What Is an Interior Design Show House?
An interior design showhouse is a house that is set aside exclusively for designers to exhibit their design skills and is open for public viewing. Entry is usually ticketed and the proceeds of the showhouse support charity organizations.
Most designers dream of being a part of an interior design showhouse.
The headrush that comes with the excitement of planning and executing your most creative design ideas and the sense of achievement with working within a strict deadline is indeed exhilarating. Even if you’re not participating in it, visiting a showhouse can be beneficial for your business. Showhouses enable designers to gain more visibility, get validation for their design skills, explore their creative side, and enhance their networks.
Below are some of the most popular interior design showhouses in the United States. So mark your calendars, and get ready to be part of a showhouse, or simply visit one for design inspiration and networking.
Most Popular Interior Design Showhouses
1. Aspire House Designer Showhouse
Where: Princeton, New Jersey
When: The showhouse is usually open in November.
Benefit: The showhouse aims to fund design talent from underrepresented communities throughout the world in support of diversity in the design industry.
2. Atlanta Home for the Holidays
Where: Atlanta, Georgia
When: The showhouse is usually open from November – December.
Benefit: The proceeds from the showhouse benefit the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
3. Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Designer Showhouse
Where: Atlanta, Georgia
When: The showhouse is usually open from February – March
Benefit: The showhouse supports Atlanta’s cultural institutions, such as the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
4. Brooklyn House Designer Showhouse
Where: Brooklyn, New York
When: The showhouse is usually open from September – October.
Benefits: Proceeds support the Brooklyn Heights Association’s work, aiming to provide leadership in balancing historic preservation with 21st-century ideals.
5. Charleston Symphony Designer Showhouse
Where: Charleston, South Carolina
When: The showhouse is usually open from March – April.
Benefit: The proceeds from the showhouse support the Charleston Symphony Orchestra League and other music scholarships.
6. Hampton Designer Showhouse
Where: Sag Harbor, New York
When: The showhouse is open from July – August
Benefit: The Hampton Designer showhouse supports Stony Brook Southampton Hospital.
7. Holiday House Hamptons
Where: Water Mill, New York
When: The showhouse is usually open for public viewing between June – August.
Benefit: The Holiday House Hamptons showhouse was started in support of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
8. Holiday House New York
Where: New York
When: The showhouse is usually open from November -December.
Benefit: The proceeds from the showhouse benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
9. Interior Design Society, Charlotte
Where: Charlotte, North Carolina
When: The showhouse is open from March – April.
Beneficiary: The proceeds from the showhouse go towards benefiting the Motor Racing Outreach, The Dale Jr Foundation, The Hendrick Family Foundation, and Operation Finally Home Charlotte Chapter.
10. Jewels on the Bay Sarasota Designer Showhouse
Where: Sarasota, Florida
When: The showhouse is usually open from March – April.
Benefit: The showhouse benefits the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County.
11. Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse
Where: The Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse has three venues: New York, Palm Beach, and Dallas.
When: The New York showhouse is open between May – June, Palm Beach between February – March, and Dallas between September – October.
Beneficiary: The showhouse is dedicated to funding the Kips Bay Boys and Girls club.
12. Lake Forest Showhouse
Where: Lake Forest, Illinois
When: The showhouse is open from July – August
Benefit: The proceeds from the showhouse support the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago.
13. McLean Designer Showhouse
Where: McLean, Virginia
When: The showhouse is usually open from August -September.
Benefit: The showcase benefits the Aspire Design & Home Diversity in Design Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarships to design talents from underrepresented communities.
14. Milieu Designer Showhouse
Where: Houston, Texas
When: The showhouse is usually open in April.
Benefit: The proceeds from the showhouse benefit the Clayton Dabney for Kids with Cancer Mission.
15. Minneapolis ASID Showcase Home
Where: Minneapolis, Minnesota
When: The showhouse is usually open from May – June.
Benefit: Junior Leagues of Minneapolis and St. Paul
16. Pasadena Showcase House
Where: Pasadena, California
When: The showhouse is usually open for tours from April-May.
Benefit: The proceeds from the showhouse are used to fund local music programs and award gifts and grants to other non-profit organizations that provide music programs.
17. Southeastern Designer Showhouse and Gardens
Where: Atlanta, Georgia
When: The showhouse is usually open in June.
Benefits: The showhouse’s proceeds support the Atlanta History Center, which serves schoolchildren through class field trips or classroom outreach.
18. San Francisco Decorator Showhouse
Where: West Clay Park, San Francisco
When: The showhouse is usually open from August – September.
Benefit: The showhouse benefits the San Francisco University High School financial aid program.
19. St. Margaret’s Hospital Guild Decorators’ Showhouse and Gardens
Where: Indianapolis, Indiana
When: The showhouse is usually open from April – May
Benefit: The proceeds from the showhouse support St. Margaret’s Hospital Guild’s mission to raise funds for the programs and services of Eskenazi Health.
20. Symphony Designers’ Showhouse
Where: Kansas City, Missouri
When: The showhouse is usually open in May.
Benefit: Sponsored by the Kansas City Symphony Alliance, the showhouse is a beneficiary for the Kansas City Symphony.
21. The Junior League of Detroit Designers’ Showhouse
Where: Detroit, Michigan
When: The showhouse is usually open from September – October.
Benefit: The funds raised from the showhouse support the Junior League Detroit’s local philanthropic efforts, such as a community impact initiative called ‘Project EAT’, which helps create a more food secure community by providing Education, Access, and Tools to the needy.
22. Tulsa Designer Showcase
Where: Tulsa, Oklahoma
When: The showhouse is usually open from April – May.
Benefit: The proceeds raised from the showcase benefit the Foundation for Tulsa Schools, which is committed to building a better community by actively soliciting grants and donations benefiting Tulsa Public Schools.
23. Wisconsin Breast Cancer Showhouse
Where: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
When: The showhouse is usually open from May – June
Benefit: The showhouse supports early-stage breast cancer and prostate cancer research at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Excited about participating in an interior design showhouse? Find out everything you need to know about the application, process, and benefits of participating in an interior design showhouse (here).
Have you ever visited a showhouse? Tell us about your experience. Which one of these is your favorite? Did we miss out on any other influential showhouses? Let us know in the comments below.
