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Community Corner

These Women Have Designs on a Mansion

It has seven fireplaces, two master bedrooms and a pond and sits on 15 acres. Wanna decorate it?

 Old Glory Farm in Buckingham Township will be next year's Bucks County Designer House.

As many as 10,000 visitors tour the designer house each year in an annual event entering its 36th year. Proceeds benefit the Village Improvement Association of Doylestown, the organization that raises money for .

Each year, designers and landscapers submit designs and ideas for individual spaces in the home and gardens. The deadline for submissions is Nov. 30.

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Once chosen, those designers and landscapers pull out all the stops and transform the property into a vision of their talents.

The 2011 house, at 3719 Indian Spring Road, combines the style of the classic Bucks County fieldstone manor home with the modern architectural appeal of open rooms, vaulted ceilings and glass walls.

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The 9,400-square-foot home with seven fireplaces and two master bedrooms overlooks 15 acres of countryside which includes a 2-acre pond, winding stream, springhouse and barn.

The original portion of Old Glory Farm dates back to the 1790s. An addition that quadrupled its size was added about 25 years ago.

The newer portion retains the flavor of the original house by using the same exterior stone as the original.

The VIA's choice for its 2011 Designer House is a bit of a departure from past years.

"We typically go after old farmhouses that are in really dire straits" and need lots of attention to transform them into a showcase, said Nancy Koller, chairman of the event. "This is unique, in that we still have the old farmhouse, but it's in impeccable  condition to match that of the new addition."

"Indulge Your Desire to Design" will be the theme of the event, which runs May 1-29.

Before work starts, the VIA will host an Empty House Party to view the home before the designers and landscapers bring their vision to fruition. That is planned for March 6.

A preview gala at the site also is planned for April 29, giving those attending a sneak peak prior to the opening of the public tours. 

Profits from the 2010 Designer House fulfilled a five-year pledge of $750,000 toward the recently expanded emergency department at Doylestown Hospital.

Members of the committee are: Marilyn Mele; Joyce Hanson, designer chairman; Joanne Keller; Nancy Koller, 2011 house chairman; Jackie Kennedy, landscape chairman; and Debbie Camiolo, vice-chairman.

For more information, contact www.buckscountydesignerhouse.org.

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