CLUBBING: A DELICATE BALANCE

The historic Exmoor Country Club gets a fresh, tradition-worthy makeover.

It’s easy to be radical, to toss away the playbook, to rip things up and start over. It’s something else to make your mark while exercising restraint, to read the room, so to speak, and respond with unalloyed originality. When designers James Dolenc and Tom Riker of Chicago’s James Thomas were tapped to refresh the historic Exmoor Country Club in Highland Park, they treated this beloved, 129-year-old gathering place with a sophistication born of wide experience and a deep appreciation for the important and comforting role the club plays in the lives of its members. Founded in 1896, the third golf club established in Illinois, in 1915, Exmoor welcomed the now-renowned Scottish-American designer Donald Ross to enhance its course. Since 1903, the club has hosted 18 national and professional tournaments. Three of its members (H. Chandler Egan, S. Davison Herron, and Chick Evans) won the U.S. Amateur Championship and five (H. Chandler Egan along with Clement Smoot, Ben Cummins, Nat Moore, and Walter Egan) were medal-winning Olympians.

Whether sitting down to enjoy a single malt in the bar or celebrating a special occasion with family in the dining room, clubhouse life is infused with a sense of heritage and palpable, home-away-from-home familiarity and the spaces at Exmoor have always projected a blend of gravitas and comfort, coziness and formality. Dolenc and Riker drew from this essential quality to give these interiors a timeless but far from dated appearance.

“Each space presented its own set of challenges,” shares Dolenc. “The Chandler Eagan Café—formerly the family grill—was dark and awkwardly laid out, which left it largely underutilized. There was a clear opportunity to create a vibrant, casual spot for snacks, lunches, card games, and informal gatherings. It was one of our favorite places to take a creative risk. We limited ourselves to a strict green-and-white color palette, one inspired by historic sporting clubs on the East Coast and in England. That restraint gave the room a bold, cohesive identity.”

Dolenc and Riker also executed a thorough and utterly engaging reworking of the club’s existing bar. “The former lounge area, now the 1896 Room, felt too small and heavy in tone,” notes Dolenc. “With the creation of the new, expansive bar in the transformed dining room, this space was reimagined as a clubbier, more intimate destination for formal dining.”

One of the biggest changes can be seen in what was previously the main grill. “That space felt like a dated, airport restaurant, rather than a central hub within a prestigious club,” relates Dolenc. “There was very little connection to Exmoor’s history, either aesthetically or functionally, so we completely rethought the layout, tone, and experience.” Newly christened The Heritage Room, the space features a handsome, expansive bar accented with charming table lamps; a cozy lounge area with pedestal tables and bespoke wing chairs; and a constellation of custom sapphire-upholstered sofas clustered near the fireplace. “We intentionally stepped away from formal dining tables in favor of flexible seating groupings that encourage conversation, connection, and a more relaxed elegance,” says Riker. “The result is a room that swings beautifully from daytime gathering to evening cocktails.”

Throughout the club, Dolenc and Riker deployed lighting in strategic ways to set a mood, enhance the details of a room, and create a welcoming ambience. “Lighting is one of the most important elements of any space—it truly makes or breaks the atmosphere,” says Dolenc. “From the outset, we committed to minimizing recessed lighting and instead focused on decorative fixtures to provide general illumination. We layered in pendants, chandeliers, and sconces to create a warm, ambient glow. One of our favorite design moments was the addition of adjustable LED table lamps at each dining table. Not only are they charming and intimate, but they also create pools of light that highlight fabrics and finishes in a way no overhead fixture can.”

With so many dynamically appealing spaces within the wonderfully revitalized clubhouse, it must be difficult sometimes for members to decide where they wish to settle after a swim or a game of golf. The 1896 Room, with its enveloping banquette and walls upholstered in plaid wool? Or perhaps The Heritage Room, where generous proportions and the thoughtful disposition of furniture put one in mind of a manor house salon, minus the genteel neglect. “Our travels abroad exposed us to spaces that embrace tradition while still feeling layered, vibrant, and alive,” observes Dolenc. “We also looked to the work of Dorothy Draper and Carleton Varney, whose fearless use of color and pattern has always resonated with us. Their joyfully maximalist approach reminded us that timeless design can also be expressive. And that’s something we wanted to bring to Exmoor in a fresh, personal way.”

Helping realize this vision were project architect Witmer & Associates and general contractor Altounian Construction. Their expertise and collaborative spirit played an essential role in bringing the updated clubhouse to life.