Mansion in May celebrates its 20th anniversary of showcasing amazing design in 2023. The show house is the signature fundraiser for the Women’s Association for Morristown Medical Center. The event has generated over $12 million since its inception in 1974. The 2023 edition took place at Three Fields—a 9,000-square-foot French manor style home in Mendham, NJ—one of many majestic properties to host it over the years. And, once again, Kapner and the team from CWI were on hand to offer a memorable contribution.
Kapner won her first Tulip Award for Best in Show for this lovely nursery.
CWI at Mansion in May: A Tradition of Excellence
Kapner and company have been consistent contributors to Mansion in May. In 2006, their nursery in cream and blue took home their first best-in-show Tulip Award. The team transported a bedroom to the South of France in 2008. And in 2010, they brought sumptuous chintz window treatments and peacock details to a blue dining room.
A stately home office, dubbed “Lady Allen’s Bower,” was the project for 2012. And an Art Deco bedroom—in gray with smart, white trim and vivid pink accents—brought home the rare second Tulip Award for Kapner and company in 2014. Blue and gold ruled the day in their gilded gathering room for 2017. And it looked easy being green among the patterns and curios of Hemingway’s Library when the event was rebranded Splendor in September in 2020.
Pink, gray and white proved a winning recipe for another Tulip Award in 2014.
How CWI First Came to the Mansion
Kapner says she first got involved with this show house through a client. “She was working on the committee in 2006, and asked us if we wanted to submit,” remembers Kapner. “That was the first year. And then we’d do it every two years. But with COVID, it was bumped to three years.”
Despite her consistently successful relationship with the organization, Kapner never takes it for granted that she will be invited to participate. “I always submit,” she says. “I ever expect to be asked. But it’s always a pleasure to work with the women of Morristown Memorial. And they enjoy working with me. They’re always like, ‘Oh, you’re back!'”
In addition to the satisfaction of supporting a good cause, Kapner says the exposure can be beneficial. “They get about 25,000 people that come through,” she says. And Kapner hopes to interact with as many visitors as possible. “I always love being in the room. So usually I don’t have docents from the Association. I usually staff it with everyone from my office. And it’s always nice to meet people and answer questions.”
“It’s always great advertising,” adds Kapner. “People know that I’m in Mansion in May, and we’ve won the Tulip Award twice. And I think this year, they’re actually going to post it in the room: who has won, how many times, what year, and things like that. So that’ll be nice.”
For 2020, Kapner and the CWI team delivered a space on the theme of Hemingway’s Library.
The Road to May
At the time of our conversation with Kapner, opening day is still months away. But preparation is under way. “Everything is ordered,” she confirms. “Some things, I had to switch out—because of supply chain issues—and get it as close to what I proposed as possible.”
She also has specialists scheduled. “I think the millwork person is going in next week to do some panel detail. And then I have to wait for the painter to start, so it’s going to be close this time because the flooring was backordered,” she says. “So that’s going to push my whole schedule back a couple weeks. Usually I’m the first one done and the first one installed,” she says. “This year, I might not be.
Awards aside, this particular show house will offer an additional measure of potential affirmation. “This one is a little different, because it’s for sale,” says Kapner. “The homeowner is renovating. So they have to hold their renovation to let everyone else come in and do whatever they want to do. And it’ll be interesting to see what they keep and when they make us redo,” Kapner says. “You have to put it back to white if they don’t want it.”
See the Yellow Bird Dining Room CWI created for Mansion in May 2023, and visit Mansion in May’s website to learn more about other designers who participated and the important work they support.
Need someone with whom to use your wallcovering words? See our guide to establishing a relationship with your designer.
Hoping someone can make your home feel like a Mansion in May? See what CWI design services can offer.
