FROM LAKEFRONT TO LEGACY 

Jessica Margot Design puzzles out the pieces for a downsizing done right.

British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins once said, “The solution often turns out more beautiful than the puzzle.” That’s exactly the reaction designer Jessica Margot received when she revealed her latest project to a “rightsizing” couple.

“Huge hugs, big smiles—a very happy family,” says Margot, of Lake Forest–based Jessica Margot Design. “I was thrilled everything came together because this project was like solving a complex puzzle.”

Her clients were relocating from their beloved Winnetka lakefront home to a house with a smaller footprint—a move filled with both emotional and design challenges. “The big ask,” explains Margot, “was to recreate the look and feel of their old home as much as possible.”

To get there, Margot and her team took inventory of the clients’ extensive collections—art, furnishings, fixtures—and strategically repurposed what mattered most. Armed with spreadsheets and floor plans, they carefully retrofitted these pieces into the new space. “Everything had to feel intentional,” Margot explains. “Like it was always meant to be there.”

Among the “must-includes” was a 600-plus-pound crystal chandelier. Installing it above the foyer and second-floor landing required removing a stained-glass dome, building scaffolding, and lifting it in with a crane—an effort well worth the visual impact.

While the new home featured beautiful elements, such as a sweeping walnut neoclassical staircase with over 100 spiral-turned spindles, it felt dark and heavy due to the extensive wood paneling. “Their former home had lovely natural light and a softer, more inviting palette,” Margot notes. “We needed to mimic that brightness.”

To that end, she trimmed down the clients’ Oscar Isberian rugs to fit the new rooms, used creamy tones for the walls, ceilings, and draperies, and positioned key pieces—marble sculptures, antique furnishings, and artwork—as visual anchors.

In the living room, silvery silk wallpaper, pale draperies, light rugs, and new sofas were used to contrast with and highlight the rich millwork. Embroidered Asian silk cushions were elegantly paired with Chinese porcelain ginger jars and carved mahogany tables.

Dark bookshelves and walls in the office were painted white to lift the space, but Margot retained the ceiling’s gilded details, which accentuated the carved mahogany desk, inlaid round table, and gold-spined leather-bound books.

She continued a soft ivory palette in the adjacent powder room, featuring tone-on-tone wallpaper, a marble-topped custom vanity, and a sheer Roman shade letting in natural light.

The kitchen’s walnut millwork remained, but the space was dramatically brightened with ivory paint, updated hardware, and new lighting. “We kept the bay windows and breakfast nook—the wood tones there beautifully complement the inlaid flooring and the clients’ kitchen table,” says Margot.

In the family room, a new ivory leather sectional paved the way for an airier vibe while a white, hand-carved marble fireplace mantel—rescued from storage and now perfectly at home—became a stunning focal point.

With the addition of tone-on-tone floral wallpaper, a soft runner, and silver-painted, rose-shaped ceiling embellishments that highlight the delicate light fixture, the dining room became a warm and inviting space.

Upstairs, layers of ivory and camel were used on the drapes, sheers, and walls in the primary suite. A bench was reupholstered in cashmere mohair for extra softness. Margot also removed existing his and her closets, reconfiguring storage areas to maximize space and to accommodate the desire for an attractive, efficient display of folded garments.

The adjoining bath “is a jewel,” Margot exclaims. The original vanities and a stained-glass panel were preserved, but the coffered ceiling was painted a soft blue to match a new birds-and-vines wallpaper behind the soaking tub with a romantic Roman shade and updated hardware crowning the refresh.

In the end, Margot says, the goal wasn’t just to lighten and modernize, but to create a home rich in personal history. “They found us through an article right here in Sheridan Road magazine, and we’ve worked together ever since. With this home, we did everything we could to honor what they left behind, while giving them something entirely new to love.”

For more information, visit jessicamargot.com.