The Schweppe Mansion Gets Dressed for Christmas

Formal entrance to the Schweppe Mansion

Back of the residence overlooks Lake Michigan

Entrance Hall

Ceiling details are incredible

Ceiling in Living Room

Can you believe this ceiling in the Reception Hall?

My favorite room - the South Conservatory. Notice the beautiful leaded doors and windows.

View from one of the many terraces on the back of the residence.



Outside entrance to the Breakfast Conservatory.

Master Suite tub - Taking a bath and enjoying that view??? I'm ready!

This home is filled with incredible carvings throughout- the one above the book shelves in the library is just one example of the extraordinary craftsmanship.

Our very own little taste of Versailles in the mirrored dining room.

Almost every room has a massive fireplace.

The Schweppe Mansion in Lake Forest was built in 1917 by John Shedd as a wedding gift for his daughter Laura and her husband, Charles Schweppe.  It's artisanship, quality of construction and materials were superior, and the estate is considered one of the architectural gems of Chicago.  Today  the 24,500 square foot mansion is for sale for 12 million with over 5 acres of Lake Michigan lake front.  And quite honestly, that seems like a steal to me.  A couple of weeks ago. the home was offered at the last minute  to a local school to be a featured home on their annual Christmas house walk.  Vacant and minimally furnished, we were called to add the holiday decor to the residence. Flattered, but knowing we were crazy busy with Christmas already in the store and we were almost sold out of Christmas merchandise, I knew I had to turn the job down.But after a little persuasion from the House Walk committee moms, I agreed to meet them at the home for a "quick peak" and see if it was even a possible task.  After viewing the home, I knew that this was a "once in a lifetime opportunity" to decorate this magnificent historical gem. Yes, I am completely crazy.  So I gathered the troops and we began to create and plan this holiday installation with less than 2 weeks notice.  Today, we meet at the store, load 7 SUV's and then  head to the estate to begin the magic of making the residence feel like Christmas. This is going to be the largest undertaking in our history in such a short period and I am anxious to see our results. Three dining tables to set, 6 mantels to decorate, a library with nothing on the shelves, and the massive list  just keeps going  on,   fa la la la la!  



Christmas at a Historical Brownstone in Chicago

enter  through the old  gate to a magical place the city

capture the natural essence of the vibrant foyer decorated with moss balls, garland and amaryllis

Venetian inspired tree in the living room

this year we placed the tree on top of the grand piano!

special handmade parchment vessel covered with vintage music sheets, old trim,
and rhinestone embelllishments, are tucked in the tree

Asian horses saddled with the Christmas elf

the Triple Crown- definitely a winner

love the Christmas tree reflection in the mirror

Buffet is reflective of an old still life painting

adore this kitchen - iced chandeliers with  white amaryllis floral

is this not intoxicating???  Sitting at the dinner table and looking at this magical setting!
Mariterese and I were going for the "Dr.Zhivago" ice castle look!

 Spending the last 2 days in the city with one of my favorite people in the world has been exhausting, exhilarating, and extraordinary. Up and down ladders, up and down stairs, and up and down  energy, Christmas happened at Mariterese's home.  Christmas extraordinaire was installed in a fabulous brownstone in the Lincoln Park area of historical homes in Chicago.  It is always fun to work with a person with eclectic  style and a wonderful personality- and as a bonus- a fabulous cook!  While I was busy creating Christmas cheer, Mariterese  was busy creating wonderful meals for us to share. Don't get me wrong, she helped me decorate - she's actually quite good at bows!  It was  a girlfriend  retreat - creative, productive and a lot of comraderie! Love the results!  The RTH girls are invited for dinner to view the decor in a few weeks- invites are at the store.  And by the way, you girls are in luck- Mariterese is cooking!

Christmas Elves at Work

Yesterday, Laurell and I spent the day at a gorgeous home, two elves creating a little Christmas magic.  The owners were away on a short trip and wanted to be surprised by having a bit of Christmas cheer when they returned.  So I wanted to share the festive mantel display that we created.    Long branches of bronze coral shaped flowers,  iced large fans of platinum colored lace,  and long stems of gorgeous pearl branches were used to create the base of the display.  We tucked in miniature  imported Venetian masks on the sides and placed a large one in the center for the focal point.  Black and silver music ribbon is garlanded throughout the display.  A large silver tray was placed on the massive coffee table and filled with a spray of more pearl branches, coral fans and the music ribbon.  Ivory candles and a gold cherub were tucked in the edges of the tray.  As we left the home for the evening, we left on soft overhead lights that made the mantel sparkle.  We hope that they loved coming home to an enchanted Christmas setting!

Black Friday Done Right!

my favorite find of the day- gilded eggs hand crafted  with old trims and rhinestones

fabulous

vintage trims and rhinestones on velvet eggs

love this small compote

favorite finds of the day

unbelievable detail on this urn

vintage silver tea pots to be filled with fresh roses for our Christmas house walk on Dec. 5th

exquisite finial detail

love the wonderful walnut finial

2 adorable small silver domes with  ivory finials

For several years, Jill and I have traveled west to a fabulous "day after Thanksgiving" event.  No black Friday promotions for us-  too many years of retailing and having to be at the store by 5 am the day after Thanksgiving   makes us stay completely clear of that nonsense.  Instead we choose to go a more gentile way-  meet at 8:30 in the morning  at Starbucks and head west out into the country  to  visit a  magical red  barn and  purchase  as many fabulous finds as we can in about 45 minutes of "fast browsing" - our own version of heaven on the day after Thanksgiving. Today was no exception.  An incredible artisan from Michigan was selling her version of Faberge eggs made of antique jewelry and trims.  They are such wonderful little treasures and she has agreed to let me sell them at the Woodlands Holiday walk on December 5th. I am so thrilled.  I couldn't wait to get them home and display them on my dining room buffet - I even made Jill take them out of the bag while I was driving home and let me take another gander at them.     We both found some great silver pieces, some of which will be for sale at the holiday walk next week.  I scored a fabulous vintage  urn with great details on the sides,  already filled with Christmas greens. It's a keeper for now!  Jill bought some wonderful tartan goodies today - a vintage throw and some stockings made of vintage tartan blankets.  She also took home a vintage silver bowl filled with paper whites - so lovely and a fabulous  large silver meat dome.  Giddy with chatter about the magic  of the day, we both agreed - this was a magical retailing event!  Beautiful food, beautiful setting and unique items that we could not buy anywhere else - a perfect retail formula!  

Thanksgiving Table with a Blackberry Farm Touch

Casual Thanksgiving table set in the kitchen this year using a plaid throw for the cloth.

I found the faux bois plastic shelf paper at the dollar store and it works perfect as a runner.

Getting to use my Blackberry Farm plates - a special gift from some of my friends!

Love this faux bois wine bottle on the silver tray in center of table

Heavy linen napkins in horn napkin rings

The Harry Goblet -  great for the wine

vintage bone flatware

awesome hotel silver coffee pot with crown motif - found this weekend.
I have a weak spot for anything with a crown on it.

Mr Coykendall, the master Gardener at Blackberry Farm, drew the design for this dinner plate-
Love the orange color for fall.

An oval shaped bowl for the sauce at each place setting.

Medley of fall on a square silver tray with ivory handles for the centerpiece.

Old pantry door adds a sense of history to the area of the kitchen.

over sized natural linen napkins

Set of restaurant chairs from Europe sit at the sides of the banquette eating area in the kitchen.
They are one of my favorite chairs- I love the double nail head detail, the suede backs and carved tops.

This will be a quiet Thanksgiving this year.  Only my two sons will be here, so we have decided to fore go the traditionalturkey dinner this year and do a little experimenting1. My sons love to play chef and this year we are going to try to accomplish frying the "perfect oyster".  Accompaniments such as macaroni and cheese with Chesapeake Bay lump crab will be prepared, along with some other undecided vegetable dishes.  So for this casual meal, I set the table in the kitchen for dinner.  It is a cozy banquette with a little window and filled with  lots of pillows, so one can linger over a long meal with candlelight and chatter endlessly.  These two sons never stop talking from the moment they arrive and the conversation is always lively.  There will be many arguments over how to "fry that perfect oyster", but I am sure perfection will prevail.  {Maybe I'll stick a turkey breast in the oven just for insurance purposes.} Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone and enjoy your day!
We will be joining www.astrollthrulife.net for Tabletop Tuesday, a great place to get Thanksgiving table inspiration.