Two employees chatting in the new Lettuce Chat break room

Lettuce Chat: The Fine Art of Flourishing Together

Blog, Employees

Lettuce Chat About The Garlands Difference. Some say it is the architecture. Others appreciate the fine dining and special events. And of course, there are also the many treasured relationships among neighbors… The truth is, all of these benefits contribute to “The Garlands difference,” however, in almost every thank you letter, comment card, satisfaction survey, and Google review, the Garlands team is lauded for its most noticeable difference—exceptional service and care.

Aquaponic Lettuce

Aqua Barn: Sustainable Local Sourcing

Amenities, Blog, Culinary

Sustainable Sourcing is ALWAYS on the Menu at The Garlands A guardian of Garlands members’ nutritional health and gastronomical delight, Executive Chef Glenn Zamet is a bit of a self-professed “locavore.” Sourcing locally produced, healthy food that is organically grown by Barrington neighbors while, at the same time, protecting the environment for future generations is…

Marie playing the accordion

One-Bedroom Homes “Make the Grade” at The Garlands

Blog, Members

Garlands homes offer the highest quality construction and thoughtful interior design and feature large, open floor plans, spacious rooms, oversized windows, and the finest finishes and appliances.

However, current inventory of Garlands homes is limited. Luckily, a few remaining one-bedroom floor plans offer immediate, “picture-perfect,” albeit limited, availability.

The Hawthorn

The Picture-Perfect Hawthorn Villa

Amenities, Blog

Garlands homes offer the highest quality construction and thoughtful interior design and feature large, open floor plans, spacious rooms, oversized windows, and the finest finishes and appliances. However, current inventory of Garlands homes is limited. Luckily, these select one-bedroom and Hawthorn Villa floorplans — offer immediate, “picture-perfect,” albeit limited, availability.

Do You Know the Mushroom Man?

Blog, Members

“HELLO! My name is Frank Rubino, and I think the mushrooms Chef Glenn serves at The Garlands of Barrington are awesome!” It is an enthusiastic and frequent refrain at the end of monthly Garlands member meetings from the proud grandpa of Chicago’s Four Star Mushroom’s founder and CEO, Joe Weber. The unofficial #1 hype man…

Books to the Ceiling

Blog, Members

Garlands member Roberta Rood, a retired public librarian of 25 years, moved to The Garlands with her husband (and “live-in IT guy”), Ron, from Maryland to be closer to their family in Chicago. Roberta reports that “The Garlands large residences gave us room to spread out and offered a nice office space for my bookshelves…

Bruce sitting in front of his piano with sheet music on the table in front of him

For the LOVE of MUSIC

Blog, Members

A retired information systems executive whose musical roots lead back to his days singing in the church choir, Bruce surfed the internet one day and found fantastic videos of musical performances from all sorts of genres on YouTube.  Intrigued, he curated a list of his favorites, compiled an hour-long program of video cuts, and invited…

Dorothy Winsor speaking at The Garlands about her new book

Author Hones Craft at The Garlands

Blog, Dorothy Winsor, Members

In her “retirement” at The Garlands, Dorothy Winsor pursues a second career as a young adult fiction author. To date, she has published seven books, including her most recent novel, Dragoncraft, a tale of duty, love, and the precarious dance between power and loyalty. Turns out Dorothy’s readership extends from “young adult” to “mature adult” as…

Lanny Ori in the library holding a book

For the LOVE of BOOKS

Blog, Members

Garlands member and long-time professional book reviewer and discussion leader, Lanny Ori, grew up in White Plains, New York, in, as she fondly recalls, “a house full of books where dinnertime discussions were a regular family activity.” After graduating from college with a degree in Art History, Lanny worked at the Boston Museum of Fine…

Dick holding a book with the text of Lincoln's second inaugural address

Learning Later Means Living Greater

Blog, Members

In his youth, Dick Schwemm wanted to become either a professional baseball player, sea captain, or a professor.  A graduate of Amherst College who earned a master’s degree in physics and math from the University of Illinois, Dick did do some teaching as a TA in grad school, however, once his 33-year career at IBM…

Martha sitting at her concierge desk

Chilly Nights, Warm Hearts

Blog, Employees

By day, Garlands concierge Martha Nielsen is a friendly source of knowledge and assistance for Garlands members and families, however, by night, weekends, and holidays, she is an international adventurer with over 120 European trips under her belt. A former, seasoned Scandinavian Airlines Global Sales Manager, Martha retired after nearly 37 years and began a…

Pam sitting at a desk with her laptop and books

Pam’s Passion for Preserving the Past

Blog, Members

Pam Wilson’s love for genealogy started not long after she, the daughter of a Belgium immigrant, married a man with ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War. Pam wondered, “Who were these people who led us to this union?” Thus, her journey back in time via genealogy began. A self-described “dogged researcher” and graphic designer, Pam…