Sarah and the Not So Big Showhouse crew

The Not So Big Showhouse never would have come into being were it not for the many people and companies involved along the way.  There are so many product suppliers who deserve recognition that we've put a sponsors page together on the Not So Big Showhouse website and have encouraged the product suppliers to tell their stories and the part they played. I've included a few key players in the photos at right as well, and you'll find others in the sidebars of other articles in this Minazine. From the whole house of furnishings

provided by Room & Board (my favorite company for furnishings that fit Not So Big Houses), to the Marvin window in the Library Alcove which I originally designed for their MyMarvin Dream Window Project a couple of years ago, to the amazing disappearing bed in the Away Room from Resource Furniture, to the spectacular green roof above the

Room & Board furnished the entire showhouse, and Marvin provided the window for the Library Alcove.

garage from Hursthouse -- every feature has a story, along with someone behind that story that made it not just good but exceptional. A huge thank you to everyone for their part in making the Showhouse such a success.  I hope we'll have the opportunity for a repeat performance before too long.  

John McLinden and Sarah

And then there are specific individuals without whom this project could not have happened.  John McLinden of StreetScape Development had the vision and the determination not only to create a new kind of house in the middle of the worst recession since the Great Depression, but also had the persistence necessary to get my attention and entice me to participate. Together with his business partner, Jack Lemm, who provided much wisdom and experience throughout the project, they allowed me to put forward a model for a better house for the post-recession economy when banks were dubious at best about the notion of creating a spec house. I could not be happier with the results, and am looking forward to more ventures together in the not too distant future.

Architect Duane Carter helped to turn my design into working drawings in record time, and he is now expert in all the intricacies and alignments required in a house where ceiling height variety plays a major role. We were a great team.   

Russ Head

As we moved into the construction process everyone at StreetScape Development has been wonderful to work with, and one of the StreetScape team who deserves a lot more public recognition than he gets is Director of Construction, Russell Head.  Russ was at the helm of the showhouse construction process, as well as the construction of all the other houses going up along School Street at the same time. Given the quantity of activity being managed along with the complexity of coordination that automatically arises with the building of a showhouse, I'm more than a little impressed at his management skills as well as his calm presence.  Thank you Russ!

In addition to John, Jack, and Russ, the entire team at StreetScape -- Mary Danaher, Maria Rill, Dave Pollard, Tom Head, Bruce Nailer, Mark LoCascio and Nancy McLinden -- have been truly amazing. They all put their hearts and souls into making this project the success that it clearly is. There's no way that a few words in a Minazine can possibly describe the gratitude I feel for all that they did to make this happen.

The photo leading off this article was taken during Grand Opening week, and gives you a sense of the superb construction team working away behind the scenes to pull off this project.  These are the people who rarely even see the final results of their work, and yet without their presence and the care they bring to what they do, none of us would have the opportunity to tell the story you are reading here. Everyone deserves a big slice of the praise that usually goes only to the stars that provide the quotes for stories and articles.  

Everyone at Room & Board, and most especially David Staten, the designer I worked with, deserves a huge thank you, both for their willingness to participate so completely in making this showhouse look so beautiful (it's no small undertaking to furnish a whole house for 6 months!) and for their attention to all of the small details that make this house feel like a real home.

MJ Seiler, Sarah, Rick Davidson, and John McLinden

And now the house is in the capable hands of Libertyville's Century 21 realtors, Kreuser and Seiler. MJ Seiler in particular has been a powerful force in promoting this showhouse project within the community.  I had the opportunity on several occasions to address all the Century 21 agents from Libertyville and the surrounding area, so they've been in on the ground floor of the envisioning process.  Shortly before the showhouse was complete I shared the stage at a realtors gathering with Rick Davidson, the CEO of Century 21, and had the opportunity to tour him around the showhouse afterwards. It was particularly thrilling to see how excited Rick was with the Not So Big concept. He told me that his wife was already a big fan of my work, and wished there were houses like this one in his own city. "This is exactly what we're looking for," he told me, which made my day!

My final thank you is to the Village of Libertyville, which has steadfastly promoted the showhouse being built in its midst.  I can't tell you how much I've appreciated that support. Libertyville is an extraordinary place.  If you pay a visit to the showhouse, I hope you'll enjoy this remarkable and vibrant small town as much as I have.  It's quite a place -- truly a Not So Big Village that embodies the attitudes I write about in my books, if ever there was one.   

*Living room photo by Barry Rustin