Designing Barrington Lifestyles | Barrington Horse Country
Designing Barrington Lifestyles
A Barrington Hills couple creates their English Country Estate with
a touch of Zen for an elegant, but livable equestrian lifestyle.
When it comes to relocating, even a short distance, the process is demanding. For Amy Murphy of Barrington Hills, losing her husband to cancer and facing life in the family’s South Barrington estate on Polo Drive alone was too much to handle. She’d lived near downtown Barrington before in a moderate home that she fixed up, but the formal French Estate in South Barrington was another story—so many furnishings, gilded décor everywhere, and overwhelming to face for a person in a state of bereavement.
Murphy turned to an interior designer, Hyla Guerriere, whom she had met years earlier and worked with on her home near the village. “I had met Hyla and found her to be upbeat, elegant, and having good taste in interior design,” she said. “I needed a plan to help me move from my home in South Barrington to a new home in Barrington Hills.”
Murphy was born and raised in Barrington, and attended local schools and then graduated from Barrington High School. After BHS, Murphy traveled to California to attend UCLA after completing two years at Harper College, and she stayed in L.A. after college to attend the Cleveland College of Chiropractic. After many years, she decided to move home to Barrington to raise her family.
When she became a widow, Murphy met a man who would become her husband and together they have combined their personal styles at home. Kevin Murphy, a native of Racine, had also lost his spouse during the same period of time. The two met through a connection while they were both going through bereavement.
Their home in Barrington Hills has provided a chance for the two to move on with their lives together, and blend their personal style and taste into a comfortable home where they can entertain friends and family, keep their horses nearby, and walk into a room with a deep breath and sense of pride with the beauty they’ve created.
Interior designer Hyla Guerriere shares her top design ideas for Amy and Kevin Murphy’s home.
Mixing Old and New
The chairs have been in Amy’s family since 1960, and we have recovered them twice. A custom fireplace mantel was added which works well with the nearby kitchen island, both made by Acquistions with a similar design idea.
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Making It Your Own
For the dining room, a French country table and set of chairs were chosen and a Schonbek chandelier was added for interest. Amy brought the painting that was a gift to her from a friend in L.A. The 19th century glass urns add a touch of elegance to the setting.
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Livable Space
Living beautifully is taking a sense of pride in your home, not just the exterior, but the interior, too. You don’t have to spend a fortune to get results. There are garage sales, and stores like Pink Geranium for finding those special things.
—Amy Murphy
My approach is to bring out the soul of a client, their personal style, and help them imagine the perfect space. That way, they can live authentically in a space that is truly theirs.
—Hyla Guerriere
