The Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens, opened Saturday, offering a sublime showcase of the transformation of almost 50 interior and exterior spaces, each with its own designer, in a salute to pure artistic vision.
According to Wendy Franzen, president of the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago, Lake Forest Chapter, this 20th anniversary Showhouse represents a massive collaboration of generosity and talent by designers, volunteers, and community partners.
“The draw of the Lake Forest Showhouse and Gardens is an invitation to walk through a fantasy world, to experience the colors, the textures and the creativity of interior designers and landscape architects, unencumbered by a client,” Franzen said.
The 2025 Showhouse, Pembroke Lodge, is a limestone Georgian-style Lake Forest home, designed in 1895 by Henry Ives Cobb, historically significant as one of the earliest estates developed along Lake Forest’s Green Bay Road. Originally built on nearly 40 acres with landscape architecture by Frederick Law Olmsted, the home was designed to take advantage of sunsets over the prairie landscape, according to a press release.
“This year’s Showhouse is grandiose for us in many ways, to bring back this storied country estate to its rightful elegance, after literally taking the 15,000-square-foot house down to the studs, and in spite of a couple of indelicate past renovations,” Franzen said.
Pembroke Lodge was originally built for real estate and zinc mining entrepreneur David Benton Jones and remained in the family for 67 years. After David’s death, his daughter, philanthropist Gwethalyn Jones, sold over 31 acres to School District 67, where the City of Lake Forest’s Deer Path Middle School now resides. In 1935, the 30-room estate saw the addition of a tennis court with a warming hut and a pool house and pool designed by David Adler with interiors revised by both Adler and his sister, famed interior designer Frances Elkins, according to the history of the property provided at the event.
“Creating the experience of walking through the space, to get a taste of what each designer is trying to say to you, is a magical moment,” Franzen said.
The Showhouse becomes a revelation of the designer’s ability to honor and interpret the history while adding a freshness to the interpretation.
Designers like George Markoutsas, CEO, Ablaze Design Group in Highland Park, and his multisensory and nature-textured kitchen, reimagined with elements of Biophilic design, an air purification system, concealed appliances, and light fixtures that mimic the body’s natural circadian rhythm.
Or Chicago designer, Lauren Collander, and her transformation of the first floor hall and stairwell, provides something akin to a walk through a Parisian garden, with a custom sapphire stair runner, a wallcovering glittering with hand embroidery, and a bourbon bar for entertaining.
Opening day Showhouse tours provided by Infant Welfare Society members, all part of The Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens, opening on Saturday, April 26, 2025. (Gina Grillo/ for the Pioneer Press)
Visitors also have direct access to buy beautiful products they find within each room, Franzen says, offering a shopping connection that further elevates the experience of great design.
“This year is proving to be a huge year for us, with our pre-registration numbers at an all-time high, we hope to raise a million dollars this year,” Franzen said.
Franzen says, all proceeds from the home benefit The Infant Welfare Society of Chicago. Founded in 1911, the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago provides community-based health care to underserved Chicago area families through its Logan Square (Chicago) clinic.
Dana Palmer of Glenview attended opening day, Saturday.
“It’s beyond satisfying to experience such a variety of design styles, and to see how they come together to create such an intimate experience, it’s just breathtaking,” Palmer said
Overlooking the pool house and pool designed by David Adler all part of the Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens, which opened Saturday, April 26, 2025, at Pembroke Lodge, offering a sublime showcase of the transformation of almost 50 interior and exterior spaces, each with its own designer, in a salute to pure artistic vision. (Gina Grillo/ for the Pioneer Press)
Elizabeth Foran of Lake Forest attended with friends.
“Each room has its own character and offers a unique nod to the history of the house, truly a feast for the senses,” Foran said.
Gina Grillo is a freelancer for Pioneer Press.
