About Susan
Curriculum Vitae
Creating designs of distinction for 30 years, Susan Fredman is founder and CEO of her namesake firm, Susan Fredman Design Group. As one of the largest design firms in the Chicagoland area, Susan Fredman Design Group has earned a national reputation and established full-service offices in downtown Chicago and Michigan’s Harbor Country. The recipient of numerous awards and honors, Fredman is widely recognized as a leader in the Chicago design community and beyond. In addition to her signature At Home With Nature home store and fabric line, Fredman’s work has garnered the attention of numerous media channels including Architectural Digest, Better Homes & Gardens, House Beautiful, Chicago Magazine, Chicago HOME, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Lake Magazine, The New York Times, Traditional Home, Crain’s Chicago Business, Interiors & Sources, HGTV, FOX and NBC. She is the celebrated author of At Home With Nature: Great Interiors from the Great Outdoors, which includes a portfolio of her work. Susan has also shared her expertise as a speaker at the National Conference for the American Society for Interior Designers (ASID), as well as at NEOCON, the industry’s largest tradeshow. Additionally, she was a speaker at one of the country’s premier fine craft shows, the American Craft Exposition, held annually in Evanston, Illinois.
As the result of numerous hours dedicated to her own firm’s pro bono design projects, Susan Fredman was motivated to act on her beliefs and vision, and thus, this idea was born. In 2000, she founded Supporting the Spirit Foundation, now known as Designs for Dignity of Heartland Alliance, as an avenue for interior designers to truly transform the lives of those served by nonprofit organizations. A nonprofit design resource, Designs for Dignity (DFD) provides pro bono design services by professional interior designers to area nonprofits as well as Heartland program sites to create environments that reflect dignity, hope and comfort.
Professional Experience and Affiliations
• Illinois State Certified Interior Designer since 1993.(License number 161-002-736)
• Professional Member, American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) since 1994.
• ASID Illinois Chapter Board member, 2003.
• ASID Illinois Chapter Board Vice President, 2002.
• ASID Illinois Chapter Membership Chairwoman
• Heartland Alliance Board of Directors, 2006.
• Auxiliary Liaison for Heartland Alliance Board of Directors, 2003-2006.
• Author of At Home With Nature: Great Interiors from the Great Outdoors published in 2000.
• Appearance Review Commissioner, City of Highland Park, IL 1987-1988.
• Adjunct Professor, Harrington College of Design
(Community Service Internship, Interior Design for Nonprofits: Design for Change)
• Keynote Speaker at Harrington College of Design 2003.
• Awarded “Best Interior Designer of 2006” by Fine Furnishings International (FFI)
for their annual Prima Awards.
• Illinois State University, Bachelor of Fine Arts, 1973.
