Judy Petersen, Director of the 2013 Decorator Showhouse & Gardens, shares her thoughts on this month’s Oxford Arts Alliance Decorator Showcase:
Like many nonprofits, our challenge was to raise money to give back to our community, partnering with other nonprofits so they could benefit and do the same. If you Google “raising money for a cause” there are hundreds of techniques you can try. However, finding a way to do something different in a unique way to support the nonprofit community was what we needed – and the 2013 Decorator Showhouse & Gardens was born!
The first Pennsylvania showhouse sponsored by the Oxford Arts Alliance in 2011 was a success. Research showed there had not been a showhouse in Delaware in years. Why not do it again, but this time in Delaware? This quest was very easy when a 1927 Tudor house at 1106 Hopeton Road, Greenville, showed up on our radar as a home with great bones, but in need of a cosmetic makeover!
Once we found the house, it was important to find the other nonprofits that would benefit with us: Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition, Child, Inc., Wilmington Flower Market and Delaware Children’s Theatre. Each benefits from a portion of ticket sales. We are thrilled because we are helping each other and giving back at the same time.
The showhouse in Westover Hills has been transformed by more than 30 interior and exterior designers from Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland. They have created a unique work of art both inside the authentic period house and outside in the gardens. Every designer had a piece of this large puzzle and his or her creations came together and transformed the house into a masterpiece 2013 showhouse.
Come visit and you will be inspired by the creativity of our designers, the friendliness our docents and treasures that are for sale. The showhouse exhibit runs through November 3, with extended hours until 8 pm tonight (Thursday). Regular hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 am – 5 pm; Sundays, noon – 5 pm. Tickets are $30 at the door and can be purchased with credit card, check or cash. Out of respect for our neighbors, there is no street parking, and we are providing free parking and shuttle service from Barley Mills Plaza on Rt 141.
Visit www.OxfordDecoratorShowhouse.com for more information, and we look forward to welcoming you to “our” home!
