There is a house, and there is House. The good endures, inspires curiosity, and instills a stamp of revived creativity in anyone who visits. But the historic home, and the tour that accompanies it, isn’t a monolith. Some are genuine treasures that have never been lost, and others are masterpieces from special sources. Some have been demolished, rebuilt from scratch and rebuilt from old records. Whether preserved through love or money, or both, these boxes of American design jewels endure through the ages, and designers never tire of looking through their inspirational gold mines. Here, the designer shares their favorite historic homes across the US — with a special emphasis on the East coast.
Beauports
Beauport (built 1907), or Sleeper-McCann House, was the home of Henry Davis Sleeper in Cape Ann’s Gloucester. With tony clients like Joan Crawford, Sleeper was a prolific decorator in the early days of professional design,