betts
04-26-2008, 06:55 PM
Sat April 26, 2008
Tour of Brownstones a turn for 'show house'
By Chris Brawley Morgan
Special Correspondent
The Symphony Show House tour begins bold and modern: One bedroom is wrapped in lime-green stripes and another dares a black ceiling and walls, the better to highlight the white furniture and touches of red. Walk into the walk-in closet, however, and the tour suddenly leads through a surprise opening in the wall. Just ahead is a bathroom that is ruggedly different.The travertine floor features a "broken tile river” running through its middle. The bathroom vanity, a distressed cranberry red, is home to a buffalo statue. The rim of the bathtub features a horse.
Even without an actual door, it's clear this is a separate space. That's because this year's Symphony Show House is actually four side-by-side row houses, part of The Brownstones at Maywood Park.The Show House's opening day is Sunday. Right now, several of the Brownstones are connected by wall openings that will be sealed when the event ends May 18. Each downtown row house has its own theme: Urban Contemporary, Santa Fe Southwest, European Sophisticated and SoHo Metropolitan.
"We thought that four different themes would be something for everyone,” said Linda Patton, event chairman for the Oklahoma City Orchestra League, which has organized the annual Symphony Show House, formerly the Symphony Designers Show House, for 35 years to raise money for the Oklahoma City Philharmonic and music education."We do expect a record turnout,” she said.
Normally, more than 10,000 people tour the Show House, but organizers said this year the numbers might be higher partly because of the lure of the location. "We have a lot of people say they can't wait to see it because it's downtown,” Patton said. Most years, the project raises more than $200,000, which is used to support the Oklahoma City Philharmonic and 18 different music education programs, said Sue Francis, Orchestra League president.
It takes a large crew of volunteers to build a Show House. "When I say there are several thousand of people working on it, that is true. It's amazing. There are at least 100 people here every day. That's true every single year,” Francis said. In addition, more than 45 interior and exterior designers, whose work blooms in container gardens in The Brownstones' many balconies, contributed to the Symphony Show House this year. "You can't see it all in one trip,” Patton said.
The Show Home is rich in details, including the snakeskin carpet on the stairs and chandelier outlined in turquoise beads in the Southwest Brownstone bedroom. There's the fleur-de-lis emblems, jester statues and old-style portraits enlivening the walls of the compact European study. "I see new things every time I go through it. Oh, absolutely. There is so much to see,” Francis said.
The Show House is at 117 NE 3. The Brownstones at Maywood Park is a Triangle Development in downtown Oklahoma City. The brick row houses are three and four stories high and include exterior extras like slate tiles and wrought-iron balconies and inside, in some cases, elevators. Prices range from about $617,000 for 2,371 square feet to more than $800,000 for 3,550 square feet.
The Show House will be open every day for 28 days Sunday through May 18, Hours are 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $15 at the door.
In previous years, the Show House usually has been a transformed home in Nichols Hills or Heritage Hills or, which meant the designers usually kept another well established or historic neighborhood to one style, Francis said. Normally, the owner approves of the designers' plans, but is not involved in the installation, Francis said. Usually, "On Feb. 1, we take possession of the house and the owner hands us a key and doesn't come back until he is invited to come back right before the house opens,” Francis said. This is the first year that the Show House has been a series of homes. In addition, this is the first time that the Show House has been created in new construction.
In this case, on Feb. 1, the row houses were still without drywall, Francis said. "We were surprised by how much they got done in several months. But I kept pushing them and pushing them. ‘Come on, guys, come on,' ” she said. The designers started their work using the floor plans, not floors. "Our designers have been very patient,” Francis said. For instance, "They would put down their lovely rugs and the workmen would walk all over them. They have been very tolerant,” she said.
The row houses have provided designers with a chance to try different styles. "Some of the designers who have been with us forever are doing things that are completely new,” Francis said. Steve Winters of Winterhouse Interiors said he normally takes a traditional approach to design. At the Show House, however, he created a master bedroom for the Urban Contemporary Home with "caviar” black walls and ceiling. Two Chinese cabinets, however, are in "heartthrob” red, as is the nearby master bathroom. Otherwise, the silk headboard is white and bejeweled with 160 rhinestone buttons, a piece that Winters designed and had made locally. The rest of the white bedding and draperies are silk as well. Five-foot-tall lamps, with silver bases and white shades, are an imposing presence on the bedside tables. The shag rug and the Tibetan-lamb throw on the bed are in the fluffy-white category.
Winters said the unusual design of The Brownstones lends itself to unusual interior designs. "As designers, we like to get people's attention. In this sort of set up, they've got to remember us,” he said. "I've always wanted to do a black-and-white room and they've always shot me down before. This was the perfect opportunity. And that they went for it. So it was fun,” Winters said.
Tour of Brownstones a turn for 'show house'
By Chris Brawley Morgan
Special Correspondent
The Symphony Show House tour begins bold and modern: One bedroom is wrapped in lime-green stripes and another dares a black ceiling and walls, the better to highlight the white furniture and touches of red. Walk into the walk-in closet, however, and the tour suddenly leads through a surprise opening in the wall. Just ahead is a bathroom that is ruggedly different.The travertine floor features a "broken tile river” running through its middle. The bathroom vanity, a distressed cranberry red, is home to a buffalo statue. The rim of the bathtub features a horse.
Even without an actual door, it's clear this is a separate space. That's because this year's Symphony Show House is actually four side-by-side row houses, part of The Brownstones at Maywood Park.The Show House's opening day is Sunday. Right now, several of the Brownstones are connected by wall openings that will be sealed when the event ends May 18. Each downtown row house has its own theme: Urban Contemporary, Santa Fe Southwest, European Sophisticated and SoHo Metropolitan.
"We thought that four different themes would be something for everyone,” said Linda Patton, event chairman for the Oklahoma City Orchestra League, which has organized the annual Symphony Show House, formerly the Symphony Designers Show House, for 35 years to raise money for the Oklahoma City Philharmonic and music education."We do expect a record turnout,” she said.
Normally, more than 10,000 people tour the Show House, but organizers said this year the numbers might be higher partly because of the lure of the location. "We have a lot of people say they can't wait to see it because it's downtown,” Patton said. Most years, the project raises more than $200,000, which is used to support the Oklahoma City Philharmonic and 18 different music education programs, said Sue Francis, Orchestra League president.
It takes a large crew of volunteers to build a Show House. "When I say there are several thousand of people working on it, that is true. It's amazing. There are at least 100 people here every day. That's true every single year,” Francis said. In addition, more than 45 interior and exterior designers, whose work blooms in container gardens in The Brownstones' many balconies, contributed to the Symphony Show House this year. "You can't see it all in one trip,” Patton said.
The Show Home is rich in details, including the snakeskin carpet on the stairs and chandelier outlined in turquoise beads in the Southwest Brownstone bedroom. There's the fleur-de-lis emblems, jester statues and old-style portraits enlivening the walls of the compact European study. "I see new things every time I go through it. Oh, absolutely. There is so much to see,” Francis said.
The Show House is at 117 NE 3. The Brownstones at Maywood Park is a Triangle Development in downtown Oklahoma City. The brick row houses are three and four stories high and include exterior extras like slate tiles and wrought-iron balconies and inside, in some cases, elevators. Prices range from about $617,000 for 2,371 square feet to more than $800,000 for 3,550 square feet.
The Show House will be open every day for 28 days Sunday through May 18, Hours are 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $15 at the door.
In previous years, the Show House usually has been a transformed home in Nichols Hills or Heritage Hills or, which meant the designers usually kept another well established or historic neighborhood to one style, Francis said. Normally, the owner approves of the designers' plans, but is not involved in the installation, Francis said. Usually, "On Feb. 1, we take possession of the house and the owner hands us a key and doesn't come back until he is invited to come back right before the house opens,” Francis said. This is the first year that the Show House has been a series of homes. In addition, this is the first time that the Show House has been created in new construction.
In this case, on Feb. 1, the row houses were still without drywall, Francis said. "We were surprised by how much they got done in several months. But I kept pushing them and pushing them. ‘Come on, guys, come on,' ” she said. The designers started their work using the floor plans, not floors. "Our designers have been very patient,” Francis said. For instance, "They would put down their lovely rugs and the workmen would walk all over them. They have been very tolerant,” she said.
The row houses have provided designers with a chance to try different styles. "Some of the designers who have been with us forever are doing things that are completely new,” Francis said. Steve Winters of Winterhouse Interiors said he normally takes a traditional approach to design. At the Show House, however, he created a master bedroom for the Urban Contemporary Home with "caviar” black walls and ceiling. Two Chinese cabinets, however, are in "heartthrob” red, as is the nearby master bathroom. Otherwise, the silk headboard is white and bejeweled with 160 rhinestone buttons, a piece that Winters designed and had made locally. The rest of the white bedding and draperies are silk as well. Five-foot-tall lamps, with silver bases and white shades, are an imposing presence on the bedside tables. The shag rug and the Tibetan-lamb throw on the bed are in the fluffy-white category.
Winters said the unusual design of The Brownstones lends itself to unusual interior designs. "As designers, we like to get people's attention. In this sort of set up, they've got to remember us,” he said. "I've always wanted to do a black-and-white room and they've always shot me down before. This was the perfect opportunity. And that they went for it. So it was fun,” Winters said.