Craig Bergmann is the creative force behind the horticultural displays at this year’s Antiques, Garden & Design Show. He’s also one of the Show’s biggest shoppers.
“There’s something about the adventure of coming to the show,” said the Lake Forest landscape architect. “You don’t know what you’ll find, but you’ll find something.”
Committee member Donna LaPietra and Craig Bergmann at last year’s show. Photo ©Cheri Eisenberg
Bergmann has practiced “the art of fine gardening” for decades as head of Craig Bergmann Landscape Design, Inc. This spring he will infuse the Show with his trademark style—an interplay of the classic and contemporary. Bergmann has devised a fresh, updated look—a series of indoor gardens that put a twist on traditional diamond motifs, and use a streamlined color palette of green, chartreuse, white and black. As an exhibitor in the Rose Garden Tent, his company will sell garden-related objects, containers and plants—and he will also carve out some time to peruse the antiques and collectables.
The pieces presented at the Antiques, Garden & Design Show have passed through an extreme quality sieve wielded by trusted dealers with a distinct skill set, according to Bergmann.
To give you a better feeling for what you’re likely to see at the Show, we’ve put together a gallery of some of Bergmann’s favorite finds from previous years, as well as antiquities he’s installed in clients’ gardens. Past performance can be a predictor of future success when it comes to the Garden’s annual event. “Dealers save objects for the show,” he said. “They bring in the best. It makes you feel really special that you’re able to shop there.”
Bergmann couldn’t resist these muse statues, representations of the four seasons. The pieces are from France and date to 1917, the same age as his home. They now serve as the centerpiece of Bergmann’s main garden. Photo ©Linda Oyama Bryan
This vintage patio set, another one of Bergmann’s purchases, helps blend the garden with the interior of the home. “It’s much more the norm today to be inside and outside,” Bergmann said. Photo ©Linda Oyama Bryan
“Stone troughs were used to feed and water livestock, Bergmann said, “now they’re on some of the finest patios in Chicago.” Vintage planters and accessories add interest and sophistication to Bergmann’s container garden design pictured above. Bergmann sees a trend toward using hardier plants in container gardens. Consider using an ornamental shrub—think a blue flowering hydrangea or boxwood—or some perennials. They can be heeled into the soil for easy in-ground storage over the winter. Photo ©Linda Oyama Bryan
Travel and the Internet provide clients access to a growing “gene pool” of design images, says Bergmann. Clients may be inspired by something they see on Pinterest or become fascinated by a roof top garden they visited in LA or the innovative High Line park in New York City. Growing sophistication gives clients the confidence to create interest by juxtaposing the ornate with the modern. The contemporary Michigan farm garden designed by Bergmann, above, uses an antique roof finial from France to guide the eye toward the horizon. Photo ©Linda Oyama Bryan
A rusted armillary provides a focal point for Bergmann’s intimate garden design, a classic boxwood topiary bordered by roses and perennials. Intrigued? You’re likely to find similar armillary spheres at this year’s show or fall in love with your own one-of-a-kind object. Photo ©Linda Oyama Bryan
“Because our culture is so world savvy in relationship to style, people want to express that in their home,” Bergmann said. “Think of a traditional rose bouquet with baby’s breath and leather leaf ferns. Today this could be 2” high and 6” round and stuck into a 200-year-old Chinese mortar.” Vendors such as The Golden Triangle bring ancient objects new life by contrasting their uses. Bergmann uses tropical foliage, above, to compliment this venerable bench in his “Asian antiquities” garden design. Photo ©Linda Oyama Bryan
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