CHARM SCHOOL

Nationally renowned designers Timothy Whealan and Ashley Whittaker, honorary chairs of this year’s Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens, will join author Emma Bazilian on May 8 for a lecture and signing of her latest tome—Charm School: The Schumacher Guide to Traditional Decorating for Today.

From cozy canopied bedrooms to treasured personal heirlooms and antique furniture, the book dives deep into old-school interior decorating techniques that are making a comeback in a fresh, new way.

Chapters are filled with timeless spaces by designers such as Markham Roberts, Celerie Kemble, and Rita Konig, as well as looks back at the work of legendary talents like Sister Parish and Mario Buatta who continue to inspire today. Whittaker’s work is also featured, which she is expected to speak about at the lecture.

The May 8 event will also include a luncheon catered by The Lunchroom at Space 519 and a tour of the showhouse, which opens to visitors on May 6 and will be open seven days a week through June 4. Tickets to the May 8 event are $150 and include a signed copy of Charm School, with proceeds benefitting the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago. Located near one of Lake Forest Open Lands’ largest and oldest nature preserves, the nineacre estate being transformed for the Lake Forest Chapter of the Infant Welfare Society’s 2023 show house will feature more than 35 of the nation’s most prominent landscape and interior designers. The property’s red brick Georgianstyle home—designed in the late 1960s by architect William Frazier—will be reimagined inside and out.

Bringing in the co-author of Charm School for this year’s keynote lecture and luncheon is proving to be the perfect pairing. Published by Schumacher Books, a division of FSCO Media, and Monacelli, a Phaidon Company, the book is a collaboration between Bazilian, FSCO Media’s Content Director, and Art Director Stephanie Diaz. Each room featured illustrates the successful ways that today’s interior designers are melding an appreciation for the past with an eye towards the future.

“Publishing with Schumacher adds tremendous breadth to Monacelli’s existing interior design list, and we are delighted to partner with such an established and creative leader in the design space,” says Philip Ruppel, COO of Monacelli.

Timur Yumusaklar, CEO of F. Schumacher & Co., the parent company of FSCO Media, says the book is part of its commitment to inspire the design community and to champion interior designers.

Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens honorary co-chairs Whittaker and Whealan have been friends since early in their careers. They share a love of antiques and the artful mix of the high and the low. Together they have embarked on many shopping excursions filled with an abundance of laughter and fun.

Hear more about their friendship, shared passion for design, and anecdotes from their travels as they join Bazilian at the May 8 event.

Tickets for the May 8 Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens keynote lecture, luncheon, and book signing are $150, which includes a signed copy of the book. For more information about participating designers and show hours, visit lakeforestshowhouse.com.