The Pasadena Showcase House of Design 2023, now open and on view through May 21, celebrates several full-circle moments. The 11,000-square-foot Stewart House, within which 32 design firms have reimagined the interiors, also hosted the 19th annual Showcase House some four decades ago. As it turns out, the Marston & Maybury–designed residence has been in possession of the same family ever since.
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Much like the designer showcase, which was founded in 1965 and is considered one of the country’s oldest home and garden tours, the estate has a Pasadena legacy of its own. Two-plus acres from mining magnate Lucky Baldwin’s Rancho Santa Anita land holdings were carved out when WL Stewart, then president of Union Oil Company, bought the former citrus orchard as a wedding gift for his son, Arthur, and his wife, Ruth Nicholson Stewart . The Stewarts commissioned the lauded partnership of Pasadena architects Sylvanus Marston and Edgar Maybury to design the gracious Colonial Revival–style home, which was completed in 1933 for a total of $13,000.
“It was lovely to see how respectful the designers were in the home,” benefit chair Matt McIntyre tells AD PRO, noting how the original character-defining features and even elements from Pasadena designer Edward Turrentine’s 1980s renovation have been incorporated into the latest decor interventions .
Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts, the organizing entity, keeps its charitable mission at the core of the marquee event. Revenues will add to the more than $25 million that’s been raised over the showcase’s past 75 years for schools, music education programs, and arts organizations throughout the region. Legacy sponsor Dunn-Edwards continues to be the exclusive paint supplier, with several designers putting Terra Rosa, the brand’s 2023 Color of the Year, and its coordinating color palette to use. Rich green tones were popular throughout the house, as were statement wallpapers and inviting floor plans brilliantly intermixing vintage and antique finds and contemporary works.
Tour the Pasadena Showcase House of Design 2023’s most inspiring interiors below.
