A designer dog house auction held Saturday during Design Week raised more than $1,500 toward the redesign and expansion of Highwood’s Everts Park.
The event capped the second annual Highwood Design Week, which was started to raise awareness of the city’s design and artisan businesses. The Highwood Chamber of Commerce hosts the weeklong event, which also included a packed schedule of daily free educational and entertaining in-store and virtual events
“Highwood is known for its bars, restaurants and festivals,” said Pat Lenzini, events coordinator for the Highwood Chamber of Commerce. “Design Week was created to bring more people into Highwood and show what we have to offer. It’s an aspect of Highwood that not many people are aware of.”
The four dog houses – and one dog bed, which did not receive any bids – were created by area businesses. The auction’s biggest attraction was the 600-pound “Dog’s Paradise” created by Carpets of Highwood and All Star Home Improvements. The creation fetched a highest-bid of $900 from Debbie Spoungen.
Among its deluxe features are a window with a roll-up window shade, wainscoting, wallpaper, carpet flooring, solar lighting, a cedar shake roof and an outside ledge that accommodates two dog bowls. The house caught the attention of Furley, an Orphans of the Storm animal shelter rescue dog, and his human companion, Ian Solomon of Highwood.
The next highest bid-getter, at $275, was the “Dog Tails” house built by the ABL Group, a home improvement company, and was sponsored by Carolyn Cerf, the Chamber’s executive director.
The remaining dog houses each received high bids of $200. One, the “Love House,” was built by Dovetails Custom Cabinetry and was sponsored by Rick’s Auto Care and Collision Repair located in Highland Park. The other, which featured a floral balcony, was created by The Silk Thumb and was sponsored by Highland Park-based Menoni and Mocogni, which offers landscaping and building materials.
Bids were taken in person and on the chamber’s Facebook page. Lenzini estimates that upwards of 30 people, who were socially distant at all times due to the ongoing pandemic, attended the three-hour auction in person at The Patio at Chicago Mike’s Ice Cream.
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Design Week kicked off Sept. 21with a reception at Loft 329, a collaborative space for artists and event venue. Attendees like Grace Roebel, of Lake Bluff, networked with co-owners Brenda Robles, Jennifer Edwards and Carrie Novak about home decorating tips.
Other participating companies included Sierra Pacific Windows – which hosted “Designing Your Perfect COVID Escape,” Carpets of Highwood and Silk Thumb – which offered advice on “Modern Workspace Makeovers,” and The ABL Group, FWC Architects and Dovetails Cabinetry, whose “Rediscovering Home: A Mini Home Show” presentation sold out.
The novel coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of summer events and festivals nationwide and locally this year. Lenzini said the chamber opted to proceed with Design Week “being COVID-conscious” in accordance with government and public health officials’ safety guidelines for the disease, which is caused by coronavirus.
“We have to be able to enjoy something because this has been such a challenging year for everyone. Every industry worldwide has been affected by this,” Lenzini said, referring to the pandemic. “To be able to do something fun like this and bring a charity aspect is very important.”
Donald Liebenson is a freelancer.