"I would follow Jessica to the end of the Earth” Johanna Hynes says, referring to her designer, Jessica Stambaugh...
MANHATTAN PIED-À-TERRE FOR A NEW APARTMENT
HERE'S HOW SHE REIMAGINED A HOME FOR A NEW PHASE OF LIFE IN THE WINDY CITY.
Interior designer Sarah Vaile remembers eyeing a New York City apartment—one with bold colors and a personality as distinct as its chic owner—in a 2014 issue of House Beautiful, and tucking it away for future design inspiration. Years later, in a serendipitous turn of events, the woman she’d seen in the magazine—a stylish figure now in her 30s—just so happened to move to Chicago, where Vaile is based. And, as fate would have it—in the woman's quest to find someone to help translate her Manhattan residence to her new home in the Windy City—she found Vaile. In New York, the homeowner had relied on punchy and daring décor elements: think everything from an amethyst jeweled mirror hanging in the foyer, to a brown lacquered living room. Vaile and lead designer Lindsay Baker later took that initial design as the muse for this two-bedroom project, located in a historic Gold Coast building.
DINING ROOM
“We turned the palette on its head for the client’s next decade of life,” says Vaile. “Purple became lavender. The deep chocolate lacquer became a de Gournay mural. We took the design from Bungalow 5 to a more mature version of where it had once been.” The apartment already had a well-designed galley kitchen, which Vaile kept mostly the same, down to the Farrow & Ball Blackened paint. “The client said her favorite part of the new apartment is this custom de Gournay Le Eden mural,” says Vaile. “We actually talked her into doing it!” Vaile and her team found the vintage brass chandeliers at South Loop Loft and “learned the hard way” not to touch them directly. “We spent more time trying to get fingerprints off the brass than we did designing the apartment,” jokes Vaile. A black-painted MegMade buffet and 1stdibs regency mirror add to the whimsy, while a Fibreworks rug grounds the space.
LIVING ROOM
Vaile swathed the walls with Farrow & Ball Borrowed Light, which changes in tone from pale blue to soft gray throughout the day. A 1970s Mastercraft vintage brass chest, sourced from South Loop Loft, grounds the design. “We like to mix time periods in our décor,” says Vaile. Soft lighting, including table lamps and white palm sconces from Chelsea House, make the space feel more urbane. To balance the vivid color scheme, which Vaile jokingly describes as “Easter egg colors,” the designer relied on natural accessories that counteract the purple and orange tones. She added natural-fiber rugs, an Elephant-shaped raffia side table, a Williams-Sonoma tiger throw pillow, and a bespoke burl wood dining table by Scout Design Studio.She also mixed masculine and feminine design elements, with skirted and tassled seating set against sculptural accents and metallic fixtures.
Van Selin
July 09th, 2022
This is a huge inspiration, I wanted to apply it on my future space. I like the dark earthy color; it is a nice change from the mostly white painted boring walls.
Nat Collen
Aug 26th, 2022
I love this living room set up. It has plenty of room to move around and it's super clean. I love how modern and up-to-date it looks.
Jess Ingle
Sep 21th, 2022
I am absolutely in love with this kitchen. I've never seen anything like it before. It's so modern and yet simple, which is what I was looking for. The color is perfect and the style is so sleek, it really brings my entire space together. Kitchen has given me a new sense of home!
ADD A COMMENT
SHARE YOUR THOUGHT
ADD A COMMENT
Your email address will not be publish. Required fields are marked *
Hot
Stories, Styles
6 mins read
Let look inside a bohemian beach house on Martha's Vineyard
Hot
Stories, Styles
6 mins read
Modern Texas home is beautiful & completely kid-friendly
Making a modern home that's both kid-friendly and beautiful is no simple task. But for one family of six in...
Hot
Stories, Styles
6 mins read
Tudor-style home in Chicago's North Shore is chock-full
From a white carved mantel & twin vanities to a pair of bar stools and an ebonized dining table. Like many...
COMMENTS