During the entire month of May, five Bergen County designers will be featured at this year's Mansion in May at Fawn Hill Farm in Harding Township. They were selected from over 100 proposals to join 35 interior designers and 17 landscape designers to completely redesign the exquisite 34-acre, 21-room stone estate originally owned by Allan Kirby, the president of Alleghany Corporation.

Mansion in May is sponsored by the Women's Association of Morristown Memorial Hospital and has generated over $5 million for the hospital since its inception in 1974. This year, proceeds will be directed toward the $25 million expansion of the Emergency Department that was last renovated in 1993 to serve 50,000 patients per year, but which is now approaching 80,000 visits per year.

Diane Durocher of Diane Durocher Interiors of Ramsey named the guest cottage den “A Serene Retreat” and said: “We were immediately drawn to the coziness of the Guest Cottage Den and the stunning bay window that relates to the outdoors. Keeping this in mind, we selected the serene palette of taupe, cream and haze blue. Our inspiration fabric of an organic damask motif is used to fabricate the roman shades and pillows on the sofa which is upholstered in raffia tweed. Venetian plaster walls of soft taupe are accented with white trim which highlight the pale blue painted ceiling.

The open floor plan, which is designed with an eclectic mix of furnishings and accessories, allows ample seating for visitors. A game table with comfortable chairs is set in the bay window area for an evening game of chess, while the secretary serves dual purposes for display of the inhabitant’s favorite things or for writing. Rich textural fabrics in natural shades of haze blue and taupe are used to complete our design for this Cozy Guest Den.”

Vanessa Rojas of Vanessa DeLeon Associates of Edgewater was assigned a third floor studio which she is transforming into the “Cigar and Wine Room: A Cozy Oasis After Dark.” She said: “This cigar and wine room would serve as an oasis or a getaway for the owners and their guests. The idea for this room is to make a unique space where owners could escape from their daily routines and where they will accommodate their friends with rare and exotic items like fine cigars, and exclusive wines and cognacs.

Accent tile in taupe-brown combinations will welcome the guests with a warm feel when entering the attic. A huge feature of this space is the intricate ceiling that will be accented in dark brown high-gloss paint. The reasoning behind the high gloss finish for the ceiling is to have that three-dimensional look that will be achieved through the reflection of the paint. The shelves will be filled with cigar boxes, humidors and different cigar accessories together with wine and cognac glasses. A unit like this filled with all of these goodies will make one feel overwhelmed with excitement and curiosity.

Nancy Coutts of Custom Steel Ltd. of Riverdale said about their third floor “A Secret Salon”: “As a painter and furniture designer, my workplace is a space I spend a lot of time. It is the place where I create and I want it to be intimate and private, closed to the world until I am ready to display my work outside of any walls. This is the motivation for the design development of the third floor studio space. I want to tuck it out of view to anyone who doesn’t know how to enter, so the room is behind a hidden door which looks like a bookcase. You must know how to open the latch....”

Cording Landscape Design of Towaco and CLC Landscape Design are both designing their respective outdoor spaces. Richard Cording of CLC Landscape Design has named his area “Relaxing in Your Backyard.”

The Mansion is open May 1-31 (Monday-Saturday from 10am-3pm and Sunday from 11am-4pm). Tickets can be purchased online or at the door for $30 general admission and $25 for senior citizens. Shuttle vans will run continuously from the Atlantic Health Headquarters at 475 South Street in Morristown.

For more information, visit www.MansioninMay.com or call 973-971-8800. Fawn Hill Farm is available for sale. Contact Mary Horn of Weichert Realtors at 973-713-9489.