5 January 2023
All I can say about this is wow. Just before Thanksgiving I received an alert of an estate sale. I started to search thru the photos and I knew I had to attend. The home was in one of my favorite old neighborhoods here in Omaha and the original part of the house was probably built in the 1940’s.
On a freezing cold Friday I set out early to get my place in line. I’m there at 12:45 and doors open at 2:00. There were 85 people in line ahead of me. Yes I counted, well I didn’t have anything better to do! There were at least 100 people behind me and still coming. The house is a stately Georgian on a corner lot that just went on and on and on. I think there were probably 3 additions. Upon entry I was handed a map of the home! Entering the living room first I’m confronted with gorgeous blue and white transferware of which I absolutely did not need. This room was so beautifully furnished even with all the clutter from the sale. With a designers eye I could see the space was a bit awkward, long and narrow with a center fireplace, one that you had to have exactly the right pieces of furniture for. The designer had done it perfectly with proper scale and proportion. A mix of French antiques and contemporary upholstery. The attention to detail just continued to amaze me as I walked from room to room.
From the original living room I entered a breezeway of sorts & noticed this was the transition to the newest edition. The breezeway was absolutely charming with gorgeous millwork, large windows overlooking the back yard (I could have lived there) and lead me to a main floor primary suite. A wing with not one, not two, but four walk in closets. There was the closet for the everyday clothes. The closet for the ball gowns and cocktail dresses, a cold storage closet for the furs, and then there was his closet. There was her bathroom but it was his bathroom that so enchanted me. Very Ralph Lauren menswear and then a marvelous staircase that took you up to his office. All cozy and quiet in rich colors and leather. There was gorgeous wallpaper in just about every room. Another staircase took you down to a lower level of this wing but I didn’t go down.
After wandering thru the primary area and watching the 30 and 40 somethings ripping thru the closets and coming forth with their treasures, I walked back thru the breezeway and landed in the family room with wide windows and a door that lead out to an amazing yard with not one patio but 3. Walking up stone stairs, thru perfectly manicured beds (it is November) over to the swimming pool and the most charming pool house I stopped and gazed at the scope of this yard. So surprising to see a lot of this size in this neighborhood. It just kept going. After the pool house I wandered back into the family room and started looking thru what was available. Searching thru the cases I spotted the silver. Not one sterling pattern, not two, not three but 5 sterling patterns and wonderful other oddments.
Off the family room was 2 funny spaces. I’m sure leftover from the original house and what do you do? They created a marvelous bar/speakeasy type space with glass shelves full of crystal decanters, Baccarat and Waterford and who knows what else, and any kind of crystal beverage glass you can imagine. A cozy place to sit and chat with dark wallpaper, It was a marvelous space. Next to it was a tiny dining space, round with a small round table to seat 4 with a tropical mural on the walls. Funny, it didn’t really work with the rest of the space.
Then there was the kitchen, oh my, probably done in the 90’s but gorgeous with a lovely island, narrow gorgeous staircase, a cute little settee and of course an eating area. Brick floor if I remember correctly, and the tile was sublime. Walking into the pantry, I was like wait didn’t I just walk into the pantry? Well, yes I did but this was a different pantry. And the dishes!
Going up the stairs in the kitchen I am off loaded to a huge center landing with rooms spoking off it. Oh, this is where I belong. This is where all the junk is. Or should I say the lesser stuff! Now I can relate. There is a bedroom full of Christmas. Ok I don’t need Christmas. A computer room with ribbon and wrapping paper etc. Ribbon? Ok I can get excited about that, let’s take a look. No, nothing special, just your typical wired ribbon. I was hoping in a house like this I might find some silk ribbon. No luck. Wandering into yet another bedroom it is full of textiles. Pillow covers, left over fabric, and a walk in closet full of tablecloths. The only problem was it was hot up there and the closet was only big enough for one person at a time. I finally was able to take my turn and I bought a lovely cut work table cloth for 20.00 that I absolutely did not need! Score!!! Coming out of that room I had a bit of which way do I go, which way do I go. After a couple of miss starts I wound up in yet another bedroom full of tables with stuff. I spot a cream Etruria Wedgewood pitcher with a dog handle on a table stuck in the corner. Homing in on it I grabbed it and it was $20.00 so no thought, it was coming home with me.
By this time I was hot in my heavy coat, over stimulated, tired of people, and ready to get out of there. I came down the main winding staircase. Then I groan because now I see where the “formal” dining room is. Ok, I have to check this out too. I detour around the very long line of people waiting to check out and head to the dining room. This was part of the original part of the house. The dining room was really way too small for this home. But of course there is more china. There was a set of 12 dinner plates listed for 12,000.00. Yes you saw it right, $12,000.00! This was just the dinner plates it didn’t include the rest of the set. They were all priced individually per 12. This was not a manufacturer I had ever heard of. I’ll bet I saw 20-30 sets of dishes from the sublime to the ridiculous.
With tail between my legs I take my $40 purchase and go get in line. Now I am probably number 30-40 to check out and I patiently wait. Luckily I had cash and I was able to just pay one of the workers. I open the door to escape this gorgeous home and take my overly stimulated self on the 2 1/2 block journey to my car. The cool crisp air and the walk restored me enough to process what I had just seen.
This home was amazing with unbelievable furnishings. The best of the best from antiques to fine repros. Turns out the owner was a shop owner of a locally famous boutique from the 60’s-90’s. Eye candy at every turn. Though the rooms were “dated” by todays standards they had been designed with only the best fabrics, wallpaper, and furnishings. The window coverings alone were worth a fortune with there many yards of fabric all dressed out with elaborate trim. Oh to get my hands on all that yardage.
This was a well loved home. A home designed to be shared, a house for entertaining and one designed for ease of entertaining. It had been lovingly filled with a life time of collections that were well cared for. There were probably 5-6 places in the house to dine, and that doesn’t count the outside dining. About 15 sofas, 5 staircases that I know of, and just way too much stuff. I can’t believe I am saying that coming from someone who lives with a lot of stuff. As gorgeous as the home and its furnishings were it was all just too much. I wonder if I would feel that way if I had seen the house under normal circumstances. I highly doubt it. It truly is a monument to the owners and to the designer that made such lovely sense out of so much space. I would love to know who the designer was and I do think I know. But I’ll never know for sure.
I have been in some of Omaha’s most beautiful homes, been privileged enough to work on some, done rooms in Designer Showhouses and Street of Dreams but I have never seen anything as interesting as this home. With Christmas coming I couldn’t help think of myself sitting in that family room on Christmas Eve with a house full of the people I love a wonderful tree in the bay window, and a soft snow coming down outside with a dog in my lap! There has to be a dog in my fantasy. Oh yes I could get used to that. Or not!!!
I left thinking ok this house has to be going for 1.75 million. When I got home the first thing I did was to look it up and no I missed it by a bit. 3.2 million. Yes, my pedestrian self was very humbled that I missed that mark by so much.
Thanks for stopping
Shelley
