Designer’s Imagination Delivers an Enchanted Playroom

Nothing in the landscape was blooming on the December day when Theresa Hansen of Theresa Hansen Interiors toured the Lake Forest Showhouse. But she remembers seeing two large oak trees behind the house. And this vision partly inspired Hansen’s design for a little girl’s playroom and adjoining bathroom in the 15,000-square-foot Pembroke Lodge property.

The Lake Forest Showhouse is a charitable event, benefitting the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago and showcases the work of dozens of interior and landscape designers. With those large backyard trees in mind, Hansen’s concept for the playroom was to design a woodland animal experience for a girl who might be unaccustomed to Midwestern flora and fauna.

“I also wanted it to have some sophistication,” says Hansen. “It’s not a nursery. So I didn’t want it to be babyish.” Knowing what she wanted to create, and also loving a pink and green color combination, Hansen was immediately drawn to a Jane Churchill Wildwood fabric. “It is so sophisticated. It gives you that woodland theme on a smaller scale. It’s kind of understated, but not something limited to a child’s room.” A color palette and foundational fabric was chosen. Then Hansen layered in elements to develop the space’s enchanting vintage charm.

For the adjoining bathroom, Hansen wanted to design a space that referenced the 1800s era of the home’s original construction. That included detailed stone wainscotting and intricate fabrication of the vanity. Hansen remembers asking a Cambria team member if that was possible with Cambria quartz surfaces. “I remember them saying, ‘you can do most anything with Cambria,’” says Hansen, who selected Cambria’s Avalene quartz design for the wainscotting and vanity.

The design’s subtle deep green veins traverse throughout a cool white background that’s infused with elegant charcoal marbling and swirling gray hues. Hansen says, “You can’t believe how many people came into the bathroom and asked, ‘Is this marble?’ I think that’s fantastic because it’s such a better product to use in a space like that. You can do things with quartz that you can’t do with marble and other stones. We are so thrilled with the way it came together.”

“I’m so glad we had the opportunity to work with the quartz and the different thicknesses. That makes it easier to install. And Cambria has so many different [designs] to choose from, it makes it easier to select, and it gives you more flexibility.”

The playroom is pure magic—a whimsical hideaway any little girl would fall in love with. From the soft palette to the thoughtful details, it’s a space designed to spark imagination and joy. But Hansen’s vision didn’t stop there. More than just charming, the room is cleverly composed with a sophistication that appeals across generations. It’s no surprise that women visiting the Lake Forest Showhouse found themselves drawn to it. Because, with just a few elegant adjustments, the space could effortlessly transform into a serene home office or an intimate reading room—proof of Hansen’s ability to blend enchantment with enduring versatility.