Glen Magna Designer Showhouse

I have been to many designer showhouses over the years, hosted in mansions by the sea and ancient monasteries, but none more personal or meaningful to me than the Glen Magna Farms Designer Holiday Showhouse in Danvers, Massachusetts.

You see, I was raised in this north shore town, not very far from the grounds of this old magnificent estate, and as a child my wish had always been to have the wedding of my dreams there. Which I did, so very many years ago. (and, yes, hats were a thing back then…)

The Endicott Mansion has been the site of many beautiful weddings and historic events over the years, but lately, according to Danvers Historical Society president Wayne Eisenhauer,

Wayne Eisenhauer Danvers Historical Society President

had started to show its true age. Many of the mansion’s period rooms had lost their luster and were in dire need of updating and refurbishing, without sacrificing the integrity of the magnificent home and its history.

But, extensive renovations are prohibitively expensive on such a grand scale. The Designer’s Showhouse seemed the perfect solution: each interior space would receive a floor-to-ceiling makeover, painstakingly preserving the existing architecture. The proceeds would benefit the Historical Society and provide funds to refurbish the 1792 Derby Summer House,

which is also on the grounds of the Glen Magna Farms. On Thanksgiving eve, I had the opportunity to tour the mansion with Wayne Eisenhauer, the Historical Society president and met several of the designers, including the Showhouse Chair, Sandra Biondo of Sandra Biondi Interiors of Danvers. The completed works of the collective group of incredibly talented designers is impressive. Room after room, once faded and dated,

Photo courtesy of Benoit Photography

have been stripped of the old layers, and redesigned displaying touches unique to each designer. Above is the before Bride’s Room, used primarily as a dressing room for the bride to be. The redesigned suite by Linda Hentschel of I-Design Interiors (the bedroom) and Diana Kennedy of Diana Kennedy Interiors (the adjacent Bride’s Bath) is so very lovely in shades of rich creams and whites. The bedroom features a hand-carved mahogany four poster bed from the society’s collection and a mirrored console table- brilliant touches of old and new. The Endicott Library with its extraordinary curved bookcase spanning the length of the room, has been transformed by William Ralph Fine Antiques & Design. The room now features a desk dating to the 1600’s and an exquisite antique highboy acquired from the historical society’s private collection.

The challenge was updating the spaces while staying true to the estate and its place in history at the turn of the century, while oftentimes preserving existing paint colors and architectural details at the behest of the Historical Society.

This is the grand foyer back at the turn of the century

The Drawing Room, designed by Donna Terry, of Boston Design and Interiors boasts this magnificent carved fireplace

which is the focal point of the room. This is the original room as it appeared prior to the transformation.

This is Donna’s inspired rendering of the space,

which was decorated in the Art Deco Style with Neoclassical/Egyptian Revival roots. The finished room is nothing short of spectacular! Of course, you will have to attend the showhouse to see for yourself the amazing transformations of all the spaces. It opens today, December 1 and runs through the 15th. The self-guided tour hours are 10-4 daily, and the tickets are $20 either online or at the door, all to benefit the Danvers Historical Society. For a complete listing of all of the talented designers and contributors to this project, click here. I hope you all have a chance to visit the Endicott Mansion at Glen Magna Farms. It is inspired decorating at its best and it is for such a great cause! Have a wonderful post-turkey, three weeks to Christmas weekend everyone! Susan