Weekend Roundup: The 2017 Lake Forest Showhouse Opens

The annual Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens, which benefits the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago, is always one of the area’s best displays of beautiful design each year, but the 2017 event is particularly special. This year’s Lake Forest Showhouse, which opened this weekend, has a Haute pedigree. The site of the showhouse is a historic property designed by Howard Van Doren Shaw–best-known for his mention in the pages of The Great Gatsby as the architect-of-record behind Daisy Buchanan’s Lake Forest home.

Once a summer residence for a prominent lawyer, the five bedroom, five-and-a-half bath estate has been extravagantly reimagined from top-to-bottom by some of the area’s most talented designers and landscapers, including Fredman Design Group, Michael del Piero, Amy Kartheiser, and Claire Staszak of Centered by Design, as well as this year’s honorary chairs, Alessandra Branca and Mark D.Sikes.

The property and its two-acre grounds offer a wealth of inspiration for design-lovers and–good news!–if you truly fall in love with the space, it can be yours. It’s currently on the market for just under $4 million. Most of the furnishings and decor are for sale, as well.

Here’s a sneak peek at the showhouse, which opened this weekend.

The Butler’s Pantry, by Amy Kartheiser Design (Werner Straube Photography).

The den, by Lichten Craig Architects & Interiors (Werner Straube Photography)

A girls bedroom, by Olive Juice Interiors (Bernadetta Photography)

The kitchen, by M+M Design Consultants (Anthony Tahlier Photography)

A corner of the living room by Michael Del Piero of Good Design (Janet Mesic-Mackie Photography).

The Lake Forest Showhouse runs through May 21st. Tickets to the event are $37 and benefit the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago.