By Robin GOLDSWORTHY

It may be a Herculean task to transform a long-established mansion into a modern (and possibly edgy) Showcase House, but 25 designers are ready to take on the challenge.

This year’s Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts (PSHA) is a 1915 Mediterranean-style estate located in Altadena. According to its website, PSHA is an-volunteer organization whose goal is to provide funding to programs that benefit the community. This is done through diverse music programs that nurture the study and appreciation of music, provide music as a vehicle towards health and healing, offer music education, and ensure that music is available to a broad range of audiences. Since 1965, PSHA has provided Showcase House of Design as one of the oldest, largest and most successful house and garden tours in the nation.

For those unfamiliar, or who perhaps have just forgotten, Altadena offers a plethora of beautiful homes as one travels north into the nearby hillsides – homes and properties that are on par with those found in Beverly Hills but are located in much more serene settings. It is one of these in Altadena that more than 450 guests visited on Friday evening.

The event was a fundraiser called Empty House Party, and it gave guests the opportunity to see the home before the three-month renovation began. Designers were scattered among the rooms of the home’s 12,277 square feet, ready to talk about their vision for the property.

Karen Shoener and Carla Wening of Designs of the Interior are undertaking the task of transforming one of the largest spaces within the house: the living room. This is the seventh year Designs of the Interior has been involved with Showcase House and, according to the company’s president, Shoener, they have ambitious plans for the room.

“We’re bringing in cool tones of teal to complement champagne walls,” she said.

Up a short flight of stairs and across the hall is the home’s library. Though designer Dina Marciano of Dina Marciano Design is removing or updating most of the features of the room, the stately bookcases will remain as will a focal point of the room: a dramatic window.

“I’m planning to bring the outdoors in by utilizing the window,” Marciano said. “I want to create a physical experience by bringing in the colors of nature into the library.”

She said she will be removing an unusual design element of the room: an intricate wood feature adhered to the ceiling giving it an almost faux tin look. Marciano said that she worked closely with the client who said to remove it.

Marciano will also be updating the ornate plaster fireplace in the library, bringing in dark stone that will play well off the darker palette of the room.

The master bedroom, one of five bedrooms in the home, is also receiving a massive makeover. Designer Paul Heintz of Parker West interiors plans to lighten the space by brightening the walls and introducing teal and brass throughout the room. He is, however, keeping the darker wallpaper in the foyer of the bedroom, a request by the homeowner.

“But I will be introducing some of the colors from that wallpaper into the design in the main bedroom,” Heintz said. These include a warm caramel color that will complement the teal and brass. He is also keeping the plaster fireplace, which needs minimal repair, and the crown molding.

“I want to make sure it all flows,” he said of his design choices.

The Pasadena Showcase House of Design will be open to the public from April 22 to May 20. Tickets range from $35 to $45 per person. For complete ticket information and tour times, visit http://pasadenashowcase.org/content.php?p=156.

  robin goldsworthy, STEVE GOLDSWORTHY