Valley House: A Life Surrounded by Art

The dramatic living room—with its front and back two-story windows overlooking the sculpture garden—doesn’t require much in the way of furniture. Two original Vladimir Kagan sofas reupholstered in blue velvet provide seating in front of the corner fireplace. A gleaming black grand piano was the centerpiece for a recent concert the Vogels hosted for the Goethe Society. A Thai musician figure, priceless art on the walls, a large round dining table, and comfy black leather chairs complete the room. It’s the ideal setting for private parties.

The room that once functioned as Donald’s studio is now a family room, and it’s home to books stacked in every conceivable location. One great wall boasts a floor-to-ceiling screen. Raise the screen, and bins and bins of over-scale paintings are revealed. The image of the multicolored canvases in varying sizes is impressive. “We sort of ran out of room in the gallery, so this is where we store much of our permanent collection,” Cheryl says. But not everything in the bins is “art”—at least not in the canvas sense. There is also a movie projector used to show full-screen movies on the blank wall opposite the bins. “We watch a movie every single night—from foreign films to action films like Kung Fu Hustle,” Cheryl says. “We are just so overrun with books that our designer and friend Robyn Menter suggested we build a wall of bookshelves on that blank wall. But then where would we have our own private theater?”

The wonders of the property continue outside, with the four-acre garden originally created by award-winning landscape architect Clarence Roy in 1959. Although the grounds are not available to rent for private events, artists are always welcome to sketch in the gardens. Not an artist? No problem. Anyone looking for a little inspiration is welcome.