HAUTE FOR THE HOLIDAYS

ONE WOMAN’S PASSIONS FOR FASHION, ART, AND INTERIOR DESIGN MAKE MERRY IN AN 1871 ITALIANATE FARMHOUSE THAT HAS BEEN MODERNIZED FOR TODAY

- WRITTEN BY SARAH HALVERSON

Colette May wasn’t looking for a new house. She was wonderfully content in her condo in downtown Chicago. But her friend Kara Mann, a fellow interior designer, had bought and rehabilitated a gorgeous historic home in Evanston, Illinois. “When she told me she was selling it, I just had to see it,” Colette says.

She made the trek outside the city to the 1871 Italianate farmhouse, and she felt a stirring in her soul. “I loved it,” Colette says. “I wanted to move there. It was an out-of-character decision for me. I loved living in the city and had been there so long, but there was something about the grandeur of the rooms and the gardens.”

Enamored by the distinguished old house, Colette took a leap of faith, purchased the home, and moved to the suburbs about six years ago with her daughter, Madeleine. She was delighted at the thought of transforming the blank canvas into her signature style—a blend of elegance, femininity, and comfort. That’s how she dresses, and it’s also how she designs.

The house had great bones for Colette to work with. Each space, even when an empty shell, was lovely. “The moldings throughout the home are just incredible,” she says. “There are five fireplaces in the house, which is amazing, and the ceilings are very tall—up to 18 feet.” The living room felt like it had been dropped in straight from Paris, and the adjacent sunroom was a splash of indoor-outdoor splendor. Wood paneling and built-in cabinets in the family room are all original oak. With the house’s infrastructure already updated, Colette could focus on furnishing and finishing the rooms.

Filling such a house would intimidate most people. How do you transition existing furnishings from a 3,400-square-foot condo to a two-story, 6,500-square-foot house? Colette wasn’t daunted. She already had a “wardrobe” of exquisite furniture, lighting, artwork, and accessories just waiting to be situated in their new environment.