TOAST OF THE TOWN

You may have seen them around town, she with her signature silver-blonde coif and stylish couture, and he with a dry wit and genteel nature that many North Shore women would reportedly love to clone.

They are the first to raise their hand to support a local arts organization, first in line to RSVP for the next black tie gala—a regular pair of bon vivants who famously hold court at The Deerpath Inn pub, splitting a burger with cocktails while mesmerizing their circle of friends with the anecdote du jour.

They are both also highly accomplished in their respective fields, each with their own local claim to fame. She’s the interior design diva who’s worked on over 75 high-profile showhouses around the country, including this year’s Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens (remember that amazing East Cottage kitchen?). He’s the charmer who will remember your name even after one meeting.

And in the more than two decades since they made Lake Forest their home—beyond their reputation as the life of every party—somehow Lori Lennon and Donald “Don” Lynch have touched our community in profound and lasting ways. But who is this “it” couple, and what is their story? We spent some time with Lennon and Lynch in recent weeks to find out just that, and also get to the bottom of the question every person who’s ever met them is dying to ask—where do they get all that energy?

“I truly believe that if we are magnetic and social, it’s only because of our friends,” says Lennon, a renowned interior designer who has worked on projects around the world, from Greece and Holland to Indonesia and Mexico. “We have the most wonderful friends that are truly special, many of them much younger than us. Don and I are very blessed that they give us the inspiration to keep up and their love back to us gives way too much energy.”

Their laughter and affection for one another is almost contagious, as is their passion for life.

“Don is an amazing man. I’ve never met anyone that everyone loves,” she gushes, then quips. “Everywhere we go, we are welcome because of him. I guess I’m OK too.”

The daughter of Polish immigrants, Lennon was a child of humble beginnings who even at a young age, found ways to make the world around her more beautiful. A very “average” family living room in her family’s south side Chicago home was transformed with young Lori’s dolls and stuffed toys. As she got to grade school, her first “decorative accessories” were found at a neighborhood novelty store.

“I would purchase inexpensive lamps and pillows for my bedroom. I also painted a mural on my bedroom wall,” explains Lennon, adding that she couldn’t wait to get tall enough to reach the treadle on her mother’s old sewing machine so she could begin making simple window treatments. “I also talked my dad into changing fabric on our dining room chair seats, even though I had never done it before!”

This blossoming young interior designer soaked in every aesthetic detail she encountered, especially the interior architecture of her beloved St. John Cantius church. “As I grew older, I walked many other blocks in the neighborhood to explore the exterior architecture of homes I loved. In the evening, while Dad was driving, I loved seeing the lighted interiors of rooms,” she says. “Through high school, I studied fashion design and sewing. I made frequent visits to Marshall Fields to visit the furniture department—mostly the interior design center to see what was new in furniture and antiques.”

After high school, Lennon continued her studies at Ray Vogue Art School’s Ray College of Design and took additional courses in fundamentals of architecture and design. She soon became a professional member of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and embarked on a career specializing in interior architecture, lighting, residential interiors, and commercial design.

By the time she made a fateful trip to an ASID conference in 1981—a sojourn that would put her right in the path of dashing fellow design professional Don Lynch—Lennon was an established interior designer with an impressive roster of clients and ASID showhouses under her belt. She was also a mother, raising a 10-year-old son while running her own business.

“Rosemary, a dear friend who was also an ASID interior designer who lived there, encouraged me to work on the conference activities. Opening night was held at a stunning 1920s mansion high up on a hill overlooking the city of St. Louis. The theme was roaring twenties … I recall it so well. The mansion was architecturally beautiful, both outside and inside,” she muses. “It was a gorgeous summer evening and Rosemary introduced me to Don, among others. We talked a little bit and now we both realized it was probably love at first sight. Of course, I also look pretty cute in my flapper outfit.”

The seeds of a great romance were planted and Lynch was not going to let this one get away.

An expert at hiring contract designers for office systems projects and corporate office design, the St. Louis native found reasons to make the trip to the Chicago area—always making sure to give Lennon a call. The dates were the stuff of rom coms. And by 1983, the couple was married and began their lives together, Lynch enthusiastically taking on the role of stepfather to Lennon’s son, James.

They settled down at first in Deerfield, each building their respective businesses. But something about Lake Forest kept calling their name.

“I just loved the town. I had several clients here,” explains Lennon, who has over the years served in a variety of leadership positions at ASID, including president of the Illinois Chapter. She also has the distinction of chairing showhouses around the country for more than two decades, sometimes up to three at a time, including several in Lake Forest. “Every time I came here, I loved driving around and looking at the architecture, especially the beautiful mansions. In doing showhouses, we did many mansions and several David Adler houses.”

That said, both were worried that the dream of building a home here was too aspirational. Even their realtor told them it was too expensive.

“We did have concerns about the cost, but we drove around Lake Forest and saw Conway Farms had three lots left,” she confesses.

“I fell in love with the lot we purchased without knowing the costs to build,” Lynch chimes in, agreeing, of course.

“Lori always said she wanted to design her own home, I said ‘you better design it’,” he says. “She did design our house here and we got an architect to sign off on it.”

“We found the perfect architect to draw my vision and the perfect builder that met our budget,” adds Lennon.

That was 24 years ago, just long enough for Lake Forest’s “it couple” to establish ties that last a lifetime.

“We love it here. We are very blessed and support as many charities as possible,” Lennon says, citing that in addition to being a member of the Lincoln Presidential Foundation board in Springfield, she and Don support a long list of organizations that includes Citadel Theatre, Mother’s Trust Foundation, Glasa Charities, Equestrian Connection, Catholic Charities, Lake Forest Open Lands Association, and dozens more local and national nonprofits.

They’ve also made friends in every corner of the community, including local philanthropists (and artists extraordinaire) Adrian and Nancy Smith.

Lennon says the Smiths (who also famously support Citadel Theatre) took note of an architectural feature she added to a room in a recent showhouse. The historic home had been designed by David Adler, the same architect that designed another home the Smiths were restoring.

“The Adler showhouse’s primary bedroom had no molding. Nothing,” she adds, explaining that she drew up plans added molding in the same style as David Adler to give the room more architectural flair. “I can tell you that was probably my best room. I introduced an interesting shade of the greenest blue but the draperies had to be a match to it to bring out the color. I added a cast glass fireplace in that room. I took custom-made, cast blocks and created the mantel. It was just beautiful.”

The Smiths hired her to replicate that room in their own Summerfield home and before long, Lennon was taking classes at their art school at the Adler estate.

“Nancy suggested I take the class. She said ‘I know you can draw!’ so she paid for my first lesson,” says Lennon. “And you know what? I can draw, and paint very well. I’m so grateful to Nancy.”

That love of art carries over to the Lake Forest home she shares with Don, which has not only become a sanctuary for the couple but a bridge for generations and stories that are constantly evolving.

“In our entrance hall, we covered the walls ceiling to floor with a custom-painted mural. It depicts scenes from our family,” Lennon explains, “Our son is a Leo and because of his importance, we have a very large lion painted and numbers of other subtle family-related symbols added with the background of a beautiful outdoor scenery.”

The artist painted the mural on canvas so it can be removed and saved if the house were sold. However, that doesn’t appear to be happening anytime soon. This power couple isn’t even close to losing steam. In fact, every day they’re out on the town looking for that next fabulous cause to support—that next great conversation.

“Every available Friday night we always have dinner at the bar,” says Lennon, adding that in addition to their long-time favorites of The Deerpath Inn, Froggy’s, and Inovasi, the couple’s new obsession is the stunning Le Colonial in Market Square. “In a number of instances, someone will see us at the bar and say hello and what a wonderful time they had meeting us in the past. Then we meet more people and create new moments.”

When asked if there was anything this ever-expanding social circle might be surprised to know about either of them, the initial response was going to be a hard “no.” Then Lennon remembered that made Lynch smile. She has a nickname, one that dates back decades to the time she was getting a passport.

“I had to go downtown to pick up a copy of my birth certificate,” she says, explaining it was taking longer than it should have. “The woman came out and said, ‘why didn’t you tell me your name was Florence and changed to Lorraine?’”

Lennon had no idea but thought it was amusing, so much so that a fellow designer friend began jokingly calling her “Flo.” The second that Lynch heard that nickname, it stuck.

“When we’re out in an open public space and I’m a distance away, he shouts “Flo!” and I hear that and everybody turns around,” she laughs.

“I shouldn’t do that,” he says, also laughing.

“It’s cute,” she adds. “I call him Donnie. Our friends held a surprise party to celebrate us once and we got little bobblehead lookalikes. We’re dancing and there’s Don and me, and I look at that on our kitchen counter now and say ‘there’s Donnie’.”

The social magnetism is real, as is their love for each other and life in general. Just ask their entourage.

“We’re older than most of our friends and they call us and invite us to everything. They’re amazed that we close the place,” adds Lennon. “They say ‘how can you stay up so late?’ and I just say ‘we’re having fun’.”