Mark D. Sikes will serve as honorary chair for the 2017 Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens, which is transforming an estate designed by architect Howard Van Doren Shaw (the notable architect was called out in The Great Gatsby as designer of one of the main characters’ homes). Opening April 29, the showhouse is also serving as a homecoming of sorts for Sikes, who grew up in Decatur, Illinois.
Among the Historic Preservation Award–winning home’s features are bluestone patios, fountains and a large fire pit. It has five bedrooms, five and a half baths, and a five-room coach house with kitchen. It was originally built in 1922 as a summer residence for a prominent lawyer named J.O. Hinkley.
Over 30 area designers and architects will start reimagining the property in February, redesigning the majority of the rooms in both the main house and coach house, as well as multiple garden/outdoor areas.
The showhouse will run from April 27 until May 21, 2017, and will benefit the Infant Welfare Society, which provides services to children, women and men in Chicago. Sikes will be on hand to share his design insights and his new tome, Beautiful: All-American Decorating and Timeless Style, during an April 30 lecture.
