By Robin GOLDSWORTHY

The unveiling of the Pasadena Showcase House of Design, an annual fundraiser benefiting music enrichment programs in Southern California, is a highly-anticipated event, an opportunity for designers to revamp an existing mansion while showing off their skills. But before opening the doors for Showcase House there is Empty House.

Entrance to Empty House is limited to a select few, and those who enter get a glimpse into the vision of the many designers, each assigned a different space to work their magic. This year’s canvas is the Boddy House at Descanso Gardens.

The house dates back to 1936 when Elias Manchester Boddy purchased a 165-acre, oak-covered ranch. He turned it into a floral paradise and built a home for his family and himself. The Boddy House is not a stranger to Pasadena Showcase; it was the site of the 2007 event. At the Empty House event, all furnishings had been removed from the house giving designers plenty of space to explain their plans. For example, Leila Bick Design will focus on the staircase and upstairs landing, introducing plush woolen silk carpet with a pattern similar in shape to the scalloped banquette.

Perhaps most intriguing will be the installation of a mechanical flower by Laramee Haynes of Haynes Landscape Design. The unique sculpture is inspired by nature, said Haynes, and will be installed in the property’s Sculpture Meadow.

“I like to build things that last a long time,” he said of the aluminum frame flower.

Once installed, over the course of the day the art piece will gently, slowly open its “petals” as they are warmed by the sun – much like flowers do in nature.

These are just a peek of what the future holds for the historic Boddy House.

Tickets to Pasadena Showcase House of Design are available now; the house will be open from April 21 to May 19. For more information, visit pasadenashowcase.org.