Need Inspiration? Try the Designer Showhouse

By Brianne Harrison

This week is your last chance to visit the Stately Homes by the Sea Designer Show House. This year's show house, Sheep's Run, is a beautiful, spectacularly preserved brick house built in 1915 in a style that recalls a Cotswold cottage. More than 50 of the state's top interior and exterior designers worked to transform the house into an example of sumptuous country living. The Showhouse opened with a gala kick off (for photos, click here) in late April.

If you need persuading, it's easy to make a day of it. Tour the house, and then grab a bite to eat at the David Burke Fromagerie Cafe or brows the designer boutique. If the weather's nice, the Monmouth County Jersey Shore is nearby. Enjoy a stroll on the beach before the crowds and humidity arrive!

Tickets are $35 and benefit the Visiting Nurse's Association of Central Jersey. For more information, visit statelyhomesbythesea.com.