SHOWHOUSE SHOWCASE : Sensationally soothing

Lake Forest Showhouse
Lake Forest, Illinois

There's light for the sake of necessity, and light for creating a pleasing aesthetic. Both came into play for interior designer Annika Christensen, born and raised in Sweden, where winter months afford only a small window of opportunity for sunlight. In the showhouse's master sitting room, she drew on her heritage to secure a palette that calms and promotes restful activity.

Unified by a large flokati rug are a Swedish antique sofa and chairs, all upholstered with blue-and-white seersucker, a modern variation on the ticking stripe that is often used in Swedish design. An organically shaped lamp and two occasional tables add a hint of a contemporary edge. The paper-shade lamp suggests movement, and a clear Lucite coffee table and a little round steel table from the 1960s enhance the room's airy ambience. Window treatments are fabricated from an ivory linen-and-silk-blend sheer that is adorned with light-reflecting glass beads.

Photographs by Edmund Barr
Text by Krissa Rossbund
Produced by Hilary Rose