If you’re planning the perfect outing or a day trip to celebrate the balmy month of May, when spring assumes its full glory, consider visiting the Mansion in May. This Designer Showhouse and Gardens, opening May 1, 2023, in the Borough of Mendham, ranks as New Jersey’s premiere example of the art, and, in fact, it’s one of the best in the country.
Mansion in May is more than a house with exquisitely decorated rooms but rather an embracing experience where the setting and the gardens play a defining role, and mybergen.com is proud to return as a media sponsor of this exciting event.
Mansion in May is the signature fundraising event of the Women’s Association for Morristown Medical Center. Now in its twentieth incarnation, the event began in 1974 and takes place every two (occasionally three) years.
At the present moment, teams of designers and their crews are transforming a French country-style estate into a home with spaces imagined by 29 visionary designers. A team of 14 landscape designers is creating gardens that incorporate flowering plants, shrubbery, sculpture, and water features, extending from the stone patio and flowing into the fields.
Three Fields Designer Showhouse and Gardens
Visitors may stroll through 9000 square feet of the stone, brick and tile-roofed French manor-style home, designed by the prominent architect Greville Rickard and built between 1928 and 1930. Situated on 36 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 green vistas 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.
The Women’s Association received many proposals, ultimately selecting a total of 43 interior and landscape designers to create individual spaces around different themes.
Of the interior designers, many are repeat participants, all with the creativity, vision and inventiveness demanded by this sprawling project.
The landscape designers, many of them also repeat participants, have combined functionality with aestheticism as part of a master plan created by Susan Cohan. She was named Designer of the Year in 2021 by the Association of Professional Landscape Designers and is exhibiting at the Philadelphia Flower Show this year.
Benjamin Mosser, who commissioned the estate, and his family, lived at Three Fields for over 20 years. Mosser was a partner in the Wall Street firm of Clark, Dodge & Co. The original owners sold the estate to Andrew Fletcher and his family in 1949. Both Andrew and his wife, Dorothy, were active participants in Mendham life. He was a Mendham Borough councilman and then mayor for three years while Dorothy was on the board of St. Barnabas Hospital. In the mid-60s, the Fletchers gave Three Fields to the borough and the trust holding the proceeds of the sale of the property continues to benefit the community.
Participating Bergen County Design Professionals at Manion in May
The work of some of Bergen County’s leading home design professionals will be showcased at Mansion in May, including the following:
Diane Durocher
As an accomplished and well-respected designer for more than 25 years, Diane Durocher of Diane Durocher Interiors believes that the foundation of successful design is built on trust and confidence.
Connecting on a deeply personal level enables Durocher to design inspired spaces that reflect the personality and lifestyle of her clients. Knowing that a well-designed home is not just a lovely backdrop but that our environment influences how we live, Durocher brings each vision to life.
Collaborating with her husband/general contractor has given Durocher tremendous insight into all aspects of the design process. This unique perspective enables her to create beautiful interiors while personally acting as the project manager. From concept to final installation, she rises to the challenge of transforming a blank slate into a stunning reality. Her ultimate goal is to exceed her clients’ expectations.
This Ramsey, New Jersey, professional is an award-winning designer whose talent has been recognized throughout her career. She has received numerous “Design of Excellence” awards from the New Jersey Chapter of ASID. She has also been selected to showcase her work in many prominent designer showhouses in New Jersey and is often featured in prestigious design publications.
Marina V. Umali
Ridgewood, New Jersey-based Marina V. Umali of Marina V Design Studio is a certified interior designer and Feng Shui practitioner who has a highly innovative approach to interior design.
Like other interior designers, Umali focuses on the aesthetics and functionality of a space, but her approach also includes a common-sense application of universal Feng Shui principles, which promote harmony and balanced energy throughout.
Umali cares deeply about helping people create lasting improvements in their lives and accomplishes this by creating enduring improvements in their environments.
Through Feng Shui, Umali combines her experience and expertise in design and architecture with her desire to promote health and well-being. Being a vegan designer as well as LEED & WELL AP accredited, Umali always strives to create eco-friendly and cruelty-free interiors that promote health and wellness.
Umali is currently president-elect of the New Jersey Chapter of the American
Society of Interior Designers and is looking forward to serving as President
in the Fall of 2023.
Susan Farcy
Susan Farcy of Susan Farcy Interior Design is an accomplished and respected interior designer based in Wyckoff, New Jersey.
With commissions that range from the design and decoration of Manhattan apartments and new homes in northern New Jersey to the full restoration of the grounds and mansion of a major historical Westchester estate, Farcy has gained a reputation as an individual who has successfully brought her diverse talents to the profession of home design.
Farcy worked in the world of high fashion for some notable New York couture designers before entering the world of fine jewelry. During her tenure with Verdura, Farcy attended the New York School of Interior Design and traveled throughout Europe studying classic architecture. Upon completion of her studies, she worked in the antique and art world before being offered the presidency of a major European fabric company.
After the birth of her first daughter, Farcy started accepting private commissions and established her Bergen County design studio.
Mansion in May Proceeds to Benefit Local Cause
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.
Tickets Now Available to Mansion in May 2023
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. Tickets are $50, are now available online, and can be purchased here. Private tours may also be scheduled online.
Special thanks to article contributor Nanci Healy, Publicity Committee, Mansion in May 2023
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