House Party Woven Together

Held at Oscar Isberian Rugs, Carpets for a Cause brought together custom carpets designed by 11 of Chicago’s top interior designers in support of Designs for Dignity. An open bar and bites from Parkhurst Catering kept the mood social as guests mingled among the showroom’s signature textiles. The event drew a crowd of 200 attendees, including Courtney Hall of NBC Chicago, Amy Storm of Amy Storm and Company, David Walczyk and Leah Bolger of Leah Bolger Design, Dual Concept Design principals Paulina Cervantes and Andrea Fripp, Jessica Margot of Jessica Margot Interiors, Nora Schneider of Nora Schneider Interior Design, and Jennifer Sobecki of Designs for Dignity. The Oscar Isberian Rugs team welcomed guests to bid on the designer carpets as well as a set of opera tickets, helping raise more than $27,000 in support of Designs for Dignity and its mission of empowering lives through pro bono design. BY KAILA STANG

ABLAZE Design Group’s Lake Forest Showhouse Kitchen Longlisted for 2026 Créateurs Design Awards

Highwood, IL — ABLAZE Design Group is proud to announce that its Lake Forest Showhouse Kitchen has been longlisted for the 2026 Créateurs Design Awards (CDA), an international design competition recognizing excellence, innovation, and cultural impact across architecture and interior design.

ABLAZE Design Group Named NARI Regional Remodeler of the Year

Highwood, Illinois  (February, 3rd 2026) ABLAZE Design Group has been named a 2026 Regional Remodeler of the Year (RotY®) Award Winner by the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) in the category of Residential Kitchen Over $200,000.

The prestigious RotY® Awards recognize excellence in craftsmanship, design, innovation, and project execution across the remodeling industry. ABLAZE’s winning project was selected from hundreds of entries nationwide and represents the highest level of achievement among regional remodeling professionals.

David M. Ward Get Ready For The 2025 Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens

More than 30 leading interior and landscape designers have worked their magic on a 15,000-square-foot Georgian-style home (below) on the North Shore for the 20 th installment of the Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens.

Modern Luxury Interiors Midwest

At the historic Pembroke Lodge, & Gardens welcomed top design-ers to reimagine the storied estate in support of the Infant Welfare Society. While the event typically showcases idiosyn-cratic design expressions, this year’s kitchen transformation by George Markoutsas of ABLAZE Design Group (ablazedesigngroup.com) bridged exhibition and real-life use, guided in part by input from the estate’s new owners—a newlywed couple planning to use it as a summer retreat.

ASID Illinois Chapter Honors Chicago’s Top Designers at Design Excellence Awards

CHICAGO (Sept. 24, 2025) – On Wednesday, Sept. 24, the American Society of Interior Designers – Illinois Chapter (ASID-IL), held its annual Celebration of Design and Design Excellence Awards. The 2025 Design Excellence Award winners were announced during the celebration at The Dalcy.

Show House Splendor

A rich walnut wood vanity with elegant reeding and offset drawers lends an art deco feel to this primary bathroom by Ablaze Design Group. Free-flowing brass alloy veining in the satin finish quartz countertop accentuates the gold tones of the un-laquered brass hardware. And the backlit vertical quartz application in the shower provides indirect lighting that is dramatic yet sophisticated, reminiscent of a cascading waterfall feature.

For a deeper dive into the project, click here.

Ava Markoutsas Featured in Modern Luxury

Ava was listed in Modern Luxury Chicago in September 2025.

Modern Luxury Interiors

For George Markoutsas, every great design starts with curiosity. “We don’t begin with a style in mind—we begin with a conversation,” he says. “The first step is understanding our client’s life, rhythms, and aspirations for their home. From there, we can shape a design that’s as functional as it is beautiful.”

Interior Designer And Bravo Star Mary McDonald Takes Us Inside The Lake Forest Showhouse

Modern Luxury

From bespoke cabinetry to first-rate painting, this full-service design-build firm specializes in transforming homes into captivating spaces across the North Shore, and the company’s downtown Highwood showroom offers a curated retail experience alongside a full-service selection center, demonstrating firsthand experience of the brand’s expertise.

These Are Our Favorite 11 Rooms At The 2025 Lake Forest Showhouse

One of the most anticipated events of the design season in the entire Chicago area, the Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens is such an elaborate project that it only takes place every other year. This year, the always eye-popping event (which benefits the Lake Forest Chapter of the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago) is celebrating its 20th production in style with the transformation of the historic Pembroke Lodge, one of the earliest estates built along Lake Forest’s iconic Green Bay Road. 

The 3 Trends We Want to Steal from the 2025 Lake Forest Showhouse

Set against the picturesque backdrop of Lake Forest, Illinois—a tony suburb of Chicago’s North Shore—the 20th anniversary of the biennial Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens provides the perfect marriage of architectural history and forward-thinking design. Opened for tours starting Saturday, April 26, this year’s house is Pembroke Lodge, a Georgian-style limestone mansion that is steeped in history.

In collaboration with Ablaze, Cosentino Helps Reimagine the Historic Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens

This year’s main kitchen, designed by Ablaze Design Group, featured a stunning combination of materials, including Dekton Nacre in both 2.0 cm and 12 mm thicknesses. Sleek and subtly textured, its Velvet finish adds quiet sophistication to both the perimeter countertops and the expansive kitchen island. 

Lake Forest Showhouse

In a display of bravado and talent, 47 interior and landscape designers have transformed a historical 15,000-square-foot home in Lake Forest, Illinois, for the Lake Forest Showhouse and Gardens 2025, which opens for tours April 26 through May 25.

Sheridan Road magazine

Sheridan Road Magazine explores the luxury, elegance, and historic charm of North Shore’s most pristine neighborhoods. Get a behind-the-scenes look at Sheridan Road’s rich art, cultural, and design scenes, as well as interviews with notable residents.

Is the Secret to a Bathroom You’ll Love Forever Actually One Sink Instead of Two?

Interiors Chicago

THE ALLURE OF MIXED METALS IN YOUR DESIGNS

How to incorporate multiple finishes in the modern kitchen. These bold, yet sophisticated styles make us wonder: were these rules ever worth following in the first place?

North Shore Real Producers

Read our partner spotlight starting on page 10.

Highland Park Neighbors

ABLAZE Design Group’s 50-Year Legacy

Shaping the Design Build Landscape of the North Shore

Modern Luxury Interiors Chicago

This kitchen by ABLAZE Design Group from the Lake Forest Showhouse received an ASID Excellence in Design Award.

Modern Luxury Interiors Chicago

Read Feature

Real Producers Magazine

Read Feature

Luxe Interior + Design Chicago

https://sandow.app.box.com/s/xgrhw3o6qwq0c1jasl4rip9uo8t3egtn

Lake Forest Showhouse

Ablaze Design Group is featured in the 2023 Lake Forest Showhouse:

View Full Magazine

https://www.fox32chicago.com/video/1217651

https://www.lakeforestshowhouse.com/

https://www.nbcchicago.com/local/house-transformed-by-33-designers-opens-to-public/3144964/?amp=1

https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/see-every-room-inside-the-lake-forest-showhouse-and-gardens-2023

The North Shore Weekend, May 6th, 2023

The North Shore Weekend East is published every week and features the news and personalities of Wilmette, Kenilworth, Winnetka, Northfield, Glencoe, Highland Park, Lake Forest, & Lake Bluff, Illinois. View Here

CAMBRIA STYLE

Syle & Design, Tips for Inspired Living – Click Here

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