October 31, 2017

The Design Center at the Merchandise Mart and LuxeHome hosted Design Chicago, the Midwest’s largest trade-only residential design conference, on October 3 and 4, 2017 at the iconic Merchandise Mart (theMART) in downtown Chicago. The two-day event drew more than 2,500 attendees, including interior design, architecture and luxury custom homebuilding professionals from across the country, to more than 120 showrooms, spanning upwards of 600,000 square feet of space.

Design Chicago presented a variety of education and innovative programming, along with signature events, including: 39 featured presentations, 25 CEU programs, 50 open houses, 56 featured products, 14 strategic media partners, eight new showrooms and two exclusive ticketed events – Chairs for Charity and the Chicago VIP Luxury Gala.

“We’re thrilled with the overwhelming response from our showrooms, presenters and attendees at this year’s Design Chicago,” said Susan McCullough, senior vice president at theMART. “Design Chicago has become the must-attend residential design conference in the Midwest and brings together the best of the best in the industry. We look forward to building on this year’s success and attracting even more attendees from the Midwest, as well as coast to coast, in 2018.”

Design Chicago Highlights Presentations from notable members of the design industry packed the house, and included celebrated interior designers Vern Yip and Jonathan Adler. Additional A-list designers and architects who delivered featured presentations and CEUs included:

• Julia Buckingham, principal, Buckingham Interiors + Design
• Mick De Giulio, principal, de Giulio kitchen design
• Dirk Denison, FAIA, founder, Dirk Denison Architects
• Julie Hacker and Stuart Cohen, partners and co-founders, Stuart Cohen & Julie Hacker Architects LLC
• Shawn Henderson, interior designer, Shawn Henderson Interior Design
• Kara Mann, founder and creative director, KARA MANN
• Elissa Morgante, principal, Morgante Wilson Architects
• Christopher Peacock, president and CEO, Christopher Peacock
• Campion Platt, interior designer, Campion Platt Interiors
• Kathryn Quinn, principal, Kathryn Quinn Architects
• Tom Stringer, designer and founder, Tom Stringer Design Partners
• Summer Thornton, interior designer, Summer Thornton Design
• Chip von Weise, principal, von Weise Associates

Design Chicago culminated with the ninth annual Chicago VIP Luxury gala, held the evening of October 4. The Chicago VIP Luxury Gala drew a record crowd of more than 700, including a who’s who of the design industry who came together to celebrate. The event featured the induction of five residential design industry icons into the Merchandise Mart Hall of Fame.

• Lifetime Achievement: David Sutherland, CEO, David Sutherland Showrooms
• Architect: Stuart Cohen and Julie Hacker, partners and co-founders, Stuart Cohen & Julie Hacker Architects LLC
• Designer: Jessica Lagrange, founder and principal, Jessica Lagrange Interiors LLC
• Residential Developer: Alan D. Lev, president and CEO, Belgravia Group

“We were privileged to honor this year’s exemplary residential design professionals,” said McCullough. “All have made their mark on our industry and continue to inspire us through their professional achievements.”

The Chairs for Charity event from Splash, in conjunction with Chicago magazine, challenged 16 designers with the task of bringing a vintage chair back to life. The event attracted more than 375 attendees, who were encouraged to bid on the one-of-a-kind chairs through a silent auction throughout the event. All proceeds raised benefit Designs for Dignity.