In 2008, combining her two passions, namely her love of design and her efforts to help women in need, interior designer and fifteen-year breast cancer survivor, Iris Dankner created Holiday House.  The first designer showhouse held in New York City to raise funds for breast cancer research, help women fighting the disease and raise awareness in the design industry.  Recruiting top interior designers in the New York City area, the showhouse is held in the historic Academy Mansion on Manhattan’s Upper East Side each fall and has been a resounding success, with all proceeds donated to help the search to end the scourge of breast cancer forever.

Since its inception, Holiday House has featured top designers in the field who are extremely talented and have a passion for the cause. Holiday House is about the celebration of life, with each designer selecting a holiday or a special moment in life as an inspiration for their design.

Now established as one of the premier showhouses in the country, Holiday House has expanded to Bridgehampton this summer 2013 for the first ever Holiday House Hamptons, showcasing stylish summer living and entertaining. Each room in the sprawling 7,900-square-foot home is inspired by a different holiday with a strong emphasis on celebrating women and breast cancer survivors.  All proceeds from the showhouse benefit The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, check it out.  The showhouse will be up through  Sunday, July 21, 2013. Open Thursdays until 8 p.m., and Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.,  (4 Fair Hills Lane, Bridgehampton, New York).  For more information visit here, (general admission, $30)

In the meantime or if you can’t make it, here are some of the designer showcases to be inspired by:

Living room: “Every Day Is a Holiday”
Design team: Thom Filicia (this photo and next)


Mandolin electronic circuitry box: Lorin Marsh Showroom; wall covering: Wood Circle, Winfield Thybony Design; console: Winded Black Oak Strathmore, Vanguard Furniture; stool, table: John Salibello Antiques; drapes: Stinard by Thom Filicia; Kravet and Kirsch natural shades: Calico Corners; rug: Wellwood, Safavieh; sofa: Highbridge Sectional, Kravet

Thom Filicia’s formal living room showcases his newest collection of furniture and fabric with Kravet. The room is dedicated to Filicia’s mother, who passed away from breast cancer. She encouraged his creativity and motivated him to celebrate each day as if it were a holiday. The painting, by Scott Redden, ties together the peaceful feeling of the room, lined with a wood veneer wall covering and dotted with nautical, seaside accents from Creel and Gow.

Kitchen and dining room: “Summer Solstice”
Design team: Duneier Design (this photo and next)

Light fixtures: Confetti Glass Collection, Avram Rusu Studio; countertops: Carrara marble, ABC Stone, Ital Marble; accent wall tiles: Shelly Tiles; appliances: Sub-Zero & Wolf

Inspired by the longest day of the year and summer entertaining, Jennifer Duneier incorporated bright pops of warm-weather colors for a festive, summertime vibe. “I was inspired by the clean lines of the white Arclinea cabinetry, which was selected first,” says Duneier. The polished traditional moldings mix with with a tiled accent wall, and a custom stainless steel hood ties it all together. Duneier applied her go-to color, turquoise, to the 12-foot ceiling.

Great room: “Memorial Day”

Design team: Mabley Handler (this photo and next)

Carpet: Custom Cool Rugs; lights: Helen Bilt Lighting; wall covering: Phillip Jeffries; landscape paintings: Susan Vecsey

In the Hamptons, anyone building, renovating or decorating a house wants to be in by Memorial Day to extend the summer season as much as possible. This space celebrates the spirit of being a hub for a summer cocktail party or simply somewhere to unwind. The room is inspired by the designer’s friend and breast cancer survivor Michelle Hatch, who created the pillows accenting the upholstery by Aerin Lauder for Lee Jofa.

Bedroom: “Summer of 40 Something”
Design team: James Michael Howard

All fabrics: Hodsoll McKenzie; steel canopy bed, bedding, bed accessories: Mrs. Howard; brown fur throw: Romo Fabrics; upholstered chairs: Mr. & Mrs. Howard for Sherrill, English Country Antiques; area rug: Antique Rug Galleria

With a passion for living well and casual elegance, the designer celebrates the freedom of show house design in a bedroom full of objects that mix new and old. Scale was key in this space, and the bed is meant to draw the viewer’s eye away from the ceiling toward more interesting pieces in the room.

Foyer: “Renewal Day”

Design team: Donna Livingston Design (this photo and next)

Painting: “Yonder,” by Frank Bowling

Challenged by the sheer scale of a 22-foot-high foyer, designer Donna Livingston anchored the space with a 17th-century Chinese rug symbolizing a dragon and “great destiny,” she says. Artwork celebrating women includes a 6-foot-tall bronze sculpture, a smaller Madonna sculpture by J.D. Hansen on the console and an abstract nude titled “Natural Beauty” by Robert Farber, used in aNewsweek issue on breast cancer.

Patio: “May Day”
Design team: The Design Studio (this photo and next)

Dutch clipped gables and massive Marvin windows are seen on the exterior of the gambrel-style new build, designed by McDonough & Conroy Architects and built by Villadom Custom Homes.

Drawing upon the French Fête du Muguet, or May Day, holiday, the exterior living spaces are meant to capture a serene and elegant atmosphere. As a symbol of this holiday and the idea of renewal, the colors of dogwood blossoms — pink and white — are carried throughout the design. A simplistic color palette, varying opacities of decorative elements and the layering of materials and textures combine in each of the three outdoor lounge areas.