Trenton, NJ – The Governor’s Official Residence in Princeton is once again bedecked in festive colors and designs that symbolize the tidings of the season, First Lady Mary Pat Christie announced today. In partnership with the Drumthwacket Foundation, members of the New Jersey Garden Clubs and GardenClub of America have decorated the executive residence for A Drumthwacket Holiday using fresh arrangements and greenery to complement the architecture and décor of each of the building’s public rooms.
“Every year, I’m continually amazed by the creativity and talent of our Garden Club members in transforming Drumthwacket for the holidays,” said First Lady Mary Pat Christie. “For the Governor and me, this is a special time of year that brings together family and friends to celebrate the joys of the season. We hope the many guests who visit the residence this December will enjoy A Drumthwacket Holiday as much as we do.”
Self-guided Open House tours are available on select days in December. While reservations are required, admission and parking on site are free of charge. To make your tour arrangements, visit http://www.drumthwacket.org/visit/reservation-form. In addition, Drumthwacket is wheelchair accessible.
Open House Dates:
• Tuesday, December 6
• Sunday, December 11
• Wednesday, December 14
• Sunday, December 18
A Drumthwacket Holiday includes the following display presentations located throughout the first floor of the residence:
Foyer: Garden Club of Stony Brook (Garden Club of NJ)
Stony Brook Garden Club decorated the foyer with seasonal greenery, lush amaryllis, exquisite and bold floral arrangements to wow visitors as they begin their tour. Highlighting the graceful architectural details with magnolia, evergreen varietals, shimmering gold satin ribbon, and berries, the architect’s intent to create an elegant formal entryway is showcased. The single tree is decorated to complement the subtle Chinoiserie style of the entry and dining area
Parlor: Garden Club of West Trenton, (Garden Club of NJ)
The West Trenton Garden Club decorated the Parlor with the traditional décor of the Twelve Days of Christmas. From the partridge topiary to the twelve drummers drumming, the room is adorned with exquisite flower arrangements and garlands interspersed with life-like pears. Bows and accents of gold, white, burgundy, and blue further enhance the warmth of the welcoming Parlor, and add to the joyful spirit of the season. The fireplaces, with their festive white poinsettias, complete the look.
Dining Room: Garden Club of Somerset Hills (Garden Club of America)
The Garden Club of Somerset Hills has created a sparkling, festive, and traditional dinner setting at Drumthwacket for this year’s holidays. The residence’s inspiring Southern Greek Revival architecture,
coupled with the design features of its elegant dining room, set the stage for the perfect holiday dinner. Placement of shimmery gold and silver accents festooned with varying hues of holiday greens will echo the room’s existing attributes. Furthering the holiday spirit, the Club decorated the dining room’s two deep fireplace mantels with garlands of green and colored accents of candied fruit, a nine-foot evergreen tree adorned with bright metallic balls and traditional holiday accents. Pink poinsettias add warmth and a spirit of welcome to the holiday dining room.
Music Room: Garden Club of Mountain Lakes, (Garden Club of NJ)
The Garden Club of Mountain Lakes rings in the holiday season in the beautiful music room. With the holiday debut of the room’s new window treatments and French blue walls, the color scheme is highlighted with shades of rose, apple green and pinecone brown, along with a touch of blue thistle. The classic dignity of the residence inspired the holiday designs, particularly the fresh arrangements on the center table and marble mantel.
Library: Garden Club of Morristown (Garden Club of America)
Created by members of the Garden Club of Morristown, this year’s design respects the formality of the paneled library and the intention of the architect, Raleigh C. Gildersleeve. Winter white is the theme selected to contrast with the handsome dark wood that surrounds the library. The intention of Garden Club of Morristown designers blends late nineteenth century interior architecture with festive contemporary decoration and an element of light.
Governor’s Study: Garden Club of Keyport (Garden Club of NJ)
The Garden Club of Keyport brings “A Victorian Christmas by the Bay” to the elegant Governor’s study. The beautiful bay windows and rich wood color in the room are a perfect backdrop to highlight Keyport’s colorful history as a reminder of glorious Victorian Christmases long ago. The decorations consist of assorted old fashioned Christmas toys, oyster shells and pearls, marine motifs as well as elegant garlands in various faux and live greens, luxurious fabrics, ribbons and bows. Additionally, glittery faux fruits in brilliant greens and red berries enhance the décor. Traditional and natural living elements from our gardens include lots of greens, twigs, dry flowers, red poinsettias, and for added glamour, touches of silver.
Residence Wreaths: Garden Club of Warren (Garden Club of NJ)
The Warren Garden Club created the festive holiday wreathes on the front windows, front door and showcasing the front gate. The Warren Garden Club’s wreaths compliment the designs provided by the other participating Garden Clubs and the historic beauty of Drumthwacket.
Drumthwacket Front Façade: The residence is festively lit for the holidays by Eclipse Events, Bernardsville, NJ. The wreaths embellishing the front façade windows of the residence have been generously installed by Bartlett Tree Experts.
About the Partners:
Garden Club of New Jersey www.gardenclubofnewjersey.com
The Garden Club of New Jersey (GCNJ) founded in 1925, serves over 4700 members in 109 clubs throughout the state. Landscape Design, Gardening Study and Flower Show Schools are offered for educational development. Local and state projects are encouraged to meet the diverse interests of the GCNJ membership. The GCNJ provides education, resources and many opportunities for adult and youth members to expand the love of gardening and floral design and encourages active participation in civic, environmental and historic preservation projects to protect the past for the future.
Garden Club of America www.gcamerica.org
The Garden Club of America is a national leader in the fields of horticulture, conservation, and civic improvement. Founded in 1913, the Garden Club of America is a volunteer nonprofit organization comprised of 200 member clubs and approximately 18,000 club members throughout the country. GCA members passionately devote their energies and expertise to a wide array of projects in their communities and across the nation. The Garden Club of America promotes a greater understanding of the interdependence of horticulture, environmental protection, and community improvement,
The Drumthwacket Foundation www.drumthwacket.org
Founded in 1982, the Drumthwacket Foundation is a non-partisan, non-profit organization. Its mission is to increase a sense of pride in New Jersey by preserving the Drumthwacket property and broadening access, furthering awareness and support of the Foundation and its initiatives and expanding civic understanding amongst New Jerseyans. The Foundation’s educational outreach to schools is the Discover Drumthwacket field trip program wherein children from New Jersey’s less affluent school districts are provided with bus transportation to and from Drumthwacket and nutritious lunches. In the fall of 2015, the Foundation expanded its educational programming by developing a free, on-line learning module for fourth grade teachers and students titled “Eureka! Invention and Innovation in New Jersey.” The module was inspired by Abram Spanel, the last private owner of Drumthwacket and prolific inventor whose company won the NASA sponsored competition to design the Apollo spacesuit. Visit the Foundation’s web-site to view the module and companion Eureka! student site.