Venus Williams Hosts Party At Rooftop Tennis Lounge

On a warm Tuesday night in Water Mill, the imposing residence at 100 Crescent Avenue had a very special houseguest for the night—the tennis star Venus Williams.The five-time Wimbledon champion hosted a private cocktail reception in the lounge of a rooftop tennis court before jetting off to England to compete in this year’s Wimbledon. The 2.1-acre estate, which is listed with Douglas Elliman for almost $18 million, is the home of the third edition of Holiday House Hamptons, a collaborative effort organized by Manhattan-based interior design Holiday House and presented by Hampton Cottages & Gardens magazine. Twenty different designers were each given a room or section of the house to create a holiday- or vacation-themed environment.

The rooftop lounge was designed by Ms. Williams’s own interior design firm, V*Starr Interiors, and titled “Olympics in Rio,” since its style is meant to nod to the upcoming summer Olympics. Ms. Williams also donated a boxed edition of the tennis dress she’ll be wearing at the summer Olympics to raise money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Holiday House was founded by Iris Dankner in 2008 when Ms. Dankner, a breast cancer survivor of 19 years, wanted to combine her passion for interior design with supporting breast cancer research. According to Helen Allen, a consultant for Holiday House and Head & Hand PR overseeing the reception, Ms. Dankner saw the potential for Ms. Williams’s presence the moment she first saw the roof.

“Iris saw this house a while back and then came to the roof,” Ms. Allen said at the party. “She thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if Venus could design the space on the tennis court?’”

Ms. Williams’s presence was already felt on the rooftop lounge before she even arrived, since the servers were wearing outfits designed by her athletic apparel line, EleVen. The tennis star arrived at the house around 5:30 p.m. and immediately became the center of attention. She observed the impressive designs of each room, done by the likes of HB Home, Chad James Group, Maddux Creative of London, and Sasha Bikoff Design.

Melanie Roy of Melanie Roy Design had chosen Earth Day as a theme for one of the bedrooms while also giving a nod to the house’s view of Mecox Bay. “I thought of beach glam for this room,” Ms. Roy said. “I also wanted to give an ode to the sea using the glass coral. I also used neon green to complement the tennis theme on the roof.”

After a brief but quirky Q&A with Facebook Live in one of the sitting rooms, Ms. Williams joined the rest of the designers and guests on the roof sitting in the V*Starr-designed lounge, featuring custom pillows made from EleVen’s new Prism fabric. HC&G’s Publisher, Pamela Eldridge, and Ms. Dankner toasted the designers for their work and Ms. Williams for her contribution to the showcase and the cause for breast cancer research.

Ms. Williams posed for photos with Ms. Dankner while holding tennis racquets, with Ms. Dankner’s colored black and pink. Ms. Williams also posed for photos with many of the party guests, proudly representing her design work and supporting a good cause.