Show Time

Honorary Chair Ashley Whittaker

Photo courtesy of Melanie Acevedo

BY ELAINE DOREMUS THE NORTH

Take one-part classical Georgian architecture, imbue it with a 70s midcentury vibe, and give 21st century designers carte blanche to unleash their creativity. This sets the stage for what promises to be a truly memorable showcase for the 19th biennial Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens.

A major fundraising event to benefit Infant Welfare Society of Chicago, the Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens will be will be open to visitors daily from May 6 through June 4. A preview party was held on May 5, kicking off special events within the fundraiser that include an honorary co-chair designer lecture and luncheon on May 8 along with a special pop-up, The Lunchroom, on Mother’s Day weekend and on the closing weekend of the show.

“The preview party has always been a special, excitement-generating part of what we create for the Showhouse experience,” says event co-chair Kathy Allen.

For nearly 40 years, the Lake Forest Chapter of the Infant Welfare Society has worked tirelessly to produce a home to showcase the best-of-the-best in interior and landscape design. Through a commitment to creativity, quality, and professionalism, the volunteerrun Lake Forest Showhouse and Gardens has become widely recognized as one of the top showhouses in the country.

The 16-room, red brick Georgian style home at the center of this year’s event was designed by architect Walter Frazier in the late 1960s and built in 1970. After training at MIT and the L'Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Frazier became known for his refined elegance in style and an ability to combine his understanding of architectural history with emerging ideas to create unique buildings that seem timeless. In total, he designed 21 of his stylish, livable, and classic residences throughout Lake Forest and Lake Bluff.

Graciously proportioned classical buildings on this lavish estate overlook more than nine acres adjacent to one of Lake Forest Open Land’s largest and oldest nature preserves. Featured in this redesign for the Showhouse will be the 16-room main house, a seven-room coach house, “The East Cottage,” and a gentleman’s outbuilding with vaulted ceilings, “The West Cottage.” Several surrounding gardens will also be designed and reinvented.

Sondra Douglass, who joins Allen and Jennifer Durburg as a co-chair of what has become a signature fundraising event for the Lake Forest Chapter of the Infant Welfare Society, says nearly 40 interior and landscape designers were called in to reimagine the many rooms and unique spaces throughout.

“Having more spaces to design allowed us the opportunity to feature the work of more designers,” she explains.

Returning interior design firms in this year’s showhouse include Kelly Hurliman Design; Sarah Vaile Design; Alexandra Kaehler Design; Elizabeth Krueger Design; Joey Leicht Design; Cynthia McCullough Interiors; Centered by Design; Relativity Textiles; Lori Lennon & Associates; Soledad Zitzewitz Interiors; Ablaze Design Group; Nora C. Marra Interiors; Michele Frigon Design; James Thomas Interiors; Ilene Chase Design; and Randy Heller Design.

Design firms new to this year’s showhouse include House Beautiful’s 2023 Next Wave designer Evan Millard of Millard LLC; Jenny Brown Designs; Emily Sturgess Design; Studio @ Westmoreland Farm; Sally Brown Interiors; Patina Collection; Vincere Ltd.; Katy Evans Design; Elizabeth Stamos Design; Joyful Designs Studio; Anne Coyle Interiors; Maggie Getz Studio; Horn Danly Design; Interior Design Partnership; Meg Caswell Collection; Lauren Collander Interiors; and Stone Textile Studio. Landscape design firms include Chalet; Gardens in Progress; Architectural Gardens; Rosborough Partners Inc.; Don Fiore; North Shore Turf Industries; Jackson Landscaping; and Gemini Designs.

“Putting together a cohesive Showhouse is like solving a massive, gorgeous, threedimensional puzzle,” says Lake Forest chapter president Chrissy Davis—who was tasked with reviewing the long list of designers and landscapers who apply to participate, and then assigning them to individual spaces.

2023 Designers of the Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens. Photography by Katrina Wittkamp

Nationally-known NYC-based designers Ashley Whittaker and Timothy Whealon are serving as the honorary chairs of the 2023 Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens and will participate in a lecture and luncheon to take place at the showhouse on May 8. Emma Bazilian, author of Schumacher’s new book Charm School, will serve as moderator and sign books.

Whittaker is an Elle Décor A-List interior decorator who has run her design business in New York City since 2006. Described as the “neo-traditionalist,” she reveals her fresh and modern perspective on traditional design and architecture in all of her work, which is characterized by colorful, pattern-filled rooms. Her first book, The Well-Loved House: Creating Homes with Color, Comfort and Drama, was published in September 2021 by Rizzoli.

Whealon is a Sotheby’s trained Elle Décor A-List interior decorator. His work is rooted in classicism, with a modern twist and an emphasis on fine and decorative arts. His designs are enhanced by both his extensive knowledge of the international art and antiques market and by his team of skilled artists and craftsmen who create many of the custom furniture pieces found in his signature interiors. The first monograph of his work, In Pursuit of Beauty: The Interiors of Timothy Whealon, was published by Rizzoli in 2015.

In addition to the May 8 lecture and luncheon, a new special event featuring The Lunchroom at SPACE 519 in Chicago will be popping up at the Showhouse for two weekends only—Mother's Day weekend, May 12 to 14, and closing weekend, June 2 to 4. The popular Gold Coast restaurant will be setting up a cafe where guests can enjoy picnic versions of select signature salads, boxed sandwich lunches, assorted pastries, and baked goods, as well as cold drinks and wine.

Proceeds from Showhouse ticket sales; the lecture and luncheon; The Lunchroom pop-up; sponsorships; designer sales; and the volunteer-run boutique benefit the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago. Initially established in 1911 to provide fresh milk from health stations in response to high infant mortality, the nonprofit has evolved to meet the changing health needs of vulnerable families in the greater Chicago area.

Since the 1970s, the Infant Welfare Society has run IWS Family Health, a freestanding clinic in Logan Square that offers a wide array of health care services for the entire family. To date, the Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens has raised more than $5 million for The Infant Welfare Society of Chicago and IWS Family Health.

The Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens will be open to visitors seven days a week from May 6 through June 4, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets to experience the estate either in morning or afternoon time slots are available and many of the decorative items, art, and furnishings in the rooms are for sale. Tickets for the Showhouse tour and other special events can be purchased online at lakeforestshowhouse. com.