“Real Housewives of New York City” alum Dorinda Medley is opening the doors to her palatial Berkshires estate, which has been gloriously redesigned, each room more glamorous than the next.
Fans may recognize the place, which was featured on “Housewives,” as well as the Bravo spin off, “Ultimate Girls Trip.” However, as Medley, 59, reveals in her Open House TV tour, the home was a big part of her life for many years before it became a regular fixture on reality TV.
“Believe it or not, I owned the house for years before that,” she jokes.
The reality show star is a native of Great Barrington, MA, where the opulent estate is located and the lavish Gilded Age property was a wedding gift from her second husband, Richard Medley, who died in 2011.
Realtor.com records show that it was purchased by the late financial consultant for $2.1 million back in 2005, although estimates indicate that it could be worth upward of $4 million if placed on the market today—and that’s without all of the incredible renovations that it has undergone thanks to Medley’s detailed overhaul.
Dorinda Medley recently opened the doors of her beautiful Berkshires estate.
However, Medley admits that she didn’t know if she wanted to keep the home after her husband’s shocking death at the age of 60, although she ultimately chose to put her roots down in the property, even selling her New York City apartment in 2022 for $2.5 million.
The “Make It Nice” author appeared on the “Housewives” show from 2015 to 2020, and she’s turned her focus to the country retreat ever since.
Built in 1902, the seven-bedroom, 7.5 bathroom, Tudor-style mansion is an eye-popping marvel.
The whole house has gone through a top-to-bottom renovation, with no blue stone untouched. Noting the 1902 build is a “very old lady,” Medley explains that she embarked on a thoughtful redesign with her friend and interior decorator Marshall Watson.
‘Marilyn Monroe meets Frankenstein’
Today, her Great Barrington home—known as Blue Stone Manor—captures her vision of maintaining the architectural integrity of the home while instilling a “Marilyn Monroe meets Frankenstein” vibe throughout without veering away entirely from its “traditional” elements.
The 11,000-square-foot space includes custom millwork, a grand entryway with an elaborate fireplace, vibrant colors, plush fabrics, heavy drapes, and a library with coffered ceilings. Divine details include candelabras, birds of all kinds, a hidden wet bar, and a fanciful floral “tree,” among other treasures.
“I wanted to protect the integrity of the early 20th century” she says she instructed Watson, adding, “I also wanted a house of curiosity,” and one that says, “Dorinda Medley lives here.”
Medley shows off the dramatic entry and says, “What would a grand entryway be without a grand fireplace?” She adds, “I mean, how big is this thing?”
She then showcases the purpose of one piece of furniture, saying, “What would an early 20th century house be without a fainting couch?” And of course she can’t but help demonstrating how one might collapse upon it with the vapors.
But her favorite fanciful item seems to be a bejeweled, stuffed peacock adorning the living room.
“This here is the true lady of the manor” she says of the regal-looking bird. “Look at her. Glamorous, a little curious.” She adds that the big bird served as inspiration for the design. “She’s the reason the house is decorated the way it is,” she says.
The room is filled with all kinds of unusual items, such as a 100-year-old, two-seat “conversation chair, which Medley and her “clone” demonstrate.
On this side of the room it’s more “water” themed, she notes, with a statue of Neptune, and the marine blue walls adding the under-the-sea feel.
Rainbow-hued room
Next up, Medley opens up about the library, a colorful confection topped with a year-round floral Christmas tree, as she calls it.
“Yes, I have a Christmas tree up all year long. But it’s a flower Christmas tree,” she points out.
She also calls attention to other opulent elements, such as a dragon candelabras, birds under glass, and Muhammad Ali’s boxing glove thrown in for good measure.
“It’s a place of complete and utter curiosity,” she says.
Behind one of the paneled doors in the library is a hidden bar for serving up delicious drinks.
We also get a peek at the oh, so appetizing kitchen; and at Blue Stone Manor, rather than the bedroom, this is actually “where the magic happens,” she adds cheekily, noting that her elegant kitchen is “Beauty and the Beast” style. It’s “a working kitchen,” she says.
And in the dining room, Medley declares, “I am famous for my themed dinner parties, adding that “I never, ever sit someone near someone they know. … The goal of a dinner party is you leave with a new friend.”
While she hasn’t touched the detailed walls, she’s added pink lighting because “everyone looks good in pink lights.”
Landscaped grounds
She then takes it outside, to the massive green grounds.
“Are we in Tuscany?” she muses.
While actually in the Berkshires, she says that the lovely pool transports you. The 18-acre property sits on top of a hill. She notes that when she got ahold of the place, it wasn’t landscaped, so everything in place was created anew, including an a-Maze-ing maze.
She then heads upstairs to see where “the lady of the manor sleeps. The warm red walls match the headboard, and she’s added a mustard yellow couch in the cozy space as well. She still has a copy of her “rules of the manor” that she handed out during the “Ultimate Girls Trip,” which includes, “mind your manors.”
On her website, Medley calls attention to the impressive TV history of the home, noting that it was the site of many a dramatic moment on “Real Housewives,” not least some of the show’s most iconic cast feuds.
“Dorinda Medley’s home in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, Blue Stone Manor, is famously where Luann fumbled an olive branch to Carole; Carole went head-to-head with Bethenny in costume; and Bethenny called Luann, among other things, a liar, a hypocrite, and a snake,” the website reveals.
“Tears have been shed, friendships broken, and fires started. Even Ramona’s dog Coco has lost her cool. All this despite the valiant efforts of their host, who—lest we forget—cooked, decorated, and made it nice!”
