Near & Far Aid Hosts Designer Home Tour

Near & Far Aid kicked off its annual Designer House Tour today, beginning with a power breakfast at the Fairfield County Hunt Club.  Designer Eric Cohler, named one of "America's Top 100 Designers" by House Beautiful addressed the crowd on the art of styling interiors.  

From there, the Mercedes/Volvo caravan was off to Sasco Hill in Southport, where hundreds of SUVs trying to park on narrow streets made for some tough work for an unsuspecting FedEx driver and the local police, trying their best to manage the mayhem. 

"It's a disaster out here," said Fairfield officer Keith Purham. "This road wasn't meant for 200 cars."

But those 200-plus cars were out to support the efforts of the nonprofit organization that works to raise funds for programs in Fairfield County that alleviate poverty by addressing hunger, at-risk families, adults in crisis, homelessness, elder care, education and job training, health services and academic and cultural activities for disadvantaged youth.

This year, recognizing the need to respond to challenging economic times, Near & Far Aid is allocating funds raised from today's tour specifically to agencies in Fairfield County that provide housing support and related family needs. The organization holds three fundraisers throughout the year, and raises about $1,000,000 annually.

But what was top of mind today was opulence, rather than poverty. Today's tour was the ultimate looki lou opportunity, as people were able to peek inside bedrooms and closets and bathrooms in five of the more impressive homes in Southport, Greenfield Hill and Westport. The impeccable estates were filled with lush flower arrangements and were staged as if twenty or so guests were expected at any moment for a formal dinner.

Several museum-style curators were stationed around each of the homes, sharing details with visitors about a George III mahogany secretaire, a hand-carved mantel or the extensive renovations one owner decided to make on a cramped original kitchen. The homes were thoughtfully decorated with touches like a pewter leaf wallpaper on the ceiling of a dining room, Venetian-plastered walls and a coffee table sculpture made out of rose gypsum.

Aside from raising funds for a worthy cause, many attended looking for inspiration for their own living spaces. ("I'm going to go home and paint my house this color," commented one woman after while admiring the putty colored walls and millwork in one den in an 1880s home overlooking the Sound.) Some had grander designs. ("I see a white tent over here," said another, surveying the six-acre grounds of a Georgian Revival rolling gently down to the water, "And a bride coming down these steps…")

"It may seem trivial, this event," said designer Cohler. "But what Near & Far is doing is building families. Think globally. Act locally."