STARLIGHT SKATING PARTY AT "LITTLE IPSWICH"

  

STARLIGHT SKATING PARTY AT "LITTLE IPSWICH"

  "Party dresses for country house fetes"

  Decorating the outside of houses for parties and fetes has long been a custom on the Continent. In some sections Americans venture to garland their doorways and windows at Christmas. Aside from this, all our party decorations are kept indoors. Why not start the custom of decorating the outside of the house? It lends an air of gaiety to your place. Your guests will catch the party fever as soon as they approach the house. To see just how this Continental idea could be adapted here, we haven chosen.....

 For a winter night skating party we chose "Little Ipswich", the country place of Mr. and Mrs. Chalmers Wood, at Syosset. Long Island. The house, as designed Delano & Aldrich, is a classical one-story structure consisting of the main body facing the entrance court, and two wings that extend from this to enclose a wide paved terrace that looks across a stretch of gently sloping lawn to a wide pond. Since the house is formal, the decorations for this party would be consciously stylized. The entrance of the court is marked by facing sphinxes. Behind these, would be placed semi-circular fans of wire thickly covered with dark evergreen boughs and sprays of Rowan berries. The same kinds of fans could be used as lunettes over the windows, and the front of the chimneys marked in the same manner. Because of the charm of its silhouette, the house would be entirely outlined by a thick rope of evergreens. Mrs. Wood, having a penchant for swans, has used them as a decorative motif throughout the house.

   One stands as a terminal to the entrance cupola, and is thrown into relief by the evergreen rope. At each side the entrance portico could stand others, made life size out of wire covered with white Chrysanthemums backed by a fan of evergreen and colorful berries. Since this is to be an evening party, both the entrance court and the pond would be made bright with floodlights.

  "Little Ipswich" was demolished in 1995. Click HERE to see its location at wikimapia. HERE for a winter aerial from 1966.