It takes a village – to design a space

This past spring, I was asked to participate in “The Hampton Designer Showhouse,” presented by Hampton Cottage & Gardens (HC&G) magazine and Stony Brook Southampton Hospital. Over the years, I had been asked and thought about participating but had always declined. The timing was never quite right.  Plus, I don’t like to participate in anything unless I can give it the attention it deserves.  

This, however, was the year I could do that with my current workload.  And having recently opened an additional office in East Hampton, I knew it would be a good way to get to know the community and meet additional contractors in my work. That “The Hampton Designer Showhouse” has long been associated with and benefits the Southampton Hospital was an added benefit for the community. So it was all systems go for the showhouse (July 22-Sept. 3), hosted by Southampton’s Cavallo Building Corp. in a home there that Tom and Douglas Cavallo, the father-and-son owners of the business, built to sell.  

My firm, Cami Weinstein Designs LLC, created the butler’s pantry – a space I love in any house. The butler’s pantry is the workhorse between the kitchen and dining room. It can work as a place to house dishes for holidays, glassware and serve ware and as a place to make and serve cocktails. This space is where the fun in your dinner party happens. 

Working with Ciuffo Cabinetry in Bayport, Long Island, I decided on a deep metallic gray for the cabinets, and an understated white oak tambour for the backsplash and area behind the shelves to offset that glamour. The cabinetry on the other side was in that same deep finish with reeded glass doors. The interiors of the “dry” side were clad in metal and glass shelves. I filled the shelves with beautiful pottery made by Tarrytown’s Connor McGinn Studios, which graciously lent us our choice of its many gorgeous pieces.  

The wallpaper was by Sarah Von Dreele, a New York City-based designer. I love her work. It’s modern, painterly and full of energy. We chose a luscious raspberry colorway and then painted the ceiling a deep raspberry, with Benjamin Moore customizing the paint found in the paper. For all-out glamour, we worked with Katonah Architectural Hardware to help us procure the handmade quartz and brass hardware from Matthew Studios in Manhattan.  It really does take a village to create these showhouses. The carpet was custom-made by Sacco Carpet, a family-run rug studio that’s also in Manhattan. Kohler, the Wisconsin-based kitchen and bath fixtures company, sponsored the showhouse, too, along with many other vendors.  

Once all the elements were decided upon and organized, everything had to be installed in a short amount of time. Just like any new build or renovation, things didn’t always go smoothly.  Install days were hectic and contractors ran late, which forced other contractors to be late with their installs. But somehow everyone kept pushing and working to get everything done by opening night. 

My firm is very organized. Although we love spontaneity, we prefer to work with a linear focus. When you are working on these spaces, you can really see how other designers and contractors work, too. Everyone in this showhouse was great and lent time or design thoughts if asked so that we could all help out one another.  After all, these projects are meant to create a wonderful experience for guests, who visit the showhouse to support their local hospital and community. And the designers created a community of their peers as well. 

Everyone who visited the showhouse was excited to see all the ideas presented. Many people came to get ideas for their own homes or to find a designer whose ideas they connected with to help them with their own projects. I loved the experience, and everyone I met was a wonderful addition to my circle of colleagues, whom I look forward to seeing at upcoming events. There are many showhouses that pop up in our towns, and they’re worth the visit to support the different causes they champion.   

Cami Weinstein Designs LLC is at 225 W. 106th St., Apt. 10 M, in Manhattan and 8 Main St. in East Hampton. For more, email Cami@camidesigns.com or call 914-447-6904.