Through Oct. 14, the circa 1847 Memucam Hughes house at 608 Hughes will be receiving guests daily as the third annual Cape May Designer Show House. Last weekend, landscapers were putting finishing touches on the fragrant herb garden out front as some of the first visitors fawned over copper window boxes filled with exotic plantings.
Proceeds from tours of the grand Federal-style structure, once the residence of a river pilot, will benefit the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts, which works to preserve historical buildings in Cape May.
This year's mission was to keep the historical integrity of the Hughes house intact while also making the dwelling "160 years young" with a new layout and the latest technology and appliances, Saponaro says. Original doors and windows were restored and reused, but walls came down and spaces were opened up.
When Saponaro bought the place last year - he has owned all three designer show houses - he decided to test-drive it by inviting his seven siblings (including "six Italian sisters") for Thanksgiving dinner. Even though the kitchen was new, he says, it didn't pass the test.
"You couldn't open the oven or dishwasher and walk by," says the former antiques dealer-turned-developer. He served as the project manager for the house's renovation, even helping to find new products such as the hammered-tin hood over the stove, made by Valley Tinworks in Glenville, Pa. (near Hanover).
Saponaro also helped find the show-house designers and consulted with them on what each floor would contain. "I wanted the house to flow, so if someone [wants] to buy it, it all makes sense and they don't have to do more work to it."
He plans to live in the main house with his family after the show ends in October, but Saponaro will be selling the three-bedroom, two-story carriage house that is also part of the tour.
For the designers, this is a chance to show off what they can do, and to use the very latest thing (often generously donated by the manufacturer). Think of these spaces as giant calling cards for the pros.
Kitchen designer Jeffrey Holloway, of Holloway Home Improvement Center in Marmora, Cape May County, used rich walnut, not often seen, for kitchen cabinets.
Ivyland, Bucks County, designer Linda Daly used new eco-friendly paints from Benjamin Moore's Aura line and comfy, antique-looking leather chairs from Century Furniture in the third-floor home theater and billiards room, which also features the wit and wisdom of Mark Twain stenciled by painter Carol Nagel onto the dormered walls.
Vera Bahou of Designhaus Interiors in Holland, Bucks County, tackled the basement-level spa, a former crawlspace. Crews had to dig down two feet to allow enough room for the sauna, steam shower, exercise, and massage areas.
Just beyond that blissful area is another: a wine gallery by Joseph Tenaglia Jr. of Joseph Design L.L.C. in Wildwood Crest that features a dining table, a small fireplace, and dramatically lit built-ins for wine storage and treasures from around the world.
In fact, several of the show-house rooms have an exotic feel, as if intended as an ode to the life of a traveler.
In a formal study for a modern-day seafarer, Michele and Bill Collins of Painted River Studios in Corbin City, Atlantic County, installed raised paneling (painted to give it a patina), window seats, and built-in bookshelves, then added a wet bar with antique glass doors and painted a map on the ceiling, flanked by sea sirens.
And Pedro Rodriguez of Bala Cynwyd made his dining porch the most graphic, contemporary space in the house with crisp black-and-white textiles, a clean-lined breakfast table, and chaises and bronzes of animals and artifacts from global travel.
One of the many docents who informed visitors of the work that went into each room offered up her favorite to a group of four friends who meandered through the house, gleaning decorating tips at every turn.
"This room right here," docent Connie Driscoll said, referring to a second-floor porch, designed by Nora Pascarella of Cape May Linen Outlet, that overlooks the glorious brick courtyard and gardens, a piece of real estate the size of which you seldom see in a Shore town, let alone Cape May.
Designed by landscape architect John E. Schneider of Blue Bell and Cape
May, who saved three 100-year-old sycamores that anchor it, the garden space
features decorative pieces from Elizabeth Schumacher of Garden Accents in
West Conshohocken and a dining area designed by Rita Cipolla, owner of
Accessories Plus in Sewell.
"I'll take that spot over any," Driscoll said of the porch. "It's got the best view in town."
If You Go
The third annual Cape May Designer Show House is open through Oct. 14 at the Memucam Hughes house, 608 Hughes St. Hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, plus 7-9 p.m. Monday through Friday. Proceeds benefit the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts, which promotes restoration of historic buildings such as the Cape May lighthouse.
Admission is $20, which includes a book with designer information and a history of the house. Ticket packages are available: afternoon tea luncheon/house tour at Aleathea's, $35; Sunday champagne brunch at the Carriage House tea room/self-guided tour, $30; weekly three-course dinners (select number of restaurants)/self-guided tour, $45 (tax and gratuities included).
For tickets, call the arts center at 800-275-4278 or 609-884-5404.
By Kathleen Nicholson Webber
For The Inquirer