HOUSE TOUR | An Eclectic Victorian Farmhouse in Bellport, New York

Interior designer Chris Benz welcomes us inside his gorgeous Victorian Farmhouse that he has lovingly renovated in Bellport, NY.
For more extraordinary home tours, visit our website: homeworthy.com
Once an overgrown and dated boarding house, Chris has masterfully transformed each space, working with the home's original layout to create cozy, inviting nooks. With a background as a designer for J.Crew, Chris brings the same layered and effortless sensibility to his home design as he does to fashion, adding cool accessories that make each room uniquely his own. He takes us outside to introduce us to his chickens, before giving us a tour of his beautifully restored gardens. Enjoy!
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[@apainterlyhome]

There is something so comforting about this place. Delightful. Thank you, Chris, for inviting us in.

[@SimplyNikki2]

You can hear the love in his voice for his decor and style. He has some really interesting and beautiful pieces. I pray this house continuously transforms into the love of his life w/ every decor experience he partakes.

[@jonathanfgh1]

A designer tour with cool eclectic stuff. The vintage paintings add character and story. Unlike some tours not directing us to his website to buy stuff made in china. Very cosy and welcoming home. Anyone with chickens is a good guy !

[@melissafox6006]

Long Island native here! More of these tours please 😊 This home has SO much real interest! The furniture and styling all feels lived in, like it’s been there since the original boarding home days! Very cool. Love that this host connected to the property’s original use and brought it back to life. It makes me imagine the conversations those living rooms have heard over the years. Feels like a Long Island museum, turned cozy abode.

[@elsao1690]

❤ I like your sense of humor with your portraits. You have a very happy disposition which seems to make your home even more inviting.❤

[@derekhall9932]

A refreshing change a designer that has a house that’s not manicured within an inch of its life with a vast budget and no cliche “ coffee table books”. He’s genuine and relaxed that’s perfect and has allowed the house to breathe. The best houses evolve and this does. Fabulous

[@narayaninag9836]

Such a joyful home. He proves the fact that if you live with all the things you love… your home ends up looking beautiful and happy and unique.

[@TheSushmaHomeSellingTeam]

What I love in this home are the things you can see and experience outside. 🌿🌿

[@johnparker8490]

Exceptional stylist. (I had taken a sabbatical from Homeworthy for awhile, too many cookie cutter “decorators”). Chris has restored my faith that there still are original, fun, heartfelt designers in this world.

[@barbaradobson9298]

For me the kitchen and the porch are my favorite rooms ! I love to cook and the kitchen looks perfect. Plus the pocket doors wow. Then eating or drinks on the porch is just delightful… beautiful home.

[@tenawallace3989]

I love this home! Beautiful! I almost died when he said the 80s were 40 years ago. I know it is true, but wow it hurt.

[@maudeeverill6798]

Love his house and everything in it! He is so so cute❤❤❤

[@NBportofino]

Yes very cute

[@user-he3ek3cs4z]

I had a late century Victorian in P.A. that wasn't real fussy , also renovated all 4 floors, this was after is was used as college rooms! Before that housed WW11 vets, each room had it's own door! I had outdoor wrap around porch, we were always a fixture even in winter! i miss it!

[@happysunshine88]

Love this house and Chris Benz is a delight and a real talent!

[@bessycorrales6405]

Love the home and the vibe. Disagree about keeping caged birds. Birds were created to fly free, not to be imprisoned in a cage however beautiful the cage may be. Bird feeders are a great way to attract birds.

[@michellejolly7325]

Absolutely agree!!!!!!!

[@charlesblack1086]

I loved watching this about your home. As a New Yorker you're so right we all often dream about a country house for weekends. Yours is lovely and kooky and with those portraits the right amount of creepy. Bravo! Thank you. You inspire me. My place in my head will be much smaller, perhaps stone with smaller gardens. Your grounds are exquisite. Enjoy it forever.

[@larrynelson3329]

Beautiful. I could live there full time

[@providetriggersforevolutio3748]

💯❤️

[@pwp8737]

loved the house, and its owner.

[@SimiyaNYC]

The ebonized cabinet...🤩😍

[@doreen9838]

A beautiful home!!!!

[@doreen9838]

Nice gentleman !!!

[@hortagent5687]

Not my décor preferences but I can appreciate the aesthetic. Also; how can you not like this guy? He wouldn't know pretense if it bit him. He is so unaffected by his success and remained down to earth and so relaxed in a profession where people are often in a lofty place in their minds. Awesome!

[@TheSunTheMoonTheStars10]

I think other than "cool accessories", I could definitely live in this home.

[@sharonevans6261]

I absolutely love this home. Chris has such an amazing eye to detail. I'm so inspired. Thanks Homeworthy❤

[@EugeneCunningham-lr1gy]

what a warm charming home like its owner. Thank you!

[@nicoeeek.7181]

Gorgeous china collection! What a talented young man.

[@LM-ux7yc]

Love this one of a kind home! It really shines! Great tour!

[@pinkpoodle7100]

I love this home, yard and his eclectic interior. ❤️👍

[@susanshattuck4911]

Oh, I especially loved this tour! I love the witch portraits and everything just exudes personality. I love his style of decorating and charm.

[@dissidentfairy4264]

Some of my favorite things: I love the various shades of green that are painted in the entryway. I thought it was an attractive blend of color. I love the dripping green abstract painting. I love the Italian ceramics, especially the ones with turquoise. I thought his vintage paintings that create their own stories was an interesting concept, especially "The Witches":-) They look like they are plotting something. lol The gardens are lovely and so is the pool. The home is beautiful and the dog is adorable too!

[@gina5827]

Love the home and garden. So many interesting items in his decor. 🙂

[@b.bernal6151]

Charming house and beautiful gardens. Thanks for sharing your home.❤

[@IGuess...]

I used to work for J. Crew and Chris is doing the "J. Crew roll" with his sleeves!

[@ranidenkaa2656]

Thanks for sharing. This house is super "raw"

[@karis7649]

I think this would be a wonderful home to live in, it has both a grounded, permanent, forever kind of feeling with an airy and breezy vibe on top.

[@danielshinkle6686]

What a cutie I like what he's done to the place I especially like the East Lake furniture

[@JackieBanks-zl2jh]

Love the fact it really looks lived in not set up for the cameras like a lot of home tours on Homeworthy I think this is the first time I've not seen a table set up for fake guest,

[@user-he3ek3cs4z]

I always loved a Bird cage , so architectural! i also still have my old trunk that was an artist used with paint on it as coffee table, although most decorators' do not like that in 2024?! Ralph is my all time designer, no place for can lights except maybe kitchen!

[@susanmark2000]

Terrific tour. What a story this house has. I love that he has gone with it. It is really special place. Nice guy too.

[@naomiweaver1855]

Beautiful home and gardens!! Another winner from Homeworthy!!

[@deboramccallum3987]

Sweet house...sweet guy Decor is very uniquely chic

[@Thomas-v9n]

Stunning!

[@garykarel6809]

Absolutely beautiful and perfect! Love your home! Great work! ❤

[@MichaelShaw]

Electric and interesting. I ♥️ the renovations and his passion! I didn't quite get the bird cage. Considering the beautiful grounds I would love to see a beautiful bird house, feeder, and water for the birds on the outside. That would fit the style of the home and grounds more than the birdcage I think. Either way, I really love his uniqueness as a designer. Thanks for posting this.

[@laurapeck9199]

I love his casual laid-back style, which is perfectly reflected in his beautiful home. Great job, except just one thing. I don't know if I could have the witch painting in my bedroom. Lol

[@Garysgoodfinds]

Amazing talent n guy

[@conniemurphy5439]

I think I saw this home described in a Somerset Maughm novel. In other words it reads beautifully.

[@ladylyonteeth3952]

Good for you. It’s amazing. ❤

[@bonnievsoske3168]

Great guy and great house.

[@katrussell6819]

Great house. Great guy. I love that he has made something so personal to him (and his partner?)

[@MarianneInmarsilia]

Really lovely home sweet home ❤

[@brokgrl85]

Great job in bringing the home back to life, Chris! I wish they spent more time in his garden - it looked magnificent! Also how much work was it to lift the ceilings? I'm interested in doing the same in my 1950 Garrison colonial.

[@orbitalsatellite]

Certainly eclectic if eclectic means just having the things you love, or which seem appropriate to any given environment. And may I say... What a fricken cutie-pie. 🥰

[@michellejolly7325]

Certainly a very homely home… ❤

[@shellymusgrove3328]

The pillows in your outside screened area are amazing and colorful… source? Thank you for the tour 😊

[@poetryqn]

He mentioned the Chelsea flea market and I got teary.

[@hmparentlll]

Oscar….how? why? from? Love your home …. very peaceful warm & inviting!!!

[@Rose-e6m7h]

So beautiful home👌👍.!!! Thank you🙏♥️

[@ivanviolet]

I love absolutely everything, and you are so cute I can’t stand it!😁

[@great-garden-watch]

Omg I have a 20s pond boat. Need to re rig it

[@karenstanislaw8912]

Wonderful instincts, good taste, wit ---- dynamite home.

[@cristaylor5952]

Delightful !!!!

[@antonijadragoje4910]

Lovely, thank yoy❤️🇭🇷

[@marilynrybak9154]

Lovely.

[@tiffanycurtis4794]

When homeworthy home owners have doggies I swoon but now I’m swooning all over the chickadees🤣🩶🤣

[@stevefranks1711]

Terrific home, terrific host and tour. (Is that a real Oscar in the front hall? If so, what's the story about it?)

[@michaeljunak-q2d]

Love it...

[@user-he3ek3cs4z]

its so great you didn't open up walls! I wonder if there was anything left in house that you reused in rooms, finds in walls? Also what was original owners job?

[@tormodtingstad654]

I’m moving in, Chris. I have a dog too. You will love him.

[@michelemcintosh7340]

Beautiful home. I suggest you change the sizes of the pillows on the brown velvet couch. Perhaps remove two of the current pillows and introduce bolsters or rectangle pillows?

[@Kari-m8o]

Beautiful home. Noticed the Oscar but never said where it was from.

[@bifeldman]

Amusing.

[@curatedstyle8645]

LOVE

[@lornamarie5544]

I like the entryway the rest of the interior styling needs a bit of work and finessing but the property and grounds are nice with all that great character.

[@mattwas2896]

cool house i have a picture of a witch trail in my bedroom …Lewis and Clark in my living room and William Penn and the native american in my office …. i get one every year for my birthday from my parents… next year is a valley forge picture

[@terry3596]

Can you tell us what the trees are around the pool?

[@loom1c]

Where did you get the 1:18 scale model of the Land Rover?

[@victorianantiquities]

Great house ! It looks more period, yet refined farmhouse, rather than some suburban take on Farmhouse chic. Your desk and bookcase are not 'Eastlake" but rather Aesthetic Movement. The ebonized furniture of the Aesthetic Movement was a more sophisticated style as opposed to the mass produced eastlake furniture. Aesthetic Movement furniture was largely overlooked by collectors for years. Pieces make during this period , especially pieces by Kimbel and Cabus are rising in value. You will often see these pieces paired with faux Bamboo pieces like your armoire in the bedroom. You put a lot of thought into that house..

[@ApricusInaros]

What style and era is the bed from? Strangely enough he did not talk about the most important piece of furniture in a bedroom, the bed.

[@joshrittenberry1096]

What’s the story on the conspicuously-placed Oscar in the entryway?

[@susannegiesen2114]

Maybe everybody should have canarys, but only if they are allowed to fly in the room/house. I hope he lets them. These are birds 🍀.

[@hortagent5687]

Why, so they can deposit little packets of treasure on everything? That's what used to happen every time my aunt used to let her parakeet out The designer didn't grab them out of the wild. They were born to exist as pets and if not for that, they would not be alive at all. And, they are not exactly being kept in a shoe box and tortured. That's a giant cage.

[@inolagranville7832]

His house on the outside and the grounds are spectacular but his decorating inside leaves much to be desired. I don’t like it, but the good thing is I don’t have to live there and I’m glad he’s happy.

[@S.L.S-407]

I find it strange that you are showing us some of the most beautiful homes and you are not using 4K ? WHY NOT ?

[@artvek]

дякую !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! )))))))))))))))))))))

[@stephenfermoyle4578]

ok then!

[@jamesparciak9765]

Hi. Is there any chance someone could get back to me... the plates he showed us from the cabinet what are they ?

[@ApricusInaros]

The light yellow and green give the rooms a sickly glarish color which I perceive as unflattering for any space. It's like when the heat is trapped under a cloud cover, and the sky has this sickly yellow color before a thunderstorm hits. Homeworthy, I would suggest to not have such a lengthy intro before the actual house tour begins. Let the person give details about their life, job, interests and background during the tour. Also maybe interject when the person is not giving details when they could be interesting. Like in this video the marble statue in the entrance. What does this statue depict? Why not give the basic details, when this is supposed to be a focal point and a design piece disrupting the Victorian interior style. Would have been nice to know, whereas propably not many people care to have an explanation about historic framed maps mounted on a wall. And why does he not talk about the bed (arguably the most important furniture piece in a bedroom), which looks like it could be chinoiserie style? Again, why does the HW person not interject, but instead we get infos about green pillows?

[@zenaidagonzalez6343]

I agree with the designer about the weirdness of the three portraits. Why are some of these interior designers buying these portraits of people they don't even know and putting them on their walls 😮.

[@canedisabled3696]

Maybe they just enjoy them😊

[@providetriggersforevolutio3748]

Maybe it’s the energy of the portraits that speaks to them. There is evidently a connection of sorts!

[@loripowell7654]

I suppose you only have Walmart pictures in your house so you will be accepted by the generic people in your life

[@loripowell7654]

Wonderful home & charming host. He has a great love for animals & enjoys all the comforts his home has to offer! Thanks for sharing your home with us!

[@MERIDETH-u8r]

you did so well not going over the top Victorian by having a few newer items as well.

[@billtaylor9679]

Chris, I love pillows and I guess you do too. But, if you have to remove many pilllows from a couch in order to sit down, something is wrong! Too many pillows!

[@jet7865]

I love your husband too 😂

[@alisonjones3057]

I really hate to see birds in cages 😢

[@hortagent5687]

He didn't collect them from the wild. They exist to be pets and they are not exactly in a shoe box. You can't miss what you never knew.

[@ArtHistoryProfessor]

There is far too much going on in this space. It's neither my style nor design aesthetic, but to each their own. As long as he likes it, that's all that matters.

[@gregpendrey6711]

Hope you feel better getting it off your chest. Ironically, no one cares what you think. There's a reason the comments aren't all like yours. Polite society. Oh, now is your chance to tell everyone your IQ. All in good fun 😎.

[@rachelburge2338]

Agree!!

[@jenniferfitzgerald1796]

Agreed would give me anxiety

[@christineaufmann6414]

There isn’t too much going on because it’s his space and he made it that way.

[@danielshinkle6686]

Then you would hate my place. Makes his look bare. 😁

[@rickdejean4649]

“We”?

[@queencleo8308]

More showing and less talking in one space, lasted ten minutes

[@reillykat]

Too many things in the house. I hate that so many of these old homes are being treated like gigantic curio cabinets. They were more authentic when they had space for living, even with the dreaded drop ceilings and can lights. By the way, Brookhaven Hamlet is not Bellport; two different towns.

[@miriam796]

Disgusted by the caged birds.

[@jenniferfitzgerald1796]

There’s way too much going on, just looks like a bunch of stuff jammed together, no sense of era, style. Just stuff crammed together. Nothing is carefully curated and placed. Just looks like a hoarders house.

[@bobolpatrick3789]

un peu trop américain pour moi

[@dddddadadad1796]

Why does he look so sweaty and disheveled?

[@amandab.recondwith8006]

Chris would be a hoot to meet for lunch and have a couple cocktails!

[@amandab.recondwith8006]

He's fabulously rich because his mother is named Mercedes Benz!