Designer Jeffrey Bilhuber‘s greatest talent may be informing the past with a bold confidence that feels just right for today. And nowhere is this more palpably personal than in his own country house in Locust Valley, New York. Here in Hay Fever, his 17th century farmhouse, Jeffrey has melded the best of American design history with his own family furniture and heirlooms for his distinctive and informed take on decor. Tag along with Susanna Salk and me for a behind the scenes visit with Jeffrey at his historic welcoming home.
After a massive meticulous renovation of his 1668 home, Jeffrey took to the task of making it his own. Calling on his vast knowledge of design history, he references everything from the homes of Jefferson and Washington to Colonial Revival, all with a robust irreverence that permeates the house with an optimistic attitude. Jeffrey may be one of our great American designers, but he knows the value of infusing a hearty sense of humor into a distinguished decor.
An intrepid use of color has always been one of Jeffrey’s signatures and at Hay Fever he has bathed every room with saturated hues that serve as heroic backdrops for a fearless panoply of pattern, bold shapes without forgoing comfort and practicality. These same qualities can be seen in his many product and licensing collaborations including his recent collections for de Gournay and The Lacquer Company.
In Jeffrey’s skilled hands, traditionalism takes on a new meaning – a fearless approach that is anchored to a sense of place and time yet emphatically of today.
And while Jeffrey always references the past, he is also moving forward, as evidenced in his recently published fifth tome, Everyday Decorating. Eschewing the formulaic approach of book by project, here he offers “practical advice and easy-to-follow tips that inspire and empower you to make enlightened design decisions.”
Alluding to everyone’s favorite Intagram-worthy moments, Jeffery explains, “Seeing a pretty room is one thing, but knowing how to distill what makes that space work and translate those takeaways into your own home is an entirely different matter. For that you really need an expert, and that’s where I come in.”
photo by Jillian Wass
So thank you Jeffrey – we are delighted to share a visit with you at your stunning country home.
Thank you for todays story! I have been watching for your visit with Hayfever for months!
Great American perfection, I’m crazy for every fabric, every corner, every wink. Thank you for this informative and beautiful tour Stacey and Susanna and to Jeffrey Bilhuber for inviting us in.
Susanna and Jeffrey ! Chic ! Jeffrey so wonderful to make jokes about the trinket shop. Every corner of his home fills your eye with pleasure. And Susanna looks more beautiful than ever. That jacket is gorgeous. We need a tour of Susanna’s closet. Only a great eye puts that jacket together with those pants.
Jeffrey’s brief about the great American house makes me long for it- the countryside, the handmade lampshade, the bright colors, the relaxed attitude and the acknowledgement of our great American founders.
Thank you for all your hard work.
The house is beautiful,love to see people that love and restore old houses instead of tearing them down!! There is history and energy infusing in them!! Thank you for the visit, and Jeffrey’s son Christoff is very cute too
Absolutely love every inch! It just makes me happy.
Thank you so much for sharing and brightening my day.
two thumbs up i loled
Again, so well done. I am so grateful to you Stacey and Susanna and crew. These posts and videos inspire me tremendously. It also serves a much needed niche, I believe, which was left barren when publishers could no longer produce high quality magazines at affordable prices, and HGTV took an entirely downward turn toward the makeover format. There is an entire generation of us out here who LOVED the beginning days of HGTV when PROFESSIONAL designers took us on tours of inspiring homes and gardens. Now in my sixties, I have renovated several homes. I know how to do almost anything necessary: tile, drywall, roofing, laying floors and refinishing woodwork, etc…and, I DON’T WANT TO DO IT MYSELF. I am not going to subscribe to a television channel (or even tune in) to listen to the sound of power tools and watch the grueling process. Been there, done that, thanks anyway. INSPIRE ME! I CRAVE BEAUTY!
Love Jeffrey’s home, its colorfulness, sense of history combined with humor. All characteristic of the designs Jeffrey does for his clients and such a relief from the trendy and homogeneous modernism prevalent today. I especially love the unexpected color combinations and Fabrics and wallpapers. Jeffrey’s son is adorable, a poised, handsome and charming young man. Thanks for this!
Loveeeeee the lime green wall! Too bad my husband isn’t a fun guy to allow our walls to be painted in lime green (or any other fun colors). And loveeeee all the diffent pattern fabrics! Such a perfect quirky house. This house has lotssssa characters. It’s deffinitely not everyone’s cuppa tea BUT it’s deffo MY cuppa tea! I feel so happy looking at this house.
veyr nice concepts so good working