Judy Niedermaier, 71, renowned designer

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If you’ve ever admired the window displays at a glitzy Chicago store, chances are you were seeing the work of the design firm of Judy Niedermaier.

Mrs. Niedermaier, whose lufxe, clean style was both current and classic, died Monday of lung cancer at her Gold Coast home. She was 71.

In addition to doing store displays, props, furniture and interiors, she designed a couch for the set of “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” according to her daughter, Diana Hayden, and Michael Kutza, founder of the Chicago Film Festival. (Her friends believe it’s the one on which Tom Cruise famously jumped, though show officials say it’s a different sofa.)

She also helped produce fiberglass cows for “Cows on Parade,” the 1999 Chicago street-art exhibit that drew smiles and tourists, and furniture that decorated the city in the 2001 “Suite Home Chicago” event.

Cosmetics maven Marilyn Miglin, who often appears on the Home Shopping Network, credited Mrs. Niedermaier with helping boost her career.

“She was my favorite friend and mentor, and she gave me advice that steered me very well,” Miglin said. “She is the one who said I should go on television.”

Shelley MacArthur Farley, a friend, said Mrs. Niedermaier “was an international businesswoman and a brand, but she was also a tremendous mother.”

“She was hip. She had a great sense of style. There was a panache and a sexiness and an intelligence and confidence that she had that really moved people.”

Mrs. Niedermaier was president of her senior class at Lake View High School, where she met her future husband, Dale. She followed him to the University of Miami.

She once described her design philosophy to the university magazine. “I don’t believe in clutter or in overdoing things,” she said. “To create a beautiful environment, you start with a box, and make sure each thing that goes in it is selected for scale, proportion, beauty and lasting quality.”

Dale Niedermaier started the firm in 1965 as a display business. By 1974, Mrs. Niedermaier had assumed the role of president, Diana Hayden said. Their client list was top of the line: AT&T; Henri Bendel; Bloomingdale’s; Coach; Marshall Field’s; Bergdorf Goodman; Gucci; Lord & Taylor; Macy’s; Nike; Ralph Lauren Polo stores, Saks and Tiffany.

“She did Christmas [displays] for all the Gaps and The Limited,” Diana Hayden said. “She did the tree at 900 North Michigan.”

She even decorated a royal palace in Kuwait.

In 1985, she started Niedermaier Furniture with Gary Lee.

Her showrooms in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York featured the work of designers Nate Berkus, among others. She collaborated with renowned photographer Victor Skrebneski on a collection for her Chicago showroom.

“My dearest friend Judy will never be replaced,” Skrebneski said.

Mrs. Niedermaier’s work covered everything from lighting to upholstery. “She loved white,” her daughter said. Her displays often were laced with whimsy. For department-store props, the New York Times once noted, she might use Dick Tracy cutouts or giant Tinkertoys.

Mrs. Niedermaier was active in social and charity circles, helping raise money to combat cancer and AIDS. She also taught advanced interior design and architecture at the School of the Art Institute, where she was on the board of governors. She always dressed beautifully and had a stunning shoe collection, Kutza said. And she loved the music of Frank Sinatra.

Mrs. Niedermaier also is survived by her son, Jeff, and five grandchildren. Arrangements were pending.