responsibility. I get so tired of getting binged, instant-messaged and buzzed.

I’m too “LinkedIn.” I’ve watched my girls (who are of dating age) struggle with this. If they text their boyfriends and don’t get a response right away, they are out-of-sorts and offended. The questions begin: Why isn’t he answering me? Why is he ignoring me?

What is he doing? Does he still love me? I just look at them quizzically and say, “ I don’t know, maybe he’s taking a shower?” What happened to the alluring aspect of waiting?

Exactly! Don’t girls today know that M the males of the species enjoy being the hunters? They don’t want their prey simply to fall down and roll over (i.e., text them every couple of seconds). They want to pursue them, to give chase. It makes them feel manlier. Plus, don’t you wonder what they talk about when they see each other face-to-face after they’ve been texting for hours every day? All this instant communication is tedious and leaves nothing to the imagination. Mystery is the name of the game when it comes to love and lust.

Just ask my husband, who never seems to be able to reach me when he wants to. It drives him crazy (but in a good way). still amused when I see a group J I’m of teenagers, sitting around a table texting, their faces glued to a blue screen in sheer rapture, instead of talking to one another. I mean, who are they face-timing, inboxing/MMS-ing for God’s sake? And if they are so uninterested in the people they

M

Email Class & Sass at marthaandjen@ wagmag.com.

You can also follow Martha and Jen on Facebook at Jennifer Pappas Wag Writer.

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are with, why are they there with them anyway? Personally, I think the IPhone has taken the place of the cigarette. It’s become the new high-tech social pacifier. But hey, I’m as guilty as the next guy. I’m very attached to my phone, perhaps too attached. It’s kind of creepy. The world just seems “right” when I have it in my back pocket. I recently read an article about Apple and how it developed the iPhone. It seems the company consulted neuroscientists and learned that when you interact with the iPhone, the same parts of the brain are stimulated as when you fall in love. So in essence you fall in love with your phone. If you ask people, they will tell you that their phone is the first thing they reach for in the morning and the last thing they touch before they go to bed and that they feel anxious when they don’t have it near them. Beam me up, Scotty.

Speaking of foolishness and ignorM ing those you’re with, I was recently seated at an upscale restaurant when I had to excuse myself to use the restroom. On my stroll across the dining room, a man who was in his late 50s or early 60s – and who was seated with two much younger women – had the audacity to look me up and down repeatedly as if I were a piece of raw meat. His actions were so blatant that his companions both turned around to see who I was. (I’m sure they were mightily disappointed). I found his leering disrespectful and rude, not to mention incredibly insulting to his dinner companions (who may or may not have been on the payroll, if you know what I mean). If I looked like Sofia Vergara, I could certainly understand his lapse in decorum and decency (as I’d probably be doing the same thing). But this was nothing more than a fool acting incredibly foolish. I had a sudden urge to lob my iPhone at him, but he already had one stuck to his head. be it driving, dining or datJ People, ing…get off the phone!

Wag Up: • The Iranian movie “A Separation” – extraordinary. Rent it today. (M) • Playing pranks on April Fools’ Day. Last year my children and I had set up so many traps in the bathroom for my husband (putting salt in his toothpaste, for example), that by the time he had gotten to the kitchen, he was truly nervous to drink his coffee. (And for good reason: We had substituted buttermilk for his half and half). Ha. (J) Wag down: • Those stupid little stickers that they put on individual pieces of fruit. (M) • When you buy a piece of clothing and they forget to take those darn sensor things off. (J)

A Lifetime of Beautiful Smiles

For many families in Westchester, we’re the only dental office they’ve ever used. We’re proud of this fact. We believe the reason so many of our original patients bring their own children to us can be summed up in one word: trust. Advanced Dentistry of Westchester has been creating beautiful healthy smiles in Westchester County for more than 4 generations of patients. Throughout the years, our patients have received top quality preventive and restorative treatments — all while enjoying the personal touch of a family dental practice offering the latest in advanced technology.

Westchester Magazine “Top Dentists” 2009, 2010, 2011 Consumer Research Council List of “Top Cosmetic Dentists” Listed in “Westchester’s Leading Plastic Surgeons and Cosmetic Dentists” Professor of Esthetics NYU College of Dentistry Dr. Sabrina Magid Chosen by Westchester Magazine as one of the top 22 People to Watch in Westchester County

If you want to learn about the advanced technologies we use or the comments from our patients visit our web page at www.ADofW.com and visit us on

163 Halstead Avenue • Harrison, NY 914.835.0542