Sycamore Journal
SYCAMORE - Dee Schlagel is a lot like movie actor Kevin Bacon.
But instead of six degrees, it’s seven phone calls for Schlagel.
“I firmly believe seven phone calls will get you whatever you’re looking for,” said Schlagel, a Sycamore resident.
Schlagel is a headhunter of sorts. But instead of people, Schlagel finds objects and locations that people want. OK, so maybe she’s more like Indiana Jones than Kevin Bacon.
“Everything I find is always exciting because you’re on a quest,” said Schlagel, who has found items and places for Blue Cross, The Franklin Mint, Macy’s, U.S. Sprint and 20th Century Fox. Maybe her greatest find was her first find, the one that got her into the business.
While living in Philadelphia 20 years ago, Schlagel was asked if she could find a Frank Lloyd Wright barrel chair. Sure enough, seven phone calls later, Schlagel found one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s apprentices, who just happened to have a barrel chair.
“I’ve been lucky,” Schlagel said. “Extremely lucky.”
Now Schlagel is the owner of an interior decorating firm, Design Discovery Ltd., that offers design consultation, real- estate styling, antique discovery and location scouting.
Since 1989, she has lived at Saddle Ridge Farm on the north side of Sycamore. It’s a beautiful house, furnished with every imaginable antique and lush gardens on the outside.
“That was it,” Schlagel said. “When I walked in I knew it was going to be a location that could lure photographers in.”
And the house lived up to its promise. Country Living; Bed, Bath & Beyond; and The Limited used her home and its exterior for their photo shoots. Even Playboy checked it out.
“Playboy scouted it,” Schlagel said. “Didn’t use it. My husband was disappointed.”
During her tenure as a prop master, Schlagel has run across a number of famous people, including actor/director Danny DeVito (he asked her to scout locations for “The War of the Roses”), football player Randall Cunningham (she propped the set for his television show) and basketball player Julius Erving (foot powder - that’s all you need to know).
She’s even been thanked on television by an Emmy winner for the work she did propping “The Petrified Forest.” In fact, the ram’s head from the bar scene now stares at her and her husband, Ed Schlagel, from their kitchen wall.
“At the time, I didn’t realize what an honor it was to do this,” Schlagel said.
Now, the Naperville native spends most of her time in Sycamore and the surrounding area doing what she loves best, finding those rare finds.
“I like all of it,” Schlagel said. “I’m passionate about my work. I love what I do. Most people spend most of their lives trying to figure out what they want to do when they grow up. I found out 20 years ago.”
More information
Contact Dee Schlagel
Cell: (630) 643-3699
Office: (815) 899-3179
E-mail: designdiscovery@aol.com
Web site: designdiscoveryltd.com
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