There”™s no business like showhouse business and for 23 professionals the 11,000-square-foot Designer Showhouse of Westchester affords them one stately stage.
From now until June 12, designers and decorative artists from throughout the country are exhibiting their work at a transformed estate set on nearly 18 acres in Bedford Corners. All proceeds from the five-week house tour will benefit Cerebral Palsy of Westchester.
“Most of our funding is state funding and with all of the cutbacks, we”™ve been greatly affected,” said Stephanie Russo, associate executive director of Cerebral Palsy of Westchester. “We have several annual events we do to supplement our annual funding. Â Traditionally, every nonprofit does a golf event and a gala, but there was no other showhouse in Westchester.”
Marketing the $11-million Designer Showhouse has been a “huge undertaking,” but Russo pointed out that beyond the monetary rewards raised, it means 4,000-plus-person foot traffic and subsequent awareness for the organization for five consecutive weeks.
The orchestration of the campaign goes far beyond the cocktail party preview.
“You have to have a homeowner who is willing to give up their home for five weeks (this year, the showhouse property is on the market) and we work with an interior designer who is a consultant and does background checks on all of the designers,” Russo said. “Part of the motive is that we wanted to have designers from all different backgrounds. One may be more traditional, one may be more modern.”
The showhouse becomes not just a viable marketing tool for the Sotheby”™s Realtors who are looking to sell the house, but a platform for the people who transformed the look of the house, ranging from portrait specialists to landscape designers.
Every $30 ticket into the house goes back to Cerebral Palsy of Westchester.
“We”™re considered a small- to mid-sized nonprofit in Westchester,” Russo said. “For us to stand out and to be more recognized when there are so many, this is a great event for us.”
Cerebral Palsy of Westchester provides educational services, direct services, vocational training, recreation, rehabilitation and advocacy to children and adults with cerebral palsy and other disabilities in Westchester and Fairfield counties.
For showhouse information, visit CPWestchester.org/designerevent.htm.
