A dear client reached out to ask “We bought this place, please tell us what fits and how to make it ours? “

After having lived for many years in a single family home on a peaceful street, our clients wanted our help in creating a new environment in a multi-unit, elevator building located in a more urban, dynamic section of Chicago. They saw the potential in this spacious, light-filled penthouse with a private roof garden and looked forward to creating a new chapter of their life together.

One element our clients envisioned was a wall of open–backed shelving to showcase their well-loved books, photos and objects collected from world travels. After creating multiple design concepts we worked closely with a local millworker who carefully walked us through construction details, logistics and costs to realize the client’s desires, including seeing a vibrant paint color behind the books. The owners are thrilled with their custom shelving!

Minus a few items, most of their loved antiques and furnishings fit just fine. We selected a few brighter accent colors, (changing things up a bit from the past), reupholstered some well-loved pieces, grouped artwork in new compositions and found some cool new lighting together. Although they miss gardening in their own front yard, they are happy as clams in their new place and the elevator has come in handy post–knee surgery!