A Life of Collecting:

Following the firm’s memorable auctions in spring 2023 of Kay and Fred Krehbiel’s Chicago and Palm Beach homes, Freeman’s is honored to present Part IV of Property from the Kay and Fred Krehbiel Collection on December 4. The auction, comprising property from the family’s Downtown Chicago apartment, features nearly 300 lots and celebrates the couple’s extraordinary gift for forming a beautiful home around their love of 18th and early 19th century furniture and works of art.

Kay and her late husband, Fred, traveled extensively and shared a passion for collecting wherever they went. Fred’s connoisseurship in 18th century furniture, paired with Kay’s discerning taste for porcelain, led to long friendships with dealers and experts such as Robin Kern in London, amongst others.

Fred, the former Co-Chairman of Molex Incorporated, helped grow the firm into a Fortune 500 company with locations in over 40 countries. Throughout their travels and business ventures, the Krehbiels showed a particular fondness for Irish heritage, history, and design. Fred embarked on the massive restoration of Ballyfin, a huge circa-1820 property that would take ten years to complete. Today, it is one of the world’s most celebrated and awarded hotels.

As at Ballyfin, an interest in the preservation of country houses is felt in the considered collections that filled their private residences. The Krehbiels’ love and appreciation of beautiful things was enhanced by Imogen Taylor of the renowned English design firm, Colefax and Fowler.

Working with Imogen over many years, Fred and Kay formed glorious homes in Chicago, London, and Ireland. They were enormously hospitable—constantly entertaining and sharing their homes with friends and experts within the decorative arts.

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