Schweppe Mansion- Final Touches and Promises of Magic

Formal dining room table - gold lace runner with Cinderella swans filled with different varieties of ferns, white and gold mis-matched china with fresh red roses crushed under the glass Arte Italica plates. 

silver croco pattern chargers with vintage wide band gold plates

Crown on a fresh rose "presentation pillow" with rhinestone and silk tassels on corners

a collection of vintage tea pots were filled with ming fern, peonies, and fresh roses

These peonies are so intricately formed, tightly closed. Wonder if they will open by the morning?

View from the center reception hall table to the buffet filled with amaryllis, moss balls and white feather owls

Our little boutique is set up in the south conservatory!  Too bad this can't be a permanent installation!

Deer decked out with a rhinestone saddle and necklace.

Owl arrangement in a perfect spot- ready to watch it's prey through the incredibel lead and limestone windows.

Candy's creative juices at work - dressing up a simple brass chandelier over our fantasy breakfast table.
Can you believe that ceiling detail?

Penny set a darling kitchen table in the "kitchen" for the "help".  You would not believe this kitchen- a true
caterer's dream.  Walk in refrigerator, deep fryer,  a huge Wolf range and another cooktop, an ice cream station, and the list goes on. 

In today's retail environment, it is sometimes hard  for customers to get inspiration and get excited. Well I am here to tell you that this Christmas  home tour will get your creative juices flowing. If in the area, you must come see this extraordinary home. It simply gives you cold chill bumps.

Today was our last day of set up for the Woodlands Holiday Walk ( we thought it was our last day, but we got this little surprise Fed Ex box about 3 PM , opened it, and knew it was coming to the mansion!.)  All of our fresh flowers had to be placed, the inventory sheets finished and our final walk-thru for our last little details.  Julie met me at the residence to finish the inventory, while I completed the fresh floral details. Last night, a little elf created the  fresh rose pillow and many little tussie mussies to set through out the house. ( When I arrived at the house this morning and much to my delight, I learned that the  listing agent loved the decorations so much that she had hired a professional photographer to capture the holiday magic.  I can't wait to see the pictures. ) Today I am sharing bits and pieces of our set-up, as I have to save the big reveal for after the tour. For local folks,   if you haven't purchased tickets, they are available at the door at Woodlands Academy tomorrow morning.  The tour hours are from 10 am to 3 pm and as an added feature this year, all the decorations at the Schweppe Mansion  are available for purchase.  And for a exciting surprise final detail, we received a special box from an incredible artist today. Penny, Katha and I planned an exciting presentation for these special little treats.  For those of you that love old textiles, rhinestones, and whimsey, don't miss this extra treat. Hope to see lot's of familiar faces at the Holiday Walk tomorrow- this is one house you should not miss!

Christmas Elves Decorate Mansion in a Day!

On Thursday night, Julie, Katha and Candy came over to cover 2 sets of World Books
with plaid papers and then Mod Podge the covers! Need them to fill the library shelves!

On Friday, Jill and I headed out to favorite places to find antiques to fill the mansion's
enormous bar. We were very lucky than day and came home with a full car!
All will be for sale on Wednesday at the tour.

A great find of our day- this enormous crystal ice bucket!

We created special little Christmas scenes in great lanterns for the kitchen area.

Love this little turquoise lantern with the trees1

Jill and I found lots of little containers to be filled with fresh roses and ferns for Wednesday!

We glittered and flocked for 10 days, creating large swags to be placed throughout the house.

 

 

Glittered fruit embellished with vintage jewels from Jill and my trip on Friday-
going to the breakfast room at the house.

 

 

Candy's masterpiece tree in the living room- magnificent if I do say so myself!

Linda D had the job of creating the breakfast table in the small conservatory - here's a peak at the beginning stages.
Just wait until I can show you the completed room!  Wow! 

Our signature angel dressed and ready to greet the guests on Wednesday!

All of my little elves - taking a well deserved break for lunch! Not a bad spot for lunch.

Yesterday, the Romancing the Home girls met at the Schweppe Estate to start the Woodlands House Walk decorations.  The girls  that were seeing it for the first time - said "no way can we fill this house in one day". But we did!  Ten days of intense preparation made it happen !Yes, sometimes it takes a village as they say.  We divided and conquered.  I'll show you each of their creations in the next couple of blogs.  I am so proud of my girls.  Laurell even got the inventory system nailed down for the event.  This is a Holiday Home tour that you will not want to miss.  You can get tickets online by going to the Woodlands Academy web site. The walk is on this Wednesday, December 5th from 10 to 3.  Three additional homes, plus the Schweppe Mansion are on this year's tour.! www.woodlandsacademy.org

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!