ARF Thrift & Treasure Shop Goes To The Dogs (And Cats)

It’s no secret that the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons has gone to the dogs (and cats). But come Saturday, May 28, the charitable organization will have also gone to the designers.

In celebration of the grand reopening of the newly renovated ARF Thrift & Treasure Shop in Sagaponack, nine designers have donated their time and creativity to transform nine rooms at the shop into vignette-style mini showhouses using donated items, which will be offered for sale. The result: a Designer Showhouse cocktail party and reception fundraiser, with proceeds benefitting ARF. Participants include: Geoffrey Bradfield, Thomas Britt, Alex Papachristidis, Marshall Watson, Mark Fichandler, Peter Hallock, Thomas Samet, Priscilla Ulmann, Sandra McConnell and Sharon Zambrelli.

Mr. Papachristidis and his partner, Scott Nelson, are frequent visitors to ARF when they donate dog food and other items. They have a home for the whole extended family, plus five dogs, in Bridgehampton and are the proud papas of 8-year-old Yorkshire terrier, Theodore, who prefers to be called “Teddy.”

The designer will create a dining room in his 8-by-11-foot space incorporating furniture from the thrift shop, plus many items donated by friends. Entertaining was the inspiration for Mr. Papachristidis, he said during a recent telephone interview.

“My design was to create something cozy, approachable and appropriate for the Hamptons, which to me is all about entertaining in the summer,” he said. “You can never have enough table settings and cloths, ballroom chairs or an extra table. A dining room in the Hamptons is something that definitely gets a lot of use.”

Mr. Hallock, a Southampton-based real estate agent who is not a professional designer but who does have quite an eye for style, teamed up with Mr. Samet, an in-demand designer who lives in East Hampton, to transform the little red barn next to the shop into a sort of poolhouse/garden room. According to Mr. Samet, he and his co-designer used “a lot of old-timey summer wicker ... outside garden furniture and interesting artwork” in the place that they have renamed “The Kennel Club.”

Mr. Hallock, who said that he’s been shopping weekly for items for the space, said that he thinks the idea behind the ARF Designer Showhouse is a uniquely successful one.

“I love the whole concept of this. Out here we are inundated with house tours and decorator showhouses, but this is the only one where you can shop and buy things donated to ARF,” he said. “What a great way to kick off the opening of this new building.”

Both Mr. Hallock and Mr. Samet are big dog lovers. Mr. Hallock has two dogs—Mike, a 7-year-old wire-haired dachshund, and Harry, a 14-year-old Irish Jack Russell. Mr. Samet also has two dogs—13-year-old Roscoe and 10-year-old Lucia, both soft-coated Wheaton terriers.

Mr. Samet said that one of his biggest critics has already given his stamp of approval on the space.

“Roscoe looked around the barn. He liked it,” the designer laughed.

Mr. Watson, a part-time Springs resident who also writes a bi-weekly design column for The Press, is an animal lover as well. His job: transform his space into a sumptuous sitting room. During a telephone chat on Friday, Mr. Watson said that he was most impressed with the amount of quality donated items he and his fellow designers had to work with.

“This is not your average thrift shop. The designers have had the pick of the litter,” Mr. Watson said, laughing when his unintentional pun was pointed out. “It is remarkable what people donate for saving animals. The things you find there are going to be tremendous bargains. And the list of designers involved is a very heady group of people.”

Other rooms at the ARF Thrift & Treasure Shop include a writer’s lair by Mr. Bradfield, an artist’s studio by Mr. Fichandler, and a women’s dressing room by Ms. McConnell and Ms. Zambrelli. The renovation was built by John Hummel & Associates, architect Rob Smith of Hollenbeck & Smith and landscaper Charlie Marder of Marders.

At the end of the day, the goal of the renovation and the shop’s transformation into a showhouse is all about raising money for cats and dogs in need. According to information provided by ARF, 20 percent of the organization’s annual operating budget comes from funds raised by the Thrift & Treasure Shop.

Mr. Papachristidis summed up his feelings about the work that ARF is doing in taking care of animals and getting them placed in loving homes.

“There’s nothing like animals. You look at those beautiful, sweet little faces, you just have to take one of them home,” he said. “Anybody who has a pet will tell you it’s a positive influence. It changes your life.”

The ARF Thrift Shop Designer Showhouse special preview cocktail party on Saturday, May 28, will be held at 5 p.m. (tickets are $250) and general admission will begin at 6 p.m. (tickets are $150) at shop in Sagaponack. The Thrift & Treasure Shop will open to all on Sunday, May 29, and Monday, May 30, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ($10 admission, children get in free). For tickets, call Gloria Callender at 537-0400, ext. 216 or email her at Gloria@arfhamptons.org. For more information, visit arfhamptons.org.