The creativity of dozens of interior designers and landscape designers will be on display at the 2025 Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens, April 26-May 25. This 20th biennial event, created by the Lake Forest Chapter of the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago, will be held at the 1895 Pembroke Lodge, which architect Henry Ives Cobb designed for entrepreneur David Benton Jones, and stayed in his family for 67 years until Robert O. Lehmann purchased it in 1962.
Susan Rolander, a board member of the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago’s Lake Forest Chapter, is one of the six Showhouse chairs.
“It’s our premier event and it’s really an honor to be asked to lead the charge on it,” said Rolander, who is an architect. “And this house is one of the best houses we’ve ever done.”
Rolander is responsible for the designers and the designer sales.
“We have 47 designers, and that includes landscape designers,” Rolander said. “From the minute you go through the gate on Green Bay Road all the way to the end of the tour, it’s going to be amazing. The lengths that some of the designers have gone to is incredible.” All of the designers are volunteering their talent to each decorate a room or space in the house or outdoors.
“The designers are very happy to be a part of it and they understand what it’s all for,” Rolander explained. They are aware that all of the funds raised are donated to the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago Clinic, which serves families in need with healthcare services, education, and support. Services include pediatric health, adult health, pediatric and family dentistry, prenatal care, care coordination, primary care, short-term and long-term behavioral health therapy, and speech therapy.
Participation also benefits the designers, though, because they get exposure for their work. “Last year, we had 8,000 people come through,” Rolander reported. She noted that early sales indicate that there will be even more people attending this year.
In addition, “All the designers’ things in their room are for sale,” Rolander said. The Infant Welfare Society of Chicago receives 15 % of the proceeds from the sale of those items.
Eighty-five volunteers are working on this project.
Kurt Roesner was first hired as house manager in 2005 and has held that job at most of the Showhouses, moving into each house for four months to make sure that everything runs smoothly as the home is prepared for the Showcase.
Roesner said that his job involves “Making sure that everybody is getting what they need. I open up the house in the morning for the workers, turn on the lights, close the house in the evening and make sure people are out.”
Roesner said that it’s an exciting job for him because he likes interior design and landscaping. “You see it from the beginning and then you take it all the way through to the very end,” he said. “The designers are so wonderful because they are so giving of their time.”
Roesner admitted that when he first took on this job, “It was a little scary. They’re really large homes. You walk around at night and you’re there by yourself.”
Once the house is open to visitors and everyone is gone for the day, “You can walk around and look at everything and how beautiful it is. It feels like it’s your house,” he said. “You can enjoy it and not have to pay the bill.”
Chrissy Davis is the co-president of the auxiliary of Infant Welfare Family Health and is on the board of directors of Infant Welfare Society of Chicago. As part of the sponsorship committee, she has been involved in raising cash and in-kind sponsorships for the Showhouse.
“The Clinic really depends on the Showhouse for a lot of its funding for operational costs, for special projects, for any type of initiative,” Davis said. “For example, the last Showhouse we were able to start a food pantry, providing fresh food and staple items for Clinic families.”
Davis reported that “In 2023, our net proceeds to the Clinic were over a half million dollars. This year, I expect it to be even higher because of the partnerships we’ve created.”
Tickets to view the Showhouse are $50, in advance only, for a specific day and time.
There is also a Preview Party from 6-10 p.m. on April 25, which includes fine cuisine, craft cocktails, and music.
Benefactor tickets to the Preview Party are $5,000 and include six preview tickets and three valet parking passes. Patron tickets are $2,500 and include four preview tickets and two valet parking passes. Donor tickets are $1,500 and include two preview tickets and one valet parking pass. Friend tickets are $325 and include one preview ticket.
There’s also an Honorary Chair Luncheon, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., April 28, featuring keynote speaker interior designer Mary McDonald, bites from Space 519, an advance copy of “Glorious Gardens: Private Edens of the World’s Leading Interior Designers,” and a tour of the Showhouse. Tickets are $160.
For reservations to the Showhouse and related events, visit lakeforestshowhouse.com.
Myrna Petlicki is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
