Camp Rosemary: The Estate of Posy Krehbiel, Part I

Camp Rosemary, as it is affectionately known by the family who have been its stewards since 1988, comprises nearly nine acres of awe-inspiring gardens and a classically proportioned red brick Georgian house designed in 1904 by Benjamin Marshall for John Taylor Pirie (1871-1940) and his wife Sophie Skirving Hunter (1872-1966). At the time, Marshall engaged Bostonian landscape architect Rose Standish Nichols to design the estate’s formal gardens. Today, the house and gardens are a culmination of thirty years of collaboration between Posy Krehbiel, her family, a dedicated team of workers, architects, designers, and distinguished gardeners.

Posy Krehbiel, a renowned philanthropist, artist, athlete, world traveler, and avid gardener, cultivated an extraordinary life at Camp Rosemary. Beginning with renovations by Chicago architect Thomas Beeby, Kirsten Beeby, and later working with Imogen Taylor of Colefax and Fowler—the leading arbiters of English country house taste—Posy and John Krehbiel preserved and enhanced their historic property, a treasured stalwart of Lake Forest heritage. With a thoughtful eye for preservation and a keen sense of taste, Posy and John breathed new life into the home, expanding its footprint through the addition of a delightfully ornamental swimming pool folly with a Dutch-inspired gable rising over an open terrace. The pool house’s interiors, on the other hand, are inspired by classical Swedish rooms, with trompe l’oeil painted murals. A destructive fire in 1995 ruined part of the garage wing and the apartment above it, providing an opportunity to build a conservatory and with it an adjoining guest house. And on and on, creating a stylish, comfortable, and unpretentious residence, as well as perhaps the finest private garden in North America.

Throughout Posy’s home’s collection, the connection to the garden is profound. Botanical upholstery, framed specimens, and leaf-form ceramics are pervasive. Eighteenth century English and Continental furniture complete the country house idyll. Now, the thousands of enthusiasts who followed Posy Krehbiel through her garden gate can acquire one of many objects in which her vibrant, joyful essence is palpable. 

Photos of Camp Rosemary by Tom Rossiter.

Appearing in overall sturdy and ready to place condition. Breaks down to 4 parts, the bonnet, the frieze, the cabinet, and the stand. Flaking to the paint, primarily on the frieze. The glass doors are intact. There is a key which functions for the cabinet doors. There are 2 shelves. The fabric curtains are clean and intact. The molding underneath the frieze is loose on the proper left front corner. The pull for the drawer on the proper right side of the stand is detached, but present. There is an age split on the proper left side of the case. The legs appear to have more age than the rest of the case and are attached with metal brackets. There is a gouge in the back proper right corner. The drawers each have a pin to lock without a key. Additional images available upon request.

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