In 2008, interior designer Iris Dankner founded the Holiday House Hamptons Designer Showcase in New York City as a chance for the city’s most exciting interior designers to show off their work. Holiday House’s designer showcase is also dedicated to raising money for breast cancer research.
A Way of Giving Back
“Twenty-seven, 28 years ago, nobody talked about breast cancer,” said Dankner, who, at forty, was diagnosed with breast cancer during a routine mammogram. “My doctors put me back together, but emotionally what helped me heal was fundraising. It was just my way of giving back.”
She started fundraising by forming a team to participate in Susan B. Komen’s Race for the Cure, and the fulfillment she found by participating was deeply healing. Dankner joined the organization board before realizing she had a unique opportunity to make a difference. Dankner had a passion for interior design and knew she could combine the joy she found in fundraising with a new concept: the Holiday House, so named because every day after cancer is a holiday for her.
The organization is impressively dedicated, with Dankner proclaiming, “We’re not going to stop until we can live in a world without breast cancer.” The Dankner’s Holiday House event has raised over $2 million for the local Ellen Hermanson Foundation and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
Finding the Perfect Place for This Year’s Event
Of course, Dankner puts just as much effort into fundraising as she does into finding the perfect property to display. For the 2024 showcase, that property is 4 Windy Hill of Windy Hill Estates. The property is a modern approach to the shingled farmhouse, taking after the historical homes in the area.
Designed by Christopher Burnside with real estate agent Brown Harris Stevens, 4 Windy Hill is the first of seven proposed luxury estates on a 23-square-acre plot. The house is designed to resemble a resort in scope and scale, featuring a 50-foot pool with a waterfall, a sunken tennis court, and 11-foot sliding doors.
The Artistry You Can Expect
The interior designers are assigned rooms to make their masterpieces, and 20 participate this year. With a second-floor bedroom, Spruce Interior founder Susan Galvani is making her debut with artisan furnishing, gold-flecked wallpaper, and handmade ceramic lamps. The room aims to connect with the Hamptons’ natural landscape, creating an earthy and inviting feeling for would-be viewers. Her piece celebrates smaller artists and artisans coming together to create a naturally beautiful display.
Another designer taking part this year is Andrew Petronio, who is also making his first Holiday House appearance. A representative of KA Design Group, he was drawn in by the contained space of the first-floor suite as a chance to demonstrate their unique approach to design. The room isn’t meant to be an extravagant display but a representation of their Hampton clients’ sensibilities, aiming to better connect with visitors. He took an approach of calm colors and a relaxed atmosphere, something natural and enjoyable.
An Exciting, Meaningful Experience
Alongside 18 other skilled designers, the Holiday House Hamptons Designer Showcase will feature exciting, inhabitable experiences to inspire anyone who enters and explores. Since the showcase is also dedicated to raising money for breast cancer research, the opportunity is a way to give back while enjoying the work of the best designers in NYC. It is an experience that you won’t want to miss.
The showcase begins on September 8 and ends on September 16. 4 Windy Hill Lane is open from 11 am to 5 pm, with a ticket for general admission available for $40.
