Have you ever been to a designer showhouse? A designer showhouse is an event in which a group of designers are invited to decorate and design rooms in a specific house, showcasing their talents and creativity. The house is then opened to the public for a limited time, allowing visitors to tour the space and gather inspiration for their own homes. Designer showhouses often benefit a charitable cause and offer a unique opportunity to see the work of multiple designers in one location.
Attending a designer showhouse can be a wonderful experience for design enthusiasts and homeowners alike, offering a chance to see the latest trends in interior design and gain inspiration for their own projects.
Designer showhouses are often hosted in historic or notable homes, providing an opportunity to appreciate the architecture and design of the space as well as the creative talents of the designers.
Many showhouses offer guided tours or events, such as panel discussions or workshops, allowing visitors to gain insights into the design process and learn from industry experts.
In addition to showcasing the latest design trends, showhouses often feature unique or one-of-a-kind pieces that are not available in traditional retail stores, making it a great opportunity to discover new sources for decor and furnishings.
Supporting charitable causes is an important aspect of many designer showhouses, so attending these events not only offers a chance to enjoy beautiful design but also contributes to a good cause.
Mansion in May Three Fields Designer Showhouse and Gardens
In New Jersey, Mansion in May in nearby Morris County is among the biggest and best showhouses, attracting visitors from throughout the state. This year’s Mansion in May Three Fields Designer Showhouse and Gardens features a number of Bergen County’s leading interior designers, including Diane Durocher of Diane Durocher Interiors, Marina V. Umali of Marina V Design Studio, and Susan Farcy of Susan Farcy Interior Design. Mybergen.com is a proud media sponsor of this fabulous event.
If you’ve visited Mansion in May in past years, you know what an uplifting experience it is. If this is your first visit, you’re in for a walk in the park, a real park that surrounds a Designer Showhouse and Gardens. Mansion in May, which this year showcases the estate known as Three Fields in the Borough of Mendham, invites all those celebrating spring and its generous gifts to join the many expected visitors.
Mansion in May is the signature fundraising event of the Women’s Association for Morristown Medical Center and takes place every two (occasionally three) years. It is one of the country’s most extensive and beautiful showhouses. Three Fields offers the visitor not just 9,000 square feet of rooms designed and outfitted by 29 of the area’s pre-eminent professionals but surrounding gardens imagined by teams of landscape designers and architects.
The Women’s Association was fortunate to receive proposals from numerous landscape designers, including many who participated in past Mansions. The 14 designers now putting the finishing touches (and mulch) on the gardens, having coaxed them from winter doldrums, have included vibrant flowering plants, a water feature, relaxing seating, and dramatic sculpture, as well as shrubbery. The estate grounds, 36 acres of lawn, garden, and forest, are exceptional, with historic outbuildings, bucolic vistas, and mature specimen trees.
Susan Cohan, named Designer of the Year in 2021 by the Association of Professional Landscape Designers, created the master plan for the gardens. Her lavish floral display greeted visitors as they entered the Philadelphia Flower Show this year. Each of the landscape designers for Three Fields has a unique approach. Her displays can be easily adapted by New Jersey home gardeners. The stonework mason views the landscape as a living, breathing organism and believes that we should design with change in mind because plants and trees grow and mature and even fall out of fashion. Lighting and audio garden experts have added a contemporary touch to the gardens.
Three Fields opens to the public on May 1, 2023, and runs throughout the month. Visitors may wander through the beautifully outfitted spaces of the stone, brick, and tile-roofed French manor-style home before or after touring the gardens.
Three Fields: Majestic Estate Offers Exquisite Beauty Inside and Out
The estate was designed by the prominent architect Greville Rickard and built between 1928 and 1930. Situated on acres of gently rolling fields and bordering forest, Three Fields combines many architectural elements such as tall, steeply-pitched roofs with dormers, wood casement windows, and French doors opening to the airy lawn beyond. The home’s façade combines several conjoined structures as if the house had been added to over time, along with roofs with built-in sags and bumps, all blending together to give the romantic appearance of a centuries-old retreat. Lunch in the cafe tent and shopping in the boutiques in the adjacent carriage house add to the experience of being in a sequestered country setting.
Funds to Benefit the Institute of Bioskills Training and Innovation at Morristown Medical Center
The Women’s Association for Morristown Medical Center (WAMMC), now over 400-strong, has for 130 years helped the hospital respond to the changing healthcare needs of the community. U.S. News and World Report rank the Center as number one in the state. The Association hosts a number of fundraising events and has raised more than $30 million to date for the Medical Center, including $12 million from Mansion in May alone.
This year proceeds from Mansion will go to support the expansion and modernization of the Institute of Bioskills Training and Innovation. The institute allows healthcare professionals to hone their skills in high-tech and other procedures using simulation training. For more information about WAMMC, visit www.wammc.org.
Mansion in May offers an opportunity to tour the metropolitan area’s preeminent Designer Showhouse and Gardens, and more than 20,000 visitors are expected.
Mansion in May Three Field Designer Showhouse and Gardens 2023 Details
- Location: Three Fields, Borough of Mendham, New Jersey
- Mansion Open to the General Public: Monday, May 1 – Wednesday, May 31
- Open daily from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
- Private Tours: For details, visit www.mansioninmay.org
- Parking: Free shuttle service provided from 82 W. Main Street, Mendham, NJ 07945
No parking available at Three Fields - Phone: 973-971-8800
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.mansioninmay.org
- Tickets are $50, now available online at mansioninmay.org. Private tours may also be scheduled online.
- Children under 12 years of age are not permitted to visit the mansion, including infants.
- The mansion is not handicapped accessible
- The mansion and garden tour takes approximately 90 minutes
- Café tent on site serving box lunch
Special thanks to article contributor Nanci Healy, Publicity Committee, Mansion in May 2023
Read more about Mansion in May Three Fields Designer Showhouse and Gardens.
