INSIDE

Let this Cold Spring show house lead the way

By Mary Shustack

There’s a tree house in a bedroom in Cold Spring.

And there is a handful of pillows dotted with flowers a few steps outside its door.

Reflecting the vibrancy of nature is just one aspect of The ArtFull Living Designer Show House, which opens June 3 at Glassbury Court in Cold Spring.

The event, a collaboration between Glassbury Court and Cold Spring Arts that will continue for most of the summer, has as many entry points as it has beautifully appointed rooms.

The unique venture is putting the spotlight on the artists and artisans of the mid-Hudson Valley. It’s also showcasing the work of some of the region’s best interior designers.

And perhaps most important, it’s an incredibly stylish example of how creative you can be when you bring art into your own surroundings.

Barbara Galazzo, a Cold Spring glass artist whose work is both decorative and functional, came up with the innovative concept of teaming contemporary art with design for the show house. By placing art in a home setting, as opposed to a gallery, she says it may fuel the imagination.

“My idea was to show how you can actually have art in your home. It doesn’t have to be over the top. You can live with it.”

And clearly, quite well.

The show house, which fills one of the homes in the adult community, captivates a visitor from the front door through every last nook and cranny. A swirling metal sculpture by Valley Cottage artist Eric David Laxman stands at the entry, giving a hint of what will follow.

Once inside, the eye darts from colorful glass pieces to unique table settings, from wildly creative wall art to sleek accessories in unexpected hues.

It all came together, Galazzo says, thanks to the creative process the show-house concept sparked in the participants.

“There started to be this synergy between the artists and designers,” she says. “It kept expanding, because the designers wanted other things.”

Take the ground-floor master bedroom, for example.

Charles Burleigh of Charles K Burleigh Interior Design in Garrison was interested in the artwork of Jaanika Peerna, whose style is characterized by bold lines swirling about.

“I said, ‘I love your drawings but could you do them right on the wall?’” he recalled. “I wanted this feeling of motion, this feeling of movement.”