If you’ve spent much of the quarantine in a comfy overstuffed chair, reading books by Nancy Mitford and Angela Thirkell, or if you’ve become addicted to lush television productions of early and mid 20th century English mystery cozies, then you probably are already a fan of the posh design firm Colefax and Fowler — perhaps without even realizing it.
Colefax and Fowler started out in the early 1930s under the hand of Lady Sibyl Colefax, then grew when she invited the new Decorator of the Moment, John Fowler, to join her in 1938.
Their client list exploded after World War II, when the English upper crust needed to update their war-weary homes — but on a budget.
In the 1940s, a well-connected and well-funded American named Nancy Lancaster stepped in and bought the firm from Lady Colefax. She continued to work with John Fowler for two more decades; he convinced her to paint her bedroom what one history of the company calls “a startling, glossy yellow,” which you can see in the photo above (apologies: this week’s Compass is all Black and White!).
The same history, found online at www.thehousedirectory.com/the-history-of-colefax-fowler, says of the room: “Original and innovative at the time, the Yellow Room proved to be a source of inspiration for many over the following years, becoming perhaps the best-known and most influential interior in the history of English interior decoration.”
Colefax and Fowler homes don’t set out to impress; they are cozy, lovely, snuggly. This is the firm largely credited with making chintz fabric an essential part of the well-dressed (but cozy and snuggly) living room, drawing room or bedroom. A Colefax and Fowler home should always have a small decorative dog in it (alive or ceramic).
The company continues to thrive to this day; you don’t need to know a lot about interior design to have heard of Colefax and Fowler, which is not only a famous design firm but also a pre-eminent producer of fabrics.
During the quarantine, when it isn’t possible to take house tours, it’s possible to view some dream-inducing interiors on Zoom. Ventfort Hall Mansion & Gilded Age Museum, which is in Lenox, Mass., is hosting an online talk about Colefax and Fowler on Friday, March 12, at 11 a.m.
Lisa Singleton Boudiette is a specialist in historic decoration, based in San Francisco, Calif. Her talk on “Colefax & Fowler, Legendary Designers of the English Country House Style” will dig into the history of the design style that has influenced not only homes across the United Kingdom but also so many American homes.
She’ll delve into the signature details, including “chintz in beautiful faded colors, fringed and tasseled curtains, painted Regency furniture, sofas designed for years of fireside comfort, and expertly applied finishes, subtly lit to show off beautiful antiques and paintings,” according to the announcement of her talk. Fowler described this look, according to the announcement, as “humble elegance.”
Tickets to this talk are by donation, with a suggested donation of $20. To sign up, go to www.ventfort03122021.eventbrite.com or call Ventfort Hall at 413-637-3206.
To learn more about Ventfort Hall (built in 1893 for George and Sarah Morgan, the sister of financier J. Pierpont Morgan), sign up for a tour (and learn about other online events) at www.gildedage.org.
Built in 1820, 1168 Bangall Amenia Road sold for $875,000 on July 31 with the transfer recorded in August. It has a Millbrook post office and is located in the Webutuck school district.
STANFORD — The Town of Stanford with nine transfers in two months reached a median price in August of $573,000 for single family homes, still below Stanford’s all-time median high in August 2024 of $640,000.
At the beginning of October there is a large inventory of single-family homes listed for sale with only six of the 18 homes listed for below the median price of $573,000 and seven above $1 million.
July transfers
79 Ernest Road — 4 bedroom/2.5 bath home on 6.87 acres in 2 parcels sold to Matthew C. Marinetti for $1,225,000.
29 Drake Road — 3 bedroom/3.5 bath home on 2 acres sold to Harper Montgomery for $850,000.
6042 Route 82 — 4 bedroom/2 bath home on 1.09 acres sold to Spencer Thompson for $795,000.
125 Tick Tock Way — 3 bedroom/2.5 bath ranch on 1.9 acres sold to Fleur Touchard for $475,000.
August transfers
102 Prospect Hill Road — 3 bedroom/2 bath home on 6.35 acres sold to Karl Creighton Pfister for $565,000.
252 Ernest Road — 2 bedroom/1 bath cottage on .85 acres sold to Meg Bumie for $465,000.
1196 Bangall Amenia Road — 4 bedroom/2.5 bath home on 2.16 acres sold to Roderick Alleyne for $875,000.
Hunns Lake Road (#759929) — 59.1 acres of residential land sold to Argos Farm LLC for $3,325,000.
* Town of Stanford recorded real estate transfers from July 1 to August 31 provided by Dutchess County Real Property Office monthly transfer reports. Details on each property from Dutchess Parcel Access - properties with an # indicate location on Dutchess Parcel Access. Market data from One Key MLS and Infosparks .Compiled by Christine Bates, Real Estate Advisor with William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty, Licensed in Connecticut and New York.
Hunt club members and friends gathered near Pugsley Hill at the historic Wethersfield Estate and Gardens in Amenia for the opening meet of the 2025-2026 Millbrook Hunt Club season on Saturday, Oct. 4. Foxhunters took off from Wethersfield’s hilltop gardens just after 8 a.m. for a hunting jaunt around Amenia’s countryside.
Joining in the fun at the dedication of the new pollinator pathway garden at The Millbrook Library on Saturday, Oct. 4, local expert gardener Maryanne Snow Pitts provides information about a planting to Lorraine Mirabella of Poughkeepsie.
MILLBROOK — Participating in a patchwork of libraries that have planted pollinator pathway gardens to attract insects and birds to their native plantings was one of the accomplishments being celebrated at the dedication of a new pollinator garden at the Millbrook Library on Saturday, Oct. 4.
“A lot of work went into it,” said Emma Sweeney, past President of the Millbrook Garden Club, who started the local library’s initiative two years ago.
The Pollinator Pathway program is a national effort to plant native plants that native insects depend upon for sustenance and preferred plants for their own seasonal reproduction.
Jana Hogan of Ridgefield, Connecticut, Executive Director of the Pollinator Pathway program, was on hand to present a plaque to the library for its successful participation.
“A garden is not just a garden,” said garden designer Andy Durbridge of Wassaic, designer of the library’s garden. “It may serve as a model for other gardens along the line.”
Speaking to the 50 visitors at the dedication, Durbridge said that the library’s garden has a mission, that it is a working garden, planned to serve insects and birds over their seasons. The earliest plants support pollinators, while the full range of plants continues to serve the needs of those they attract, offering habitat, shelter and food.
A pollinator garden is akin to a prairie, rather than a formalized European garden, Durbridge noted.
The garden project was supported by the library’s Friends group using funds raised during the Holiday Silent Auction and ongoing book sale. A grant from the Millbrook Garden Club also provided support.
Amenia Town Hall on Route 22.
AMENIA — After gathering comments from the Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals, as it considers adding alternate members to those boards, the Town Board discussed possible changes to local laws governing those boards at its meeting on Friday, Oct. 3. The meeting date, usually on a Thursday, had been changed to accommodate a holiday.
In recent weeks Town Board attorney Ian Lindars has been compiling comments from the affected boards along with comments from the Town Board. The new laws may bring the appointment of two alternate members to each board. Alternate members are likely to be required to attend all meetings and be prepared to be seated if needed and be familiar with the applications being discussed. They would also need to take training required of all board members.
Lindars will prepare a draft of the new local laws to be reviewed by the Town Board and the affected boards.
As the Town Board begins work on the town’s annual budget negotiation process and anticipating an increase in some budget lines to accommodate major projects, the board unanimously approved three resolutions. The first will override the tax levy limit imposed on municipalities by the state of New York, a limit generally tied to the rate of inflation.
A public hearing on the proposal to override the levy limit was set for Thursday, November 6, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Town Hall.
