EYE FOR DESIGN

Cynthia McCullough has been captivated by interiors for as long as she can remember. Whether moving furniture around her pink gingham childhood bedroom, scouring antique stores, visiting historical societies, or fixating on the miniature floor plans through the windows of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Thorne Rooms, she has spent life firmly immersed in the art of interior design.

Following graduate school, McCullough pioneered a luxury furniture and home accessories store in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood. There she cultivated an international Rolodex of vendors, collectors, tradesmen, and artisans. It is also where she met her husband Michael, who wandered in looking for a wedding gift. Soon after their own wedding, McCullough decided to sell the successful retail store, opting to focus on growing her family and her namesake residential design firm—which just celebrated its 14th year. Looking for a greater sense of community for their sons, they moved their family to Lake Forest in 2014 and since then McCullough has been happily sharing her creative talent along the North Shore’s leafy coastline.

Known for multi-layered interiors, her rooms are unique, intimate, and warm spaces—transcending both time and trend with little expiration date.

“My clients expect a thoughtful, bespoke interior to serve as a beautiful, enduring, and functional backdrop to their lives,” says McCullough, a featured designer in the Infant Welfare Society’s Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens, taking place from May 6 through June 4. “I try to overdeliver a design that communicates their interests, personal histories, hobbies, and dreams.”

Historic homes are her favorite projects to work on. “I am a sentimental old soul and I love hand-made materials, patina, and imperfections,” she says. “I love the story an old house shares and the new chapters my clients will add.”

Much like a puzzle, older homes require a unique retrofitting—not a one-size-fits-all approach—which intrigues her. “Frequently, historic homes have had multiple owners, all of whom had different aesthetics, tastes, lifestyles, and technologies available at the times of their renovations,” she says.

After assessing a project, McCullough draws out the architectural integrity of the house while balancing components of an updated, modern look and feel that works best for the individual or family’s lifestyle.

She specializes in curating rooms with vintage furniture from various eras. “I’m thrilled when I have a client with heirloom furnishings— legacy pieces from their childhood or grandparents’ homes,” she says. For McCullough, well-made furniture endures and it often acts as a touchstone for the people and places living on in our memories. “I know my grandmother would love that our family sits at her table every holiday or that my sons can feel connected to their grandfather while doing homework at his childhood desk.”

McCullough explains to her clients that investing time and treasure in their interiors creates memories. “Our homes are spaces where we live, work, rest, entertain, learn, and share ourselves with the most precious people in our lives,” she says. “Your home should tell your story to everyone who visits—it’s a living diary.”

For more information about Cynthia McCullough Interiors, visit cynthiamcculloughinteriors.com or call 773-294-9111.