General Information & Special Events

Dates: Opens with Gala Preview Party, September 9. Open to the public Saturday, September 10, through Sunday, October 2.

Hours: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. Closed Monday.

Tickets: Show House tickets, $25 per person or $20 if purchased by September 8. Empty House Lobster Bake (August 3), $40 per person. Gala Preview Party (September 9), $100 per person. Patron tickets, $250 per person, includes admission to all events, the Gala Preview Party and the Empty House Lobster Bake. Advance tickets available through PortTix (207-842-0800) and online at portlandsymphony.org. Special events tickets available online at portlandsymphony.org. Patron tickets, Empty House Lobster Bake, and Gala Preview Party tickets available through Portland Symphony offices, online at portlandsymphony.org, or by calling 207-773-6128, ext 311.

House rules: Admission to the Show House is limited to adults and children over age ten.

For more information: Visit the Show House page at the Portland Symphony Orchestra Web site, portlandsymphony.org [2]

Directions: The Designers’ Show House is located at 149 Western Promenade in Portland. Driving north, take the Maine Turnpike (I-95) to exit 6A, I-295 North toward Portland Downtown. Merge onto I-295 North and continue to Exit 5 East, Congress Street. Continue along Congress Street to the third traffic light at Bramhall Street and turn right. After several blocks, Bramhall Street bears to the left and becomes Western Promenade. Show House is on the left hand side of the street after Carroll Street. Driving south, take the Maine Turnpike (Interstate 95) to Exit 7, the South Portland exit at the Maine Mall. Take I-295 after the toll booth to Exit 5B, Congress Street. Continue along Congress Street to the third traffic light at Bramhall Street and turn right. After several blocks, Bramhall Street bears to the left and becomes Western Promenade. Show House is on the left hand side of the street after Carroll Street. Note: if traveling on I-295, either North or South, use same directions after leaving the highway at Exit 5.

Special Events
Empty House Party & Lobster Bake
Wednesday, August 3, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Bernie’s Foreside Restaurant presents a festive outdoor Lobster Bake and Empty House tour of the Designers’ Show House. The menu includes lobster, chicken, or grilled vegetables (please select at time of reservation); corn on the cob; coleslaw and potato salads; blueberry cake and strawberry shortcake; beer, root beer, and lemonade. $40 per person. Event sponsor: John Hatcher/Keller Williams. Special thanks to Bernie’s Foreside Restaurant, Shipyard Brewery, and Harmon’s and Barton’s/Sawyer & Company. For reservations, call the PSO at 207-773-6128 ext. 311 or email events@portlandsymphony.org [3]

Gala Preview Party
Friday, September 9, 6 to 8 p.m.
Guests at this Gatsby-themed lawn party will have private access to the Show House the night before it opens to the public and will be able to meet the designers. Costumes of the twenties are encouraged for this festive event. Live music provided by 5 Cylinder Jazz. Catering by Aurora Provisions. Flowers by Sara Gorstein of S. Scollay Design. Event sponsor: Wright-Ryan Construction. Special thanks to National Distributors and Stella Artois. For reservations, call the PSO at 207-773-6128 ext. 311 or email events@portlandsymphony.org [3]

Show House Boutique
The Boutique is always a popular feature of the Designers’ Show House events. Featuring affordable art pieces, jewelry, tabletop items, fashion accessories, special soaps and lotions, gourmet foods, and unique ornaments from local artisans and vendors, the Boutique provides visitors to Show House an opportunity to purchase a unique gift or a special remembrance of their visit. Typically, some six thousand people may drop in during the Show House run. The Boutique contributes a significant piece of the PSO’s overall profit for this major fund-raiser.

Guest Speaker Series
Plan your tour of the Designers’ Show House with these events in mind. All events are at the Designers’ Show House, unless otherwise noted. Admission is included in the ticket price. For more information, call 207-773-6128, ext. 311.
 
Universal Design — Lynne Maxfield-Cole
Saturday, September 10, 1 p.m.
Lynne Maxfield-Cole established Decorating Plus in 1984. Initially her work focused on basic interior decorating principles and techniques, but she quickly recognized that many of her clients had a need for more than just new colors, fabrics, and spatial layouts. To address the growing need for barrier-free living spaces, she opened a new division, Universal Designz in 2009.

Floral Design — James McBride and John McVeigh of Compositions
Sunday, September 11, 2 - 3 p.m.
Compositions is a warm and sophisticated design studio and gallery of fresh floral compositions, jewelry, gifts, and it is a Portland showcase for these two experienced and knowledgeable designers. They will demonstrate their talents in this workshop and show how you can create wonderful fresh floral arrangements to enhance your home.

Meet the Designers
Wednesday, September 14, 6 - 8 p.m.
This evening with the Show House interior designers is an opportunity to learn how they developed their design solutions and the work behind their final installations. Event sponsor: the Hatcher Group/Keller Williams. A special thank you to: Whole Foods.

Cheese Tasting by Whole Foods
Friday, September 16, 3 - 4 p.m.
Experience and learn from Whole Foods experts about the variety and flavors of its global cheese selections.

Garden Talks- — Maureen Heffernan
Saturday, September 17, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Maureen Heffernan, the executive director of Maine Botanical Gardens, will present two illustrated talks followed by book signings: “Showy Native Plants for your Home Show Garden” at 11 a.m. explores a variety of ornamental native plants, from groundcovers to vines to perennials, shrubs, and trees. You’ll learn design tips, too. Heffernan will sign copies of Native Plants for your Maine Garden. At 1 p.m., Heffernan, the author of the popular Fairy Houses of the Maine Coast, will present a whimsical look at fairy lore and making creative fairy houses out of natural materials.

Table Talk — Dorothea Johnson
Sunday, September 18, 3 p.m.
Dorthea Johnson will offer hints, tips, and amusing stories about entertaining and dining in Washington, D.C. She will even reveal how Henry Kissinger taught her how to make an entrance and work a room. Johnson is an etiquette and protocol authority and the founder of the Protocol School of Washington. She has authored five books and a column, “Tea & Etiquette,” for Tea Time magazine. Her new book, Modern Manners, is written with her granddaughter, actress Liv Tyler. Rodale Books has acquired world rights to this lively and approachable guide that will be available in May 2012.

Appraisal of Antiques — Thomaston Place Auction Galleries
Wednesday, September 21, 4 p.m. - 8 p.m. Thomaston Place Auction Gallers, located on Route 1 in Thomaston, is Maine’s premier auction and appraisal company and a leading source of fine art, antiques, and stylish home furnishings. Owners Kaja Veilleux and John D. Bottero offer appraisals at the gallery and on house calls, and they conduct fund-raising events for civic and charitable organizations using their Mobile Appraisal Coach. Their expertise in researching and marketing antiques and fine art has earned them the respect of buyers, collectors, and experts worldwide. There will be a two-item limit per ticket holder and a $5 charge per item at this event.

Cooking Demonstration — Mara Robinov-Moorhead
Thursday, September 22, 10:30 a.m. - noon
Mara Moorhead, the owner of Flour Designs Baked Goods and a frequent guest on WCSH6-TV’s 207, will demonstrate how to make her award-winning Cake Pops, the perfect combination of chocolate and cake. Flour Designs specializes in custom and unique pastries, including ruggelach, French breakfast puffs, homemade marshmallows, cake truffles (awarded Best Cake at the 2011 Chocolate Lover’s Fling), and gluten-free products.

PORTopera Concert
Saturday, September 24, 1 p.m.
PORTopera, Maine’s only professional opera company, has earned a national reputation for the quality of its performances. Founded in 1994, the company produces summer opera festivals around the state and fully-staged productions of grand opera in Merrill Auditorium in Portland. PORTopera’s casts have included leading artists from around the world. This year alone, thirty-one singers from the Metropolitan Opera have also appeared on the PORTopera stage. There are many others singing at other leading opera houses in the U.S and around the world. The company also provides a platform for Maine singers, musicians, and designers who all have played a large part in the company’s success.

Fancy Cake Decorating — Whole Foods
Sunday, September 25, 1 - 2 p.m.
Bakers from Whole Foods market will give a demonstration of fancy cake decorating.

Residential Lighting — David Richard of The House of Lights, Scarborough
Wednesday, September 28, 6 - 7 p.m.
Clients give lighting designer David Richards glowing references for his guidance in creating lighting schemes that enhance the home environment. His ability to support fixture selection and placement and to seamlessly coordinate with the project electrician results in enhanced interiors and livability for clients with renovations or new projects.

Chocolate Tasting with Whole Foods
Friday, September 30, 3 - 4 p.m.
Whole Foods offers a chocolate tasting for the connoisseur.

Designers’ Show House 2011 Committee
Co-chairs Harper Lee Collins & Susan Dench
Marketing Co-chairs Eileen Harvard & Lee Auchincloss
Designers Co-chairs Carole Case & Tracy Davis
Boutique Chair Debbie Galarneau
Volunteers Chair Nancy Greenblatt
Volunteers Co-chair Erin Haber
Gala Preview Party Chair Mary Jo Kolkhorst
Community Relations Chair Linda Graffam
Special Events Chair Nancy Herter
Secretary Pat Spock
Historian Ruth Story
Empty House Party Chair Jen Shapiro
PSO Board Liaison Debby Hammond
PSO Executive Director Lisa Dixon
PSO Associate Director of Development
& Special Projects Leah Robertson
PSO Director of Marketing & Communications
Alice Kornhauser
PSO Director of Finance Ellie Chatto
Portland Symphony Orchestra
Music Director Robert Moody
Executive Director Lisa M. Dixon

Our Special Thanks to:
Gillian Britt, gBritt PR, 222 St. John St., Portland, 207-775-2126, ext. 123, gillian@gbritt.com [4]. gbritt.com
Judy LaBrasca, Illustration, photography, art coach, Falmouth, 207-450-0881, artcoach@maine.rr.com [5]