French dramatist Jean Anouilh said that “The object of art is to give life a shape.” The same could be said of redoing an old house especially a house built in the Arts and Crafts-style like the one at 800 Washington Street. This Designer Show House was built in 1915 for John and Mabel Hewitt as a wedding gift from the bride’s father, Charles Richardson.
Hewitt was the third president of Merchant National Bank, currently Atlantic Books at the corner of the Washington Street Mall and Decatur Street. He held that post from 1937 until his death in 1950.
The design of the house comes from American furniture designer and architect Gustav Stickley who ran a chair factory in Binghamton, NY in the 1880s. His “mission” style furniture reflected simplicity, beauty and functionality a dramatic break from the not so simple furniture of the Victorian era. He soon applied his design philosophy to housing construction. A Stickley house was designed for middle class Americans. It is marked by structural details such as exposed beams, exterior brickwork, built-in bookcases, barreled ceilings in the bathrooms, and window placement meant to increase natural lighting.
Design plans for a Stickley house could be found in his magazine The Craftsman, first published in 1901. Anyone interested in one of the plans could send away for them and they would be mailed at no charge.
So that’s how the house at 800 Washington Street came to be built. Its current owner, antique purveyor William Saponara (W.S. Antiques) recently bought the house and decided to bring it up to snuff. The approach he took is unique to Cape May. With the help and coordination of the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts (MAC), Bill invited designers to come be a part of the make-over planned for the 6,300-square-foot home.
CapeMay.com has followed the renovations from the get-go. We like to call it Tuesdays with Bill. Once a week, beginning in February, we paid Bill and the house a visit and made a pictorial record of the changes. So, follow along with us and we’ll take you on a virtual tour of the house that art has given shape to.
The interior porch is L-shaped. The design goes from a formal welcome – a simple sideboard, two lamps and a centerpiece – to the more inviting sitting area. The sideboard is more animated, filled with memorabilia from African safaris, with an informal seating arrangement decorated with palms. The L part of the room includes a dining oasis filled with object d’art. The crystal chandelier over the table belonged to Bill’s mother and the table is set with matching Waterford crystal. Finally, the room indulges in a more intimate setting. A bed has been cut in half to create canopied daybed for lounging. Chairs and games are set up for a quiet evening at home.
Once inside the foyer, the visitor, depending on the nature of his or her call, can either step left into the gentleman’s retreat, step right into the living room or proceed straight through the foyer into the kitchen (to the Left) or to the dining room (to the Right).
The foyer was designed by Stolz Paint & Design Center, out of Cape May Court House. Sandra Allison and Christine Brown were the designers. The foyer, according to the designers, sets the tone for the rest of the house. It must be functional, welcoming, and personable without overwhelming the other rooms. For this area, Bill wanted something formal and pretty. It did not need to be a period décor, as was the interior porch. The palette is cream and kakis.
The office/library or gentleman’s retreat has been brought back to the 1900s Arts and Crafts décor. The room is a result of the collaboration of Distinctive Interiors and Wanderlust, both of Cape May. Bernadette Kocis was the interior designer for Distinctive Interiors and Jodi Lawrence was her assistant. Robert and Brandy White of Wanderlust, provided the furnishings for the room including a mahogany Viceroy writing desk with brass accents. A powder room door is cleverly disguised among the wall covered panels.
The living room design is by Interior Outlook based in Bucks County, Pa. Linda Daly is the interior designer. Carol Nagel is the decorative painter, and furnishings were provided by Stone House Furniture of Mechanicsville, PA. The room is a tribute to William Morris, 1834-1896, considered the father of the Arts and Crafts Movement which started in England and in America at the turn of the 20th century.
Morris was a member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. The group revolted against the “mechanization and eclecticism” in the Victorian arts and the decline of craftsmanship. Morris, according to the designers, called for a return to the inspirational values of the late Middle Ages.
The living room is designed to reflect Morris’ values and philosophy. They used furnishings by designer-craftsmen and decorative painting inspired by medieval influences. Since one of his daughters plays the piano, Bill is expected to use the room in the same way its namesake would have for reading, conversation and music.
French doors separate the Morris-style living room from the formal dining room. The dining room designers – DiNardo, Lim & Parker Design Associates from Bloomfield, NJ, – were faced with a bit of a dilemma when planning their redo. The existing decorative moldings and rosettes did not reflect the Arts and Crafts Style of the house, However, Bill wanted to keep them as part of the design. The problem? How to keep something that doesn’t quite fit and make it look like it does fit.
The designers incorporated the “ideals of fine craftsmanship.” They used natural materials and colors. The new dining room table and chairs are hand-rubbed. Natural fibers were used for the chairs and window treatments. The room features hand-painted murals. The Rococo-like murals were painted by David Bruce Michener of Valley Forge, Pa. The crystal chandelier is made of hand-forged metals.
And then there’s the kitchen. Can we just say WOW? You could fit my whole house I think into the kitchen. Designed by Clive Christian of Philadelphia, the hand-painted cabinets, were designed in the New Edwardian Style and were made in England and shipped into the U.S. The lead designer, Ron Thomas, has created a state of the art kitchen for all occasions be they grand or casual, large or small.
The center island is made from natural English Oak. The mega-fridge is flanked by two large pantries on one wall. The custom-built china cabinet has beveled glass and a lit interior and is located near the dining room for ready access.
Let’s go upstairs.
At the top of the steps is a full bathroom. To the right is Bill’s daughter Clara’s room. Designed by Patricia Crane Associates of Narbeth, the room reflects a Bohemian spirit with an unbelievably cool, hand-carved daybed covered with a sensuous red fabric. The designers for this room are Patrician Crane and Sandy Brown.
Across from Clara’s room is the guest suite. Man I want an invitation to stay in this room. In fact, I’d never leave it. Designed by Distinctive Interiors of Cape May, Bernadette Kocis was the interior designer. Her assistant was Jodi Lamoreux. William Morris was again the inspiration for this room. His late 1800s textile design known as The Strawberry Thief was used for the bedspread. Earthy tones were the palette for this room. The pair blended a bit of the ornate décor of the Victorians with the simpler, more austere lines of the Arts and Crafts period in their selection of the furnishings.
And then there’s the Guest Suite Bathroom. Can I just say – Jacuzzi tub; two-person, walk-in shower; and plasma screen TV? Not to mention a chaise lounge and…well – you just have to see it to believe it. Neither words nor pictures can do justice.
All righty now. Down the hall to see the Master Bedroom and bath and to see Angela’s Room. Angela is Bill’s teenage daughter. Valerie Driscoll and Penny Beck of Fabric Outlet at the Red Schoolhouse in Cape May Court House were the designers. They wanted the room to look like and feel like a teenager’s room. Lots of big pillows for reading, journal writing and listening to music and it must be colorful. Well – mission accomplished.
The very pink room features an ornate, glazed wallpapered ceiling; pink Venetian plastered walls and a handmade dresser/secretary by John Williams of Williams Woodworks. It is a combination dresser, small desk and TV storage. The bedding, window treatments and carpet tone down the pink to give it a very happy feeling.
Last, but certainly not least, is the Master Bedroom. Interiors by Coastline, LLC, from Marmora, NJ used a theme of “Retreat to Tuscany” to complete this upstairs redo. Principal designer Donna Swan DeRocher designed the bedroom using handmade Country French style furniture. The colors are primarily brown chestnut, (the furniture finish) sea mist and gold. Luxury exudes every inch of the room from the silk draperies to the Strauss crystal chandelier.
So there you have it. There are other rooms we did not cover in this tour. The Butler’s Pantry downstairs; the playroom downstairs which will include a bar, pool table and other fun stuff; the Chauffeur’s Quarters above the garage; and the fabulous hallway upstairs. But you know what? You’ll just have to take the tour because the Designer Show House will be open to the public for touring now until September 5. Tickets can be obtained at the Show House. Proceeds from the tour go the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts.
