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Our 10 favorite moments in the House Beautiful Whole Home 2023

Thirteen design teams make their mark on a classic property in the Chicago suburbs.

Visual Comfort & Co. is honored to serve as the exclusive lighting sponsor of the sixth annual House Beautiful Whole Home, which reimagines a 13,000 square foot David Adler estate in Hinsdale, Illinois through the lens of 13 woman-led design teams from every corner of the country. The home’s age (it dates to 1906!) meant that this year’s Whole Home designers encountered a number of historic preservation constraints … and, we’re happy to report, their rooms are all the better for it. Read on for tips, tricks and tons of inspiration from the House Beautiful Whole Home 2023 crew.

The Entry

Calling all renovators – sometimes it pays to work with what you’ve got! Inspired by the home's original wallcovering, Whole Home entryway designer Arianne Bellizaire left it intact, turning her attention to a comfortably unassuming floor plan and a winning combination of blues on trim and millwork. And don’t forget to look up! With limited natural light sources and only one overhead fixture Beckett Chandelier, Bellizaire bounced light by using a reflective vinyl wallpaper on every designer’s favorite fifth surface: the ceiling.

The Conservatory

Design team Deborah Costa and Kristine Renee of Design Alchemy made the very most of add-on conservatory with natural light and charm to spare but a lack of modern conveniences (electrical hardwiring, anyone?). In the end, the room’s drawbacks were no match for Costa and Renee’s design ingenuity. Case in point: the duo converted an immovable structural column into a high-top bar and centered an intimate seating nook under a Benit Medium Sculpted Chandelier. In the room’s biggest coup, the brass Gale Library Wall Light studding the walls are a sleight of hand, fitted with remote-controlled battery-operated bulbs.

The Party Pad

As a pool-adjacent rec room, this party pad knows how to have a good time! Designer Emma Beryl leaned into the tile floors and low ceilings, aiming for fuss-free utility at every turn but ramping up the fun with color, pattern and elliptical shapes. As always, the magic is in the mix – Deco-inspired Lorelei Large Waterfall Sconces play nicely off of natural forms at the zellige-backed bar, where a Troye Medium Table Lamp holds court with all the entertaining essentials.

The Studio Apartment

With soaring windows and arched doors framing killer garden views, the studio apartment had loads of potential – and Jenna Gross of Colordrunk Designs used punchy color and an abundance of print to give the space its moment in the sun. In the kitchen (seen here through orchid-pink metal trelliswork that separates the apartment into living, sleeping and cooking zones), a pair of Mollino Tiered Sconces crown a vintage Dwyer all-in-one cooking unit, while Dorchester Double Backplate Swing Arm Lights and Andreas Medium Table Lamps provide a sculptural foil to a quiet riot of softly saturated pattern in the cocooning canopy bed.

The Sunroom

Taking indoor-outdoor living to the next level, Claire Staszak of Centered by Design dreamed up a bohemian rhapsody of layered color and pattern in the European-inspired sunroom. Staszak elevated existing elements (trelliswork, reimagined in a sunny yellow, and a stone fountain, which now serves as a drinks cooler) with hand painted floral detailing and a delightful mix of textiles … and in a crowning flourish, she added a pair of timeless strie glass Rosehill Large Chandeliers.

The Owner's Suite

Deeply comfortable and delightfully off-kilter, Isabel Ladd’s mega-maximalist primary bedroom explores decorating dichotomies – flora and fauna, stripes and checks, rattan and silk velvet – to great effect. Working russet tones into a backdrop of greens, alternates soft silhouettes with sculptural forms, most notably in a striking pair of Nan Table Lamps bedside. Putting the sweet in owner’s suite, these little extras deliver in a big way! Continuing to riff on a sunset-hued theme, designer Isabel Ladd chose the Veneto Medium Table Lamp to illuminate the all-important beverage station, while the Beckham Modern Medium Chandelier sets the mood in a well-traveled seating area perfect for work or play.

The Guest Bedroom

Going all in with a reissued chintz from Lee Jofa, Society Social’s Roxy Owens swathed the guest bedroom’s walls, window treatments and bed hangings in the dreamy print. Camille Sconces over the dressing table and Chambers Medium Table Lamps on nightstands are finished with scalloped and pleated details, but Owens cuts the sweetness with custom rattan shades on our Evans Swing Arm Sconces peeking out from the half-tester bed. Elsewhere, the designer employs painterly floral and chevron patterns for a balance that’s, well, pretty perfect.

The Library

A study in mossy brown, Kate Marker’s lush library provides endless opportunities to settle in and stay for a while. Back-to-back toffee velvet sofas sprawled under a pair of Mollino Medium Tiered Chandeliers define the room’s many moods, while smart suiting fabrics and Turlington Medium Table Lamps introduce a graphic element.

The Nursery

Whole Home builder Julie Laux of J. Jordan Homes took on the nursery, leaning into rosy tones and soft florals at every turn. A Leighton Flush Mount and Leighton Sconce are powder-pink perfection in the crib area, while a white Simon Sconce introduces a modern form into a vintage-inspired adjacent bath.

The Salon

A worldly ladies lounge awash in a spice-tinged palette, the salon by Hema Persad of Sagrada Studios is a place to read, write, and engage in spirited discussion. Original antique mirrored wall panels are energized by new Moroccan-inspired grilles diffusing natural light, while an Orbel Round Pendant makes a striking statement overhead..

Shop the lighting designs that brought this home to life.