Holiday House: An Extravagant Mansion Reinterpreted in New York City

Forget about watching glamorous old movies with opulent sets, and just become a character in one of them. You can, at the contemporary designer's "Holiday House", with elegant and atmospheric rooms in an historic New York mansion that delighted and impressed Preview Party guests.

Newport's own Mega-Designer Ally Coulter, of ACD Design, Bellevue Avenue, went to New York City and created the dazzling main living room in the mansion at 2 East 63rd Street that had everyone at the wildly oversubscribed Preview Party buzzing. With furnishings from Ralph Lauren Home, the room fascinated William Li, former publisher of Men’s Vogue and Portfolio for Conde Nast and now Senior Vice President for Ralph Lauren Home Global , who simply couldn't walk away, and stood talking with Ms. Coulter, Todd Henderson, Director of Ralph Lauren to The Trade and Jennifer Errico, a client whose home will be featured shortly in Hamptons Magazine. Ted Goodnow of Woodmeister Builders collaborated with Ms. Coulter on her room, and attended the party.

Inson Wood's room celebrated Chinese New Year

To complete the filmic reference, Ms. Coulter lured the Chris Gillespie Trio over from the fabled Hotel Carlyle to provide the atmospheric background music, and found a huge chandelier worthy of a Busby Berkeley set.

Traditional Home Magazine sponsored "Holiday House", a Designer Showhouse with proceeds benefiting the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, that had designers reinterpreting the soaring and architecturally significant rooms of the mansion.

Iris Dankner, the founder of "Holiday House" introduced Honorary Chair Maurice Dubois of CBS News, New York and Honorary Chair Sarah Gore, anchor on NBC lXTV gave a brief presentation, welcoming guests, and Ms. Gore introduced her mother Gail Gore, a breast cancer survivor. Dara Richardson Herron, another survivor, spoke movingly about her recovery.

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Then there was a wild live auction held in the "Opening Night" space by Honorary Chair Charles Pavarini III beneath the soaring rounded staircase.

Holiday themes dominated the designer rooms, some more compelling than others. Newport Seen particularly liked the "Chinese New Year "room of designer Inson Wood, the "Night at the Oscars" by Deb Landis with a gigantic television running films while stills of all our favorites lined the wall. A "man cave" in a first floor closet by McCollum Interiors featured a mural of a Superbowl Sunday, and was charming. The "Celebration of Marriage Proposal"room by designer Charles Farruggio was calm and excellently realized. Felicia Zwebner invited historical artists Marc Chagall and Georgia O'Keefe to her '"Thanksgiving" dinner table.

But the icing on the Showhouse's proverbial cake was the "Mother's Day" living room by Ms. Coulter, where visitors simply dreamed of staying, perhaps forever. Couples were dancing as the party guests began drifting into the rainy Manhattan night, searching for the elusive cab.

-- L.P.

Editor's note: "Holiday House" is open seven days a week through December 11 and located at 2 East 63rd Street between Madison and 5th Avenues. Hours are 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., until 8:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $30 or on the website, www.holidayhousenyc.com

Authors Campion Platt (Made to Order) and Celerie Kemble (To Your Taste) will sign copies of their books in Ally Coulter's room on December 8. For a full schedule of "Holiday House" events, go to www.holidayhousenyc.com/

The Forbes 400 list will be announced in the room Forbes 60th on Fifth Avenue, designed by Newport’s own Ally Coulter, on December 7. The Private Gallery rooms contain the Forbes Family Private art collection, furnishings, and Ralph Lauren Home upholstery.