The Mother of All House Tours: Blairsden Mansion (Part 1)

This is Part 1 of a multi-part series.

 

Don't you just love seeing other people's homes?

Back in May, I went on the mother of all house tours.

You know, like Downton Abbey.

That kind of house tour. 

I must give a huge thank you to Lori, one of my readers, 
for letting me know about it. 

Mansion in May, a tour of Blairsden Mansion 
  in Peapack-Gladstone, NJ,
was a Designer Showhouse fundraiser 
benefiting two important causes,

 and sponsored by the
Women's Association of Morristown Medical Center. 

The mansion was built back in 1897 
by C. Ledyard Blair, a New York financier.

He wanted a little country escape from the city.

After the Blair family sold the home in 1949,

it was used for many years as a retreat center.

In 2002, Blairsden was purchased once again, 
by a private owner.
It is one of the top 20 largest homes in the US:

52 Rooms
62,000 Square Feet
25 Fireplaces
19 Bathrooms
 500 Acres 

Excuse me, but what the heck do you do 
with all those rooms? 

I mean, you could have a room 
just for writing your food shopping list.
And, when company comes, you can say,
"This is the room where I polish my toenails."
Yeah, that would be awesome.
But, tell me, how do you scream  
"Has anyone seen my phone?" and have anyone hear you? 
 And you'd need GPS in the house just to find your kids. 

If you want to see the floor plan, click here. 
The rooms are numbered, 
and I will reference them as we go along.

The tour was very crowded,
so it wasn't always easy to get the optimal shot.
And...I hope you will forgive me for having to use photos 
with people in the rooms,
since I couldn't very well ask them to get out of the way.

My friend, and tour companion, Nadine,
was a saint for putting up with me 
taking hundreds of photos that day. 

OK --- are you ready to go inside?
 

The Entrance Hall
Andrew Tedesco Studios, Inc.

Map Location: A

They say the entrance hall is key in making a first impression.

Well, I'm impressed. How about you?


 

I was expecting a butler with a tray of champagne, though.

Let's move on.
The Lady of the house is waiting for us in the drawing room.

The Drawing Room
Barbara Ostrom Associates 
Map Location 3 

Is this not gorgeous?

This is the room where I would meet with magazine editors

who want to feature my blog, heh-heh.

 

And when the First Lady (or Madame President) comes for tea, 

she can sit here.

 I can write checks for all of my philanthropic endeavors 
at this pretty desk.

Yes, this will do quite nicely, thank you. 

But, I'd need a change of scenery after awhile..
and a room that was all mine.

A Room Of Her Own
Timothy and Associates Interior Design

Map Location: 1

Wouldn't this be a great room to steal away
and work on my blog? 
 

I could work at the desk,
and gaze out the window...
or plop myself on the couch... 

and stare up at the clouds, even on a rainy day.

After exhausting all of my creative energy,
I'd meet Mr. Goo Shoes down the hall for a game of pool.
I'd win, of course.

The Billiard Room
Bjorn Bjornsson Interior Design
Map Location: 6

Holy Moly, is that not the most grand pool table ever?
You've got to see a close-up of the walls.

 Gorgeous!
 

And check out the ceiling,
with this magnificent Baccarat chandelier.

We could invite all of our elegant friends over
for pool and cocktails.
"Yo, ya' got any beer?"

The cook would make us fancy hors d'oeuvres, 
delivered by the butler, of course.

Mr. Goo Shoes would insist on Pigs in the Blanket. 
You can take the boy out of Brooklyn,
as they say... 
 

I'm going to leave you in the Billiard Room for now,
and we'll meet in the Main Hall for the next installment of
The Mother of all House Tours.

I hope you enjoyed Part 1.
Did anything catch your eye?

Here's a sneak peak at Part 2:

Till next time...

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