A STUDY IN EXCEPTIONALISM

Interior designer Deb Lund transformed a late 20th-century Highland Park home into an art-forward space with bold furnishings that exude elegance and style.

84 Media Room — Media room (aka “The Lund Center”)

Curated. Timeless. Inimitable. In this Highland Park residence, bold artwork and statement furnishings define a home that is as extraordinary as it is livable. Intimate spaces for everyday life exist in quiet balance with rooms designed to entertain—each element expressing a distinct sense of personality and style. That was interior designer Deb Lund’s vision for a late 20th-century home she reinvented for empty nesters with a vast art collection, two dogs, and a close-knit family of grown children. Through an interplay of vibrant color, sculptural lines, and practical yet chic textiles, the interiors achieve a sense of effortless sophistication, where luxury and ease coexist seamlessly.

“When we began the project, one of my goals was to take my clients’ spacious and architecturally striking home and design it to be equally appropriate for the two of them as it was for entertaining their family and friends,” says Lund, a former Highland Park resident and principal of Chicago-based Deborah Lund Interiors. The result is a resplendent home for the couple that lends itself to spending quiet evenings at home as well as hosting lively holiday gatherings and elegant cocktail parties.

The relationship began not with design, but with a shared love of dogs. After Lund welcomed her first English cream golden retriever, the client visited her home to meet the new puppy. During that visit, the client experienced Lund’s approach to interiors firsthand, and when the time was right, the clients hired Lund to redesign their home. From the outset, art played a central role in the project. Drawing on her extensive knowledge of art and more than three decades of design experience, Lund assumed a curatorial role. Expansive walls acted as canvases for an eclectic mix of 20th- and 21st-century works, transforming the residence into both a meaningful art gallery and a deeply personal home that reflects the couple’s years of traveling and collecting.

“Together, we expanded their collection. I introduced them to artists and mediums they had not yet encountered. These new acquisitions complement and elevate the existing pieces while bringing a new perspective.”

That same curatorial eye informed the selection of furnishings and finishes, where achieving balance between the bold architectural framework and the furnishings was key. Each piece was chosen to neither compete nor disappear. In the grand foyer, the pair of custom stair runners echoes the space’s symmetry while introducing their own playful individuality; an ombré pattern in shades of amethyst ensures that each step is subtly different, creating a nuanced rhythm that both complements and enlivens the architecture.

The interplay between cohesion and contrast continues in the media room—affectionately renamed “The Lund Center” by the clients—where a custom sectional anchors the space. Upholstered in a rich plum tweed by Pierre Frey, with seat cushions in a performance fabric by Holly Hunt and back cushions in a mix of textiles by Dedar, the piece exemplifies Lund’s nuanced approach to layering texture, color, and durability within a single composition.

When the clients shared an image of a ceiling fixture they loved for the dining room, Lund brought the vision to life by customizing the design and tailoring its scale and materials to create a dramatic focal point. This meticulous level of detail carried over to every other design choice, resulting in what Lund calls a “symphony” of light, color, texture, and functionality working in perfect harmony.

For Lund, the project represents a successful collaboration between client and designer to create a unified whole from the architecture, interiors, and artwork. The result is more than a refined aesthetic achievement; it is a reflection of the clients’ identity and the way they live. This home stands as a testament to Lund’s belief that the most successful interiors are not merely beautiful but are also meaningful; spaces that evolve with their inhabitants and tell a story uniquely their own.