Photograph by George Sakkestad

Fredrick Ojeda and Patricia Lynch of Acanthus Interior Designs of Los Gatos are creating the hallway design of the Symphony Showcase House.

Symphony Showcase transforms local home

By Shari Kaplan

As it was last year, Saratoga is the host city for the San Jose Symphony Auxiliary's 22nd annual Designer Showcase. The Showcase is a benefit for the San Jose Symphony, this country's oldest orchestra west of the Mississippi. The Showcase sponsor, the Symphony Auxiliary, formed in 1951 to provide financial and cultural support for the orchestra and its patrons.

From June 5 through 27, the 22nd annual showcase home--a bright and airy Greco-Roman style one-story formerly owned by the Anastasi family--will be open to the public for tours. It was built in the 1960s and designed after the Roman villas the Anastasis saw when visiting Florence, Milan and Messina in Italy.

The 5,000-square-foot mansion has been extensively renovated to suit its new owners, a family of four moving in this summer. Following on the heels of the construction workers and carpenters were more than 20 Bay Area interior and landscape designers, painters and decorative artisans, who have transformed it into a showcase of creativity. "Before" pictures are placed in each of the numerous rooms and design areas to let visitors compare the old and new aesthetics.

Among the local design firms putting their creative touches on the home are Acanthus Interior Designs and Smith & Hawken, both of Los Gatos, and Elizabeth Designs of Saratoga.

The library and artisan hallway--a long hall that runs the width of the house--were decked out by Acanthus owners Patricia Lynch and Fredrich Ojeda and their associate designer Sandra Holland. Lynch says the library, which was originally a children's toy room, is now a classy reading respite with new furniture, interior French doors and other thoughtful additions.

The artisan hallway features custom cabinetry, faux wall finishings and tastefully placed floral arrangements, sculptures and murals. "We've turned it into an art gallery, of sorts. It's very beautiful," Lynch says. It also serves a utilitarian purpose, as the cabinets and other storage areas offer an out-of-the-way place for keeping linens.

Charlotte Verdini and Jeffrey Williams, the design team at Smith & Hawken tackled the pretty patio area, bringing in a variety of stylish yet comfortable outdoor furnishings. There's a teak steamer chair--similar to the kind passengers lounged on in Titanic; a rattan sunroom trio of chair, ottoman and table; two roomy teak benches, each approximately 5 feet long; and five intimate bistro chair and table setups made of metal.

The design of one of the bedrooms and its attached bathroom belongs to Liz Garvey of Elizabeth Designs. Using unique fabric designs, Garvey outfitted a dust ruffle, two pillow shams, a silk comforter and upholstered headboard for the bed. She also fashioned two-tone silk drapes for the windows. To add faux finishing to the bedroom walls and a textured leaf motif to those of the bathroom, Garvey brought in San Jose faux finisher Joan Hammond.

In addition to house tours, this year's showcase also includes a gift boutique, musical entertainment, refreshments and daily donation drawings for prizes.

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Symphony Showcase 1999 runs June 5-27, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday; closed Mondays. Children nine and older are welcome. Donation is $20 per person, with proceeds benefiting the San Jose Symphony. Off-site parking is available weekdays at La Hacienda Inn Restaurant, 18840 Saratoga-Los Gatos Road, and on weekends at Sacred Heart Church, 13724 Saratoga Ave. For more information, call 354-0773.

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