Construct Inc. to Host Designer Showhouse at Historic Cassilis Farm in the Berkshires
NEW MARLBOROUGH — Construct Inc., a nonprofit provider of affordable housing and supportive services to residents in 15 towns across the Southern Berkshires, announced its first Designer Showhouse fundraising exhibition.
Slated for the entire month of June 2024, the Designer Showhouse will highlight the elegant, creative work of more than a dozen local and regional designers, as well as landscape architects and visual artists. Each exhibitor has been assigned a space at Cassilis Farm, an iconic, 27-acre, Gilded Age estate that Construct, along with the New Marlborough Housing Development Committee, purchased at auction with the intention of renovating and converting it into 11 much-needed affordable-housing apartments.
“We have the opportunity to take advantage of Construct having acquired this magnificent estate,” said Hinda Bodinger, Construct board secretary, who also co-chairs the Designer Showhouse committee. “Utilizing such a beautiful space allows us to highlight the sophisticated talent of the designers and to share our mission in a unique way with the greater community.”
The Designer Showhouse pays homage to the theme “Nature in the Berkshires” and displays the transformative, custom work of award-winning designers, whose areas of focus range from real-estate staging and interiors to styling and iconic textile design. Room themes range from a swan nursery inspired by a local swan rescue area to a picnic-under-the-stars nod to Tanglewood to an equestrian-heavy library drawing inspiration from the estate’s former existence as a hackney horse-breeding farm. The Showhouse will be a timed, ticketed walk-through and will be open to visitors through five weekends in June. Additional events surrounding the Designer Showhouse include a free New Marlborough community day on Friday, May 31, as well as an opening-night tour and reception at Cassilis Farm on Wednesday, May 29.
“As we’ve reached out to interior designers, landscape designers, and others with our appeal to help us with the Showhouse, the overwhelming response has been ‘yes’ because they, like many businesses, have been directly affected by the shortage of affordable housing,” said Laura Jordahl, co-chair and Construct board member. “All of us know that working to make Cassilis into a place that 11 families will call home will help to strengthen our community ties.”
Information about the Designer Showhouse will be updated at constructberkshires.org/construct-designer-showhouse, as well as via Construct’s social-media handles. Timed tickets cost $40 per person and can be purchased online only, through the Construct website.
