Showhouses are great opportunities for designers to strut their stuff, companies to show off their latest collections and for the public to have a chance to see the best of beautifully curated design – everything a home could be with the right hands guiding the design process. This April and May, see designers' latest creations presented at the Sotheby's 2nd-annual Designer Show House, the 8th-annual DC Design House, the Chicago Design Center at the Mart's DreamHome, the American Heart Association's Home Is Where the Heart Is Designer Show House, Atlanta Symphony Associates’ 45th-annual Decorators’ Show House & Gardens, the Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens and the Metro Designer Showhouse.

Sotheby’s second-annual Designer Show House – April 11 to 19

Thirteen interior designers and design firms will each curate a room on the fifth floor exhibition space of the Sotheby's Manhattan headquarters, ranging from a bedroom and living room to a dining room and library. After a nine day showcase, Sotheby’s will host an auction on April 20.

Left, Cullman & Kravis, rendering for the living room, 2015. Right, Eric Cohler, rendering for the family room, 2015. Courtesy of Sotheby's.

Decorative items will be chosen from the following categories by Sotheby’s: English and Continental Furniture, 20th-Century Design, Contemporary and Impressionist Prints, African and European Sculpture, Carpets, Old Master Paintings, Latin American Paintings and Ceramics and Silver.

Sotheby’s tapped the following members of the design community for the showhouse: Cullman & Kravis, Juan Carretero, Russell Piccione, Allison Caccoma, Ashley Darryl, Gaggenau, Janine MacMurray and Scott Francis, Robert Dean Harris, Leura Spielman, Trey LaFave, Eric Cohler, St. Charles of New York in collaboration with CURATED Creative Director Lindsey Schwartz, Meredith Ellis and Hanna Packer with Susan Cohen.

The exhibition will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., April 11 to 19 at 1334 York Avenue.

Eighth annual DC Design House – April 12 to May 10

This year’s DC Design House, which will benefit Children’s National Health System, is at the Artisan Builders country estate in McLean, Virginia. The Design House is dedicated to the memory of Corporate Officer and Board Member Sandy Steele.

24 design firms from Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia designed 28 spaces. Benjamin Moore is this year’s paint sponsor, and most of the decorative items in the rooms are for sale with a percentage of proceeds benefitting Children’s National Health System.

A rendering of the outside of the estate used for the DC Design House, courtesy of Artisan Builders.

The designers include Nicolette Powell and John LeMieux, Pamela Harvey, Annette Hannon, Michael Hampton, Jeff Akseizer and Jamie Brown, Lisa Tureson, Nancy Twomey, Scott Cooke, Christopher Nutter, Courtney Cox and Alex Deringer, David Benton, Lynni Megginson, Christopher Patrick, David Chin, Margery Wedderburn, Paul Lobkovich, Sarah Wessel, Iantha Carley, Nancy Colbert, Skip Sroka, Joanne Fitzgerald, Terri Pakravan and Samantha Friedman and Charles Owen.

The DC Design House will open on Sunday, April 12 from noon to 5 p.m. Regular hours are Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday and Sunday noon to 5 p.m., closed Monday. Visitors must arrive 30 minutes before closing time to take the tour and tickets are $30.

Chicago Design Center at the Mart DreamHome – Opens April 16

Located on the Merchandise Mart first floor, the Design Center at the Merchandise Mart DreamHome features six rooms designed by some of the industry’s most acclaimed interior designers, furnished exclusively by Design Center showrooms.

DreamHome benefits the organization Almost Home Kids. John Cannon and Cary Frank designed the outdoor dining room, Anne Coyle designed the dining room, Marshall Erb designed the foyer and Frank Fontana designed the bedroom. The living room and study were designed by Eva Quateman, and David Kaufman and Tom Segal, respectively.

There will be a Grand Opening celebration from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. to Thursday, April 16. Space is limited; tickets are $75 and can be purchased online. The DreamHome is presented by Design Center at the Merchandise Mart, and supported by media sponsor Modern Luxury Interiors Chicago.

Home Is Where the Heart Is Designer Show House – April 16 to May 31

The American Heart Association’s Home Is Where the Heart Is Designer Show House will take place in a classic English Regency manor house in Mill Neck, New York. It opens with a Gala Preview Cocktail Party on Thursday, April 16 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

The second year of the showhouse will feature approximately 20 interior and landscape designers, including A-List Interiors, Ashbourne, Baltimore Design Group, Beach Glass Designs, Margreet Cevasco Design and The Rinfret Group. New York Cottages & Gardens is the media sponsor of the showhouse.

The showhouse will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays, and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Gala tickets are $175, showhouse tickets are $35, or $20 when purchased in groups of 20 or more. More information can be found online.

Atlanta Symphony Associates’ 45th-annual Decorators’ Show House & Gardens – April 18 to May 10

The 45th-annual Decorators’ Show House and Gardens will take place at “Château Soleil,” a French-style estate by architectural designer William T. Baker. The event is chaired by Camille Kesler, while celebrity designer and television host Vern Yip serves as Honorary Chair.

Chateau Soleil, 4701 Northside Drive, Atlanta.

Visitors will be able to shop all things design-related in rooms designed by Chip Wade, Patricia McLean, Danielle Rollins and Bill Ingram, Michael Boyd, Melanie Turner and Kimberly Grigg, to name a few. Proceeds will benefit the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the local art community.

Opening hours are Tuesday and Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Sunday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. It is closed on Monday. Tickets are available for $30 and at select advanced ticket locations. More information can be found online.

Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens – April 25 to May 17

The Lake Forest Chapter of the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago has chosen the Lake Forest estate of the late screenwriter, director and producer John W. Hughes Jr. as the location for its 16th Biennial Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens.

Over 30 interior designers, architects and landscape designers will transform the 21-room, 11,233-square-foot home originally by architect Edwin Hill Clark, located a block away from Lake Michigan. The house features seven bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, a library, six fireplaces, four bluestone terraces, a swimming pool and a brick motor court entry spread over two acres. By the time doors open, the house will have undergone a kitchen redesign, multiple bathroom renovations and a restoration of the grounds.

The showhouse will open to the public on April 25, and hours are Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $35 online and $40 at the door. Special events, including lectures by designer Alessandra Branca and other interior design personalities, will be announced. More information can be found online.

2015 Metro Designer Showhouse – May 2 to June 28

The inaugural year of the Metro Designer Showhouse to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association’s Greater New Jersey Chapter, will be chaired by interior designer Robert Passal with ASPIRE Metro magazine as media sponsor. The showhouse will take place in loft residences at the historic, waterfront Pearl in Edgewater, New Jersey.

Instead of only a single room or space, each designer will transform and entire residence. Participating designers include Fulya Can, Sam Ciardi, Andrea Daly, Joe Ginsberg, Anna Maria Mannarino, Amy Manor, Alan Tanksley and Catherine Weinstock.

The showhouse will open with a gala preview and fundraiser on Thursday, April 30, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., and will also host the Metro Living Lecture Series. The showhouse will be open to the public Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed Mondays and Tuesdays for private events. Admission is $25 and includes a Showhouse Journal. All proceeds from the gala and admissions will benefit the Alzheimer’s Association Greater NJ Chapter. More information can be found online.