Maison de Luxe at Greystone Estate

Show houses are always an interesting topic. Maison de Luxe is the show home in Beverly Hills that will be open to the public from December 2-22. The twenty-six pedigreed designers that contributed to the project certainly had good bones to work with...the location is Greystone Estate, a National Historic Landmark. The manse was built in 1928 and sprawls over 46,000 square feet and sits on 18.5 acres in one of the world's most expensive zip codes.

I have a love affair with old homes in general so I get really excited about mansions of bygone eras. The character, craftsmanship, materials, and attention to detail inherent in historic homes is really special and I'm glad that there are organizations like the Friends of Greystone that work to preserve those elements. Maison de Luxe is the main fundraising initiative for the organization, so if you're in the LA area be sure to buy some tickets and plan a visit!

Here is a preview of some of the rooms...

Library by Barry Dixon, Photography courtesy of Grey Crawford for Maison de Luxe

Photography courtesy of Grey Crawford for Maison de Luxe

Living room by Jamie Drake, Photography courtesy of Grey Crawford for Maison de Luxe

Legacy room by Jiun Ho, Photography courtesy of Grey Crawford for Maison de Luxe

Twilight room by Kendall Wilkinson, Photography courtesy of Grey Crawford for Maison de Luxe

Reflecting pool by Margie Grace, Photography courtesy of Grey Crawford for Maison de Luxe

The Lounge by Sheldon Harte, Photography courtesy of Grey Crawford for Maison de Luxe

Mrs. Doheny's Bedroom by Woodson & Rummerfield Design, Photography courtesy of Grey Crawford for Maison de Luxe

What do you think so far? To be honest, I don't love any of the designs...they all seem a bit garish to me. If I had to pick a favorite, I'd go with the reflecting pool.

Ambivalence and/or distaste is often my reaction to show homes...too often I think designers miss the mark when they design for these events. Some of us that attended Kravet's Blogfest this spring went to the Kipp's Bay show home in New York and found ourselves really disappointed by the interiors showcased there. My bud Erin did a great post that summed up our sentiments.

Maybe with Maison de Luxe the best is yet to come. I've yet to see the rooms that Michelle Nussbaumer, Hutton Wilkinson, Nathan Turner, and Mary McDonald put together and I'm sure those will be spectacular!