CHICAGO, IL (August 21, 2019) – The Design Center at the Merchandise Mart and LuxeHome are excited to announce the 2019 inductees into the Merchandise Mart Hall of Fame.
- Lifetime Achievement: Christopher Peacock, Founder & CEO, Christopher Peacock
- Architect: Kathryn Quinn, AIA, Principal, Kathryn Quinn Architects, Ltd.
- Interior Designer: Gary Lee, Founder & President, Gary Lee Partners
- Builder: Bulley & Andrews
“The professionals selected for this honor are trailblazers in our industry,” said Susan McCullough, Senior Vice President at theMART. “We’re honored to recognize them and look forward to celebrating each of them at our Chicago VIP Luxury Gala.”
Inductees will be honored on Thursday, October 3, 2019 at Design Chicago during the annual and highly-anticipated Chicago VIP Luxury Gala. A who’s who of the design industry will come together in a celebratory evening honoring the Midwest’s best in architecture, interior design and residential construction. Tickets for the signature event go on sale later this month in August 2019.
Welcoming this year’s Hall of Fame honorees and Gala attendees is a host committee comprised of more than 90 of the design industry’s movers and shakers – representing top luxury building, renovation and interior design brands, interior designer, architectural and building and development firms from greater Chicago and around the globe. The 2019 Chicago VIP Luxury Gala is generously sponsored by exclusive Media Sponsor, Luxe Interiors + Design; Platinum Sponsors, Gaggenau, Thermador and Bosch; Gold Sponsors, Broome + Greene, Sherwin-Williams and Vicostone; and Silver Sponsors, House of Rohl and GABBY.
Read more about the 2019 Merchandise Mart Hall of Fame inductees:
Merchandise Mart Hall of Fame: Lifetime Achievement
Christopher Peacock, Founder & CEO of Christopher Peacock
Christopher Peacock began his career in the early eighties working at Terence Conran’s furniture store in London. He launched Christopher Peacock Cabinetry in 1992, beginning with a kitchen display in a small store in Greenwich, CT. Since then he has opened showrooms throughout the U.S. and Europe, with locations in Greenwich, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, New York City, Short Hills, Dallas, and in Cannes, Cote D’Azur, France as well as London, England. Additionally new showrooms will be opening in Jakarta, Indonesia and in Nashville, Tennessee in 2020. His company is recognized as the ultimate in luxury cabinetry design gracing beautiful homes in the United States and internationally. His work has allowed the company special opportunities, as Christopher has been invited to participate in the NYC Kips Bay Show House on seven occasions, has appeared on national television, and he has been featured in many shelter publications. Additionally he has designed cabinetry for two U.S. presidents, both Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, as well as many celebrity clients. Peacock’s cabinetry style has been often imitated, but his creations remain singularly his own and proudly manufactured from his U.S workshop in West Virginia.
Merchandise Mart Hall of Fame: Architect
Kathryn Quinn, AIA, Principal of Kathryn Quinn Architects Ltd.
Kathryn Quinn’s biography begins as anyone’s, about one’s parents. Her father was a third generation Chicagoan and, while stationed in Australia during WWII, he met his love, Ailsa White. They moved to Chicago after the war and raised a family of five. Kathryn was number four. Her father died suddenly at the age of 42, leaving her 37-year old mother to support and attend to the family. This history is noted ahead of her professional development because her mother was a model of care, support and perseverance, and Kathryn witnessed the importance of good neighbors. During college, as a then student of Landscape Architecture at UIUC, she created an independent study in London which inspired her to transfer into UIC’s excellent architecture program. Upon graduation, she interned at Stuart Cohen Architect, Harry Weese & Associates, and Hammond, Beeby & Babka and started her own practice in 1985. Linda Searl partnered with her for several years. Kathryn Quinn Architects, Ltd., celebrates year 33. She notes that no one ever said the practice of architecture was easy, but it is always rewarding when there is care by the design team, support of the client, perseverance by the construction team and the architecture is a good neighbor.
Merchandise Mart Hall of Fame: Interior Designer
Gary Lee, Founder & President of Gary Lee Partners
Gary Lee is recognized as a leader in the design community for his rich portfolio, elegant product design, mentorship of design talent, and community involvement. He founded Gary Lee Partners in 1993 to serve clients who truly value the impact of design on the human experience. His firm has built lasting relationships with some of the world’s most respected providers of financial and professional services. The team partners with celebrated hospitality brands and designs luxury residences across the globe. Gary Lee has designed collections for Knoll and Halcon and founded Chai Ming Studios in 2011, a private label for custom furniture. He curates and runs the Atelier Gary Lee showroom in the Merchandise Mart, which brings together a mix of styles, materials, and objects that reflect his personal aesthetic. Beyond the studio and showroom, Gary continues to be an active member of the design community and the community- at-large.
Merchandise Mart Hall of Fame: Builder
Bulley & Andrews
Founded in 1891, Bulley & Andrews (B&A) is one of the region’s most accomplished construction firms. Steadfast in their focus on not just what they build but why, B&A is committed to delivering building projects that improve lives and grow organizations in measurable and meaningful ways. Rooted in a time when construction practices relied on horses, ropes and pulleys, and laborers were paid in cash daily, B&A keeps its ties to tradition while staying at the vanguard of best practices in construction. The firm is well-recognized for its sophisticated approach to construction, which leverages technology, strong communication, and a solution-driven mindset. Built upon a sense of responsibility, B&A is dedicated to balancing service and product, even within the most ambitious timelines. Representing a diverse portfolio of clients ranging from corporate, healthcare and higher education to hospitality, institutional, and high-end residential, the firm is responsible for building and restoring distinctive structures, as well as countless properties that subtly define and serve their respective owners.
For more information on the Chicago VIP Luxury Gala or Design Chicago, visit www.designchicagoevent.com. Over the course of two days (Wednesday, October 2 and Thursday, October 3, 2019), Design Chicago will showcase over 175 featured presentations, CEU programs, open houses and product debuts, along with newly opened showrooms ready to be explored, as well as 16 strategic media partners and more than a dozen well-respected editors.
About the Design Center at The Merchandise Mart (theMART)
The Design Center, located in Chicago’s historic Merchandise Mart, is home to four floors constituting the world’s largest and finest design center. As a leader in the $65 billion residential home furnishings market, the Design Center offers the largest presentation of high-end, customizable, residential and outdoor home furnishings worldwide, all under one roof. Encompassing 750,000 square feet, boasting more than 125 showrooms and featuring more than 2,500 product lines, it is the ultimate resource for designers and design enthusiasts of luxury furniture, fabrics, floor coverings, wall coverings, lighting and much more. For more information, visit designcenter.com. Visit Design Center on Facebook and Instagram.
About LuxeHome®
LuxeHome is the world’s largest collection of premier boutiques for home building and renovation located on the first floor of the Merchandise Mart in Chicago. With more than 125,000 square feet of showroom space featured in over 45 boutiques, LuxeHome is host to the finest products for home building and renovation from the most recognized and respected manufacturers worldwide.
LuxeHome offers discerning homeowners and trade professionals one-stop shopping convenience with access to the finest kitchen, bath, tile, lighting, cabinetry, appliances, countertops and much more. LuxeHome displays the widest selection of products to suit all upscale design styles, from modern European to classic American to traditional English. In addition to the extensive lineup of premier brands, each boutique offers knowledgeable designers who are available to assist with all phases of each design project. LuxeHome’s boutiques are open for shopping Monday through Saturday. For more information, visit luxehome.com. Follow LuxeHome on Facebook, Houzz, Instagram or Twitter.
About theMART
theMART (formerly The Merchandise Mart), located in the center of the sought-after River North submarket, is interwoven into the fabric of Chicago as an innovator in business, technology, culture, art, media and more. As the largest privately held commercial building in the United States, it is one of the world’s leading commercial buildings, wholesale design centers and the preeminent international business location in Chicago. Encompassing 4.2 million gross square feet, theMART spans two city blocks, rises 25 stories, and is visited by an average of 30,000 people each business day and nearly 10 million people annually. Offering continuous innovation and creativity from leading manufacturers and design forward showrooms, theMART serves as the home to Chicago’s most creative and technologically innovative companies including Motorola Mobility, 1871, Yelp, PayPal and MATTER, as well as Fortune 500 companies ConAgra, Allstate, Kellogg, Beam Suntory, Grainger and Caterpillar.
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