This interior designer moved her family and business to Winnetka, and now she’s ready to debut a room at the Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens.
Designer Alexandra Kaehler in the dining room of her Winnetka home
In 2011, fresh out of design school, Alexandra Kaehler launched her business with a great eye and a few “very patient” clients. “It’s not a path I’d recommend,” she admits. “But it worked out.” Her design office, which is now in Winnetka, is busy up and down the North Shore and in the city with a mix of new construction, renovations and restorations. “We do a lot of older homes that need love and attention,” she says. “I think it’s my favorite kind of project because it’s a puzzle as you work with what’s there and try to breathe new life into it.” Nicely tying into her interest in older homes is the upcoming Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens, where Kaehler pitched and was granted a sleeping porch off one of the bedrooms. “They reached out to me this year to see if I would be interested,” she says. “I walked through the house and fell in love. It’s a sprawling house with so much personality and character.” Her room has three walls of windows and she’s giving it a feminine, but not girly, vibe. “The room feels like a treehouse and that’s what I was drawn to,” she says about the project she’s working on with her two design assistants. “It’s fun to exercise our creativity in a different way and to have so much freedom with a project.” April 25-May 17, tickets $35-$40
8AM: Caffeine free
“Even though I don’t drink coffee, Hometown Coffee & Juice is still a favorite predrop-off stop for chamomile tea and maybe a Do-Rite doughnut to split with my daughter.” 700 Vernon Ave., Glencoe
9AM: Work it
“After dropping my daughter at school, I squeeze in a 20-minute slo-mo weight workout at StrengthTime.” A huge bonus is that it’s across the street from her office and there’s no need for a post-workout shower. 1013 Tower Court, Winnetka
9:30AM: Client Time
“My workday usually starts with a status meeting where our team goes over where each project is and what’s coming up.” 28 Green Bay Road, Winnetka
1PM: Measure up
“With the upcoming Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens, I might make a quick trip to the house for a measurement, vendor meeting or installation.”
4PM: Garden party
“My husband gets home early enough most days that we try to get in an all-family activity before dinner. A fave is a walk through the Chicago Botanic Garden.” 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe
Photography by: Katrina Wittkamp
