Community Corner
LBI Open House Tour Delivers Eclectic Mix of Homes
Tour raises funds for Foundation, and highlights work of local designers and architects
Beachy chic, classic contemporary, and old world tradition were all on display yesterday, as the .
From a one-year-old newcomer to Long Beach Island, located on W. 8th Street in Surf City, to a stunning 1940s cape located on Cedars Avenue in Harvey Cedars, Foundation members Carin Kirkpatrick and Lynn Billingham, selected from the "finest homes on the island," according to LBIF Executive Director Christopher Seiz.
Each of the seven homes on the tour were chosen for unique style, lush landscaping, dynamic interior décor, and sustainable building practices, Seiz said. He noted that the event, which fetches between $40 and $45 a ticket and attracts hundreds, is one of the Foundation's largest fundraisers of the year. And as those who attended the tour can attest, it is little wonder why.
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Two attendees, Tom and Ann Testa, from Holgate, were enjoying the casual yet traditional stylings of one of the star homes on the tour, located on Nautilus Drive in Loveladies.
Designed by Between the Sheets owner Kristin Nissen in just 45 days, the home was completely redecorated and furnished in time for the summer season after being purchased just 3 months ago.
Find out what's happening in Barnegat-Manahawkinwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
In an interview with Patch, Nissen said the homeonwers wanted a "comfortable and relaxing vacation ambiance," so she chose a blend of colors and wove in pottery created by the homeowner to meet those goals.
Ann Testa said she was "getting some ideas," for her own home, which she is considering remodeling in the near future.
On another part of the tour, at Cedars Avenue in Harvey Cedars, LBIF volunteer Kathy Steppacher informed visitors about the the mid 1940s cape, which underwent an expansion in 1983 and a renovation in 1999.The homeowners, who live in the home all year, are avid collectors of nautical memorabilia, Steppacher said, pointing to a ship's wheel in the living room, and 1940s-style swimsuits on display in the bedrooms.
"This home is unique on the tour, because of the nautical theme throughout," Steppacher said. "You can see water from every area of the house upstairs, and the views are really quite stunning."
