Timeless, classic design with a high comfort quotient are the hallmarks of the 1997 Oak Park-River Forest Infant Welfare Society ASID Showcase House.
There are plenty of innovative ideas and design excitement in this remodeled English manor-style residence built in 1919 by architect Charles White at 606 W. Iowa St., Oak Park. The 16 members of the American Society of Interior Designers who have participated in this 26th anniversary showcase house, which opens Sunday and runs through Sept. 28, have balanced restrained elegance with an awareness of the casual needs of today’s lifestyles.
The walnut-paneled dining room of Jack M. Weyna of JWK Design Center in Oak Park is to be studied for exquisite placement of beautiful things to create a deeply romantic ambience. It is like sitting inside a Faberge jewel box. The oval walnut table is set for guests with gold-leaf Limoges china, Lalique candelabra, English and French crystal in ruby and cobalt jewel tones, and a centerpiece of a richly colored Japanese porcelain compote containing pale green hydrangeas. Built-in cabinets and buffets are a showcase for a collection of striking European crystal and blue and white Chinese porcelain temple jars and tall vases.
The living room, with its Andalusian ranch motif by Cheryl Janz and Mark McCauley, both of Marshall Field’s Interior Design Studio in the Oak Brook store, took its inspiration from a portrait hanging over the green-tiled fireplace. The painting shows a Spanish grandee who is smiling slightly, as if he is pleased with his retreat. Hand-tooled leather doors on a massive Ralph Lauren armoire, the warm tones of an embossed caramel-color leather sofa, the circular leather tables and chairs, and wrought-iron accents make for an unusually inviting retreat.
Jae Berni of Jae Berni Interiors in River Forest offers a superb example of how to warm up a contemporary kitchen with charm. Shaker-style, cherry-wood cabinetry, granite countertops and modern appliances in this updated area make it a functional place. To balance its formal, ascetic look, Berni added cheerful teacup-pattern cafe curtains with antique-button trim, collections of antique Quimper pottery and delft plates, and cheerful sayings and painted vignettes on the walls by artist Mary Jo O’Hearn of Elmwood Park.
Also highly commendable is what Janet Debits of J R Interiors of Oak Park did to solve the problem of a very long second-floor landing and hallway with a series of dark mahogany doors. (Debits also did the foyer, entry area and staircase.) First, she papered the walls and ceiling with 100 rolls of dramatically patterned reproduction William Morris wallpaper and friezes by Bradbury and Bradbury. The papers’ palette of muted greens, putty, deep red and gold enhance the warm wooden tones of the spindled staircase and mahogany doors. Then she hung a series of outsize oil portraits of what look like noble family ancestors along the hallway and softly lighted them with a series of small chandeliers, turning the space into one of the most interesting places in the house.
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THE FACTS
The 1997 Oak Park-River Forest Infant Welfare Society ASID Showcase House
What: Tour of a house with rooms decorated by 16 members of the American Society of Interior Designers
Where: 606 W. Iowa St., Oak Park
When: Sunday through Sept. 28
Hours: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays; 7 to 9 p.m. Fridays; group tours on Mondays and Tuesdays
Admission: $15; advance tickets are available by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope and a check to Oak Park-River Forest Infant Welfare Society, in care of JoAnne Moles, 730 N. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, Ill. 60302.
Restrictions: No cameras; no children under 8, including infants; no high-heeled shoes in the house
Call: 312-467-5080.
