European Flair: Decorators’ ShowHouse in Greystone wows crowds
Published 4:55 pm Monday, July 7, 2014
As Nan Teninbaum toured through Villa D’Ambra, the French Mediterranean-style house in Greystone selected as this year’s Decorators’ Showhouse, she couldn’t help but be inspired by the architecture and ambiance.
“I don’t care where you are in the house, you get a beautiful view of something,” said Teninbaum, ShowHouse publicity chair. “Everything flows together and works so beautifully together.”
The ShowHouse, an annual fundraiser benefitting the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, concluded its season May 11, but the interior design elements still linger in the mind. The ShowHouse featured work from Birmingham area decorators and interior designers who were each assigned a room to remodel. The 12,000-square-foot house has six bedrooms, five-and-a-half bathrooms, four fireplaces and a 14-and-a-half acre lake in the backyard.
Owners Michelle and Michael D’Ambra renovated the house in 2003 after living abroad in Paris. The D’Ambras substituted limestone for the original exterior, adding a limestone arch over the front door that weighs more than 3,000 pounds. Two stone lions guard the entry and an iron gate leads to the front doors. The roof is of Mexican tile…
To read more about the Villa D’Ambra, 2014 Decorators’ ShowHouse, check out the June 2014 issue of Hoover’s Magazine. Find your copy here.