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Dining roomJennifer Almquist
The year-long renovation uncovered proud signatures from 19th century builders and craftsmen on the plaster behind the woodwork. Extraordinary attention to detail includes bespoke wallpaper from twenty2 grasscloth, a woman-led business in Naugatuck, Connecticut printed with the historical signatures and floral traceries unearthed from old wallcoverings, now trailing down guestroom walls. The sage green, paneled front door still opens to a warming hearth beneath the original carved granite linte,l deeply incised with lines from Shakespeare’s Macbeth: “Come what come may, Time and the hour runs through the roughest day.”
The design aesthetic of Alexandra Champalimaud, Litchfield resident and Anthony’s mother, is evident behind every detail of the Belden House & Mews. Founding principal of Champalimaud Design, interior designer of such luxe hotels as Raffles in Singapore, the Plaza, and Bellagio, and a member of the Interior Design Hall of Fame, Alexandra mused, “We embraced the locale throughout our design, collaborating with local makers and craftsmen to create a color journey full of warmth and curiosity. We highlighted the contrast between Belden House’s traditional spirit and the modernism of the 1950’s-era Mews building, where furniture silhouettes inspired by midcentury art and architecture bring splashes of color to tonal room envelopes. The project is a journey in which guests feel welcomed and at home as sunlight streams in through the windows.”
Exterior roof turretJennifer Almquist
Tarajia Morrell, communications director of Dutchfield, pointed out details during a tour of Belden House & Mews — an original newel post filial on a stack of art books in the library, the vivid emerald green bar complete with cheetah lamps and featuring Litchfield Distillery spirits, 21 four-poster beds made in West Cornwall at Ian Ingersoll furniture, a weathered, leather table in the penthouse made from a Parisian wrestling mat, and lighting crafted by Litchfield’s Dumais Made. PBDW architects and historical preservationist John Kinnear provided their expertise. Handmade tiles from Bantam Tileworks, White Flower Farm florals and bouquets, landscape architect Reed Hilderbrand, White Dog Woodworking from Torrington, and Lakeville Interiors all contributed their skills as well.
Connecticut native chef Tyler Heckman prepares a seasonal menu, sourced from nearby farms and the New England coast, and served in the Belden House dining room. Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be offered by reservation only beginning May 1. Belden House also provides a butler service for its 10 guestrooms, including a third-floor penthouse with three bedrooms, three baths, and a rooftop terrace.
StaircaseJennifer Almquist
The Mews features 21 guestrooms, some with private terrace gardens shaded by mid-century striped awnings. Within the Mews, guests will find Bathhouse, a wellness spa reserved exclusively for Belden guests, featuring Wildsmith skincare products from the UK. There is a fifty-foot heated pool, a folly bathhouse, and a lawn club for croquet. The iconic 1891 Litchfield Firehouse will complete the Belden House complex in mid-2025, re-purposed as a meeting house for guests and community special events.
Anthony Champalimaud mused, “We felt acutely - again, as we do at Troutbeck - a responsibility to get it right. To occupy a role within our wider community which over time becomes essential. That here we had the chance to insert within the heart of a National Historic Landmark town, a new and missing element, is both an enormous privilege, exceptional opportunity, and profound responsibility. That said, it ought to be fun, and we very much hope it will bring much joy to both our guests and our neighbors.”
For reservations, visit beldenhouse.com or call (860)337-2099
Nexus by Bob Madden (marble)
Now in its 18th year, ArtEast has expanded beyond its signature October event to include this springtime tour focused on process over polish. “The May tour gives voice to practitioners of artforms that are inherently messy,” said Madden, a Poughquag-based stone artist and longtime ArtEast participant. “I love having people visit my studio and ask questions. ‘How?’ is a common question because the material — stone — is difficult for some to imagine how to work it,but that’s a question for a technician. ‘Why?’ is the question I always hope for because it’s asking the artist if the viewer is clearly understanding the message I created.”
Madden will be opening Rock and A Soft Place Studios in Poughquag alongside his wife, Karen Madden, a fiber and metal artist who co-chairs the event. “Each medium challenges my creativity,” said Karen, “as I learn to work with different materials.”
Vintage Sampler by Donna Castelluccio(fiber/mixed media)Courtesy Donna Castelluccio
Other featured artists include Donna Castelluccio, a mixed media artist who reworks vintage materials into one-of-a-kind pieces. “When people come to my studio they will see many projects in different stages that I’m working on,” said Castellucio. Bill Prickett, a photographer, producer, and creative chameleon “makes it a point to be a rookie at something all the time,” as his website states. Brian Wohrman works out of Lagrangeville and is a self-taught sculptor whose welded tribute to his late father started him on a path of transformation through art.
David Tumblety is a sculptor trained in anatomy and classical technique whose accolades include the Lucchesi Grant and Stewardson Prize. Of the open studios, he said, “A few years ago, I converted the small, dilapidated barn behind our house in Millbrook into a studio. I spend most of my time working alone there so, it’s a welcome break from my solitude to have visitors to the space.”
ArtEast brings together over a dozen artists across Dutchess county, inviting viewers to experience the creative process firsthand — from initial spark to final piece.
For more info or to plan your route, visit: arteastdutchess.com
American Caste by David Tumblety (cast bronze)Courtesy David Tumblety
John Liu was the New York Ninja in 1984, and thanks to the folks at Vinegar Syndrome, he is the New York Ninja today.
Here’s a real oddball entry. “New York Ninja,” (1984/2021), a sprightly tale of a kung fu vigilante and the brainchild of John Liu, was shot in 1984 and never made it to post-production. Decades later the people at Vinegar Syndrome, a purveyor of the finer things in dreck, got hold of the footage and managed to get it into screenable form, despite handicaps such as no audio, no script, and no idea what the hell it was about or who all these people were. The only reason it came to the attention of the Bad Cinema desk is that the world’s greatest kung fu female, Cynthia Rothrock, was hired to do voiceover work for one of the characters.
We’ll have a future edition of S&A devoted to Rothrock.
The result warrants more than one paragraph, a rarity in S&A. We’ve got multiple villains, many wearing silly masks. One main villain with a melty face from his habit of looking into a box full of plutonium. Group of kids who overwhelm both bad guys and cops with cuteness. Kung fu badminton net. Ninja vs. maitre d’ with rattail that he sucks on while fighting. Enough gratuitous nekkidity to be going on with. The worst martial arts displays this side of “Fungicide.” Only the faintest hint of plot to get in the way of the story. An outstanding effort all around.
“Sugar Hill” features slow-moving, cobweb-covered zombies.imdb.com
“Sugar Hill” (1974) answers the question “What happens when the mob bumps off a lady’s boyfriend and she’s friends with voodoo people?” Answer: One by one the gang members are knocked off in uniquely hideous ways. Marki Bey does a pretty fair Pam Grier imitation. The zombies are the traditional, slow-moving type. In an unusual twist, the zombies are covered in cobwebs, which suggests they need to get out more. Severed chicken foot attack. Death by many many snakes. Death by quicksand. Zombie massage parlor. Zombie rhythm section. Perfunctory nekkidity we could have done without. Add completely blatant rip-offs of James Bond music and voila! It’s the poor man’s “Live and Let Die.”
Speaking of Pam Grier, one of her lesser-known efforts is “Sheba Baby” (1975), the stirring tale of a woman who takes revenge on the loan sharking hoods who destroyed her father’s legal loan sharking business. No gratuitous nekkidity, a grave flaw, but the car wash scene makes up for it. We’ve got a bad guy who looks like the young Al Sharpton dressed in carpet remnants. Lots of gunplay as opposed to kung fu. An extended fairground scene that gets filed under “Why yes we have permission to film here.” A fairly humdrum affair, all told.
Let’s wrap this up with “Red Star Rising” (1994), a Don “The Dragon” Wilson vehicle that also features the immortal Mako. This brings us to the Iron Law of Martial Arts Flicks: “If it has Mako, you must watch.” Japanese/American cop comes to LA to hunt bad guy. Cop endures many bad jokes about Japanese people. Bad guy specializes in a fatal kung fu move called the Death Touch. Plenty of mayhem and a touch of gratuitous nekkidity. Gnomic utterances, such as “Fate has pitted Thomas against this assassin” and “When day meets night only one can survive.” And, of course, the Death Touch, which isn’t as good as its counterpart in “Kill Bill” but it’ll do.
