FIERCE AND FEARLESS: MEET THE DESIGN KINGS OF LAKEVIEW

Meet the Design Kings of Lakeview!

Nestled in a community that boasts famous Architects, luxury amenities at your doorstep, foot traffic that rivals New York along with  $1Million plus in closed home sales, Lakeview is home to DESIGN KINGS, Tom & Jess. Take a peepk into their Mid Century Modern home designed by world renown architect Homer Rissman.  Note how they take design into their own hands. Fearless in their sense of color and style; fierce in their layout, flow and design. Go grab a cup of coffee or glass of red and settle in and meet the Kings!

Location: Lakeview, Chicago

Style: Mid Century Modern Townhouse

Size:  3,000 square feet

Years Lived In:  18 years

What’s your style? 

Jess:  I don’t have a set style.  I like what I like.  I’m good at picturing things together, color and space.  I’ve always had this ability. I like antiques, new things, Art Deco, contemporary, really anything nice.

Tom:  Clean lines and an openness to integrating different periods. Examples of clean lines can come from all different periods. I hate the term “minimalist.”  I’m reminded of a line in Amadeus that goes something like this:

“Salieri: It has too many notes.  Mozart: It does not have too many notes or too little notes.  It has the number of notes required.”

Too little in a room can really make it look smaller, can make it look rote and predictable, can make it look empty and lonely.  Too much in a room makes it look uncomfortable, unplanned and messy.  I guess my style would be described as seeking a balanced, interesting blend of unique beautiful furnishings without slavery to a particular period, décor or philosophy.

Inspiration:  

  

Tom:  I love the look of sets in old movies.  I like looking at style magazines, but often find the spaces contrived and lacking personality.  Everyone in my family (and Jess’ family) loves to go to estate sales, vintage shops and auctions.  Jess and I have always done this and it is amazing the wonderful vintage rugs and furniture that are available for a decent price – much better quality than what would be found in a traditional retail store.  I love the rich, natural color and material of well made furnishings – real woods, natural dyed rugs and beautiful pottery – artisan made objects that have a “one of a kind” feel.   We want an object in our house to be something that is capable of being enjoyed long after we are gone.

 

Favorite design challenge: 

Jess:  Making everything fit.  We buy things that we like – often on vacation or traveling – without a clear idea of where or how it is going to fit in with everything else.  There is a general sense that it can work somewhere but not usually a specific place.

Tom: Keeping myself controlled and restrained when out looking around!  I fall in love with things easily and convince myself I can’t live without it.  It’s a fun addiction but not always great for the overall design of a place.

 

Biggest design challenge:

Jess:  The configuration of the living and dining rooms were challenging. The fireplace was at an angle and the dining room space was tight with the built in.  When we laid the floor, we laid the planks at the same angle as the fireplace in a natural maple color as opposed to walnut so it would brighten the space and any rugs would pop more.  Because of the tight space in the dining room, we had a floating glass table made to specification.  We already had four Costes chairs which, by luck, were designed to maximize seating for a crowed café.  We were able to eventually purchase two more to complete the dining set.

What friends Say:  Everybody pretty much loves the house, the food and drinks we serve, and the way the house is set up.  We use to have (and sometimes still do) big parties of 60-70 people.  Tom makes all of the food and I pretty much do the set up.  The house has been set up in a way to accommodate this many people relatively easily.  At the same time, when it is only the two of us with Seamus and Otto (our two schnauzers) the house doesn’t seem empty or lonely.  People are often very surprised at the number of items in the house that were purchased at an antique store, auction, vintage shops, etc. rather than new, at a traditional retail outlet, and that we were able to have it all work together.

Biggest design embarrassment:

 Tom:  I had the idea when we first moved in that the living room should be painted a dark pink.  Thankfully, Jess only put part of the color on the wall to convince me I was wrong.  Also, I once thought a purple entry door would be cool.  It looked terrible and was only that color for a couple of hours.

Proudest DIY:

                              

Jess:  The gut and rehab of the lower level of the townhouse.  While there was an original wood burning fireplace, but there was a horrible dropped ceiling, sealed windows, indoor/outdoor carpeting glued to the floor, and knotty pine paneling with this awful built in bar.  Tom told me one night he couldn’t take it any more and took a sledge hammer to the bar and told me to make him a library.  So I did.

Biggest indulgence: 

 

Tom: the rugs.  I love rugs and believe that I may be a reincarnated rug dealer from a former life.  I would have hundreds if I could.  As is, I have over fifty in the house.  Running a close second is pottery and china– beautiful dishes that you can serve and eat food from with friends.  I cook more than anyone I know and I love all my dishes.  They really set a festive mood for a night of entertaining.

     

 

      

Jess:  I keep 7-10 orchids in the house at any given time.  I also will replace any large house plant immediately when its time has come.  I like to keep large a fig, a bird of paradise, and two dracaena marginata in the house at all times.

Best design advice:

Jess:  Live in your space before designing the space.  It will stop you from making a lot of mistakes.  The smartest thing we did here was to hold off on any redesign and new furniture purchases until we had been in the space for a while and knew how we were going to live and utilize the space.

Tom: Learn as much as you can: how to put things together, how well-made items are produced – the basic rules for interior design.  Once you learn the rules, break them as you please and enjoy your home the way you want.  We had a great friend and neighbor who was a character straight out of a 1950’s Bette Davis movie – by far the wittiest (and one of the warmest, most generous people) I have ever met.  I once asked her why she had painted her walls in the living room a dark charcoal with a forest green undertone. During the day the walls looked like a dungeon. She said, “Honey, I know the color is awful, but when I entertain at night I always wear fuchsia and it makes me look dazzling in candle light.” Listen thoughtfully to advice, but know yourself and enjoy your home.

  

                      

  

Dream Sources:

An Orange Moon, “Uber Hip Vintage Furniture and Design” www.anorangemoon.com

Resource List:  Ralph Lauren Suede paint (unfortunately, no longer made); Karelia engineered flooring; Tile outlet on Fullerton, Community Plumbing on Lincoln Ave.

ENTRY:

• circa 1990 Hereke Runner – Istanbul, Turkey

MAIN AREA:

• Herman Miller Goetz Sofa in Natural Cherry with Edelman Dream Cow Black Leather – Office Designs, Northbrook, IL
• Circa 1910 Mahal Rug (Persia) – Reza’s Rug Gallery, Chicago
• Mulhauser midcentury Lounge chair (prototype never put into production) – Mod Life, Chicago
• Knoll Platner Coffee Table – Office Designs, Northbrook, IL
• 1960’s pair Westnofa chairs – Lincoln Antique Mall, Chicago
• Midcentury Holmgaard and Orrefors art glass – antique stores, Chicago
• Versace cache pot
• Midcentury reading lamp – Broadway Antique Mart
• Late 1920’s Packard apartment baby grand piano – Gratz Piano, Valparaiso, Indiana
• 1920’s Daum Nancy fer forge lamp – Architectural Artifacts, Chicago
• Mix Media Oil on Canvas triptych painting – Oaxaca, Mexico
• Secession Otto Wagner by J. J. Kohn bentwood mahogany chairs in yellow leather – Antique store outside Ogunquit, Maine
• 1930’s English Deco bar – Kansas City, Missouri
• Alessi Sylvia Stave cocktail shaker
• Tiffany Ice Bucket
• Midcentury Aarne cocktail glasses
• Emilia Castillo Articulated Bottle Opener – Taxco, Mexico
• 1970’s Chinese Goose Egg Crate
• 1920’s Stiffel floor lamp

DINING ROOM:

• 1920’s Quashgai Rug – Istanbul, Turkey
• Philippe Stark Costes Chairs in Mahogany and black leather – Luminaire, Chicago
• T-Designed Glass Table – J. Frank Glass, Chicago
• 1980’s Italian designed chandelier
• Lino Sabattini “Fenice” Coffee and Tea Set – Ugo Poggi, Florence, Italy
• Sculpted brass art glass bowl, San Angel Saturday Market, Mexico City, Mexico
• Four midcentury oil paintings including a 1964 Guiseppe Gambino

KITCHEN:

• 48” Viking range
• 48” Traulsen four door glass refrigerator
• Stainless steel Bosh Dishwasher
• Stainless steel wine cooler
• Rosle stainless steel utensils
• Alessi Pito Kettle by Frank Gehry
• Freud Teaball – Montreal, Canada
• Alno lacquered wood cabinetry
• Uriarte Talavera Pottery – Puebla, Mexico
• Marcela Lobo Uriarte Talavera platter and serving piece – Puebla, Mexico
• Talavera Pottery – Puebla, Mexico
• La Corona Talavera Pottery – Tlaxcala, Mexico
• Gorky Gonzalez Maiolica Pottery – Guanajuato, Mexico
• Deruta pottery – Nulli Brothers, Deruta, Italy
• New Iznik-styled platters – Istanbul, Turkey
• Provencal Daubiere “Feuille” motif by Alain Pratt – Mougins, France
• Various Sicilian pottery – Sicily
• 1930’s Fiestaware Pottery
• 1930’s California Pottery
• Michoacan pottery – contest winner at Museo Regional de Arte Popular, Patzcuaro, Mexico
• “Viejo” plates – Taxco, Mexico
• Moroccan Hand hammered copper couscousiere
• 1930’s Kurdish Malayer Rug (Persia) – Reza’s Rug Gallery
• 1930’s Bibikabad Rug (Persia)

BEDROOMS:

• Vintage Florence Knoll King Headboard and night stands
• Vintage Knoll “T” angle walnut bench – second hand shop, Florida
• Adrian Pearsall chair reupholstered in ivory boucle – Mod Life
• Cherner Armchair – Design Within Reach
• George Nelson Ball Clock by Vitra – Danish Design Store, New York
• 1870’s Perepedil Rug (Caucuses)
• New Midcentury designed sofa – Andersonville, Chicago
• Vintage “surfboard” coffee table – BAM, Chicago
• New Romanian “Khamseh-styled” Rug – flea market, Vienna, Austria
• 1920’s Kashan Rug (Persia)
• Late 19^th Century Sarouk Mahajan (Persia) – Reza’s Rug Gallery
• 1920’s Lavar Kermin Rug (Persia)
• Late 19^th Century Baluch balisht (Afghanastan)
• 1930’s Senneh Malayer Rug (Persia)
• Pair of midcentury Bitossi Lamps – BAM, Chicago
• Pair of Xaio Pastels of Picasso’s Marie Therese and Dora – Chicago
• Eva Carter Lithograph on Canvas – Ogunquit, Maine
• Bitossi midcentury lamp store, Andersonville
• Pair midcentury Jensen art tiles – Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Vintage book case – Belmont antique store, Chicago

GUESTROOM (Larger):

• Four piece Williamsport early 1940’s bedroom – antique store, Chicago
• Circa 1910 Afshar Rug (Persia) – Istanbul, Turkey
• 1920’s Afshar Rug (Persia) – Yoruk Rug Gallery, Chicago
• Late 19^th Century Jaf Rug (Iraq) – Reza’s Rug Gallery
• Early 20^th Century Kurdish Tribal Rug (Persia)
• Early 20^th Century Watercolor Ancestral Paintings on Rice Paper – Old Sau’s Retail and Antique Shop, Chicago
• French marble and pot metal Art Deco End of Day lamp with Czech glass shade – Place des Vosges, Paris
• French Art Deco clock – Father Time, Chicago
• New Art Deco style club chair – Carson Pirie Scott, Chicago
• Frosted Lalique ashtray and cigarette holder
• Baker Empire smoking table
• Art Deco nude pot metal lamps (alabaster and marble bases)
• New porcelain Chinese lamp – Chinatown, San Francisco
• Boda Nova hand painted vase
• Watercolor and ink painting
• Acrylic Jewish folk art painting
• Numbered print (Judith Bledsoe)
• Midcentury painted Italian art bowl

GUESTROOM (Smaller)

• Ethan Allen Cherry Poster Bed
• Circa 1900 Jaf bag face (Iraq)
• 1930’s Luri Qashgai Rug (Persia)
• 1930’s Afshar Rug (Persia)
• Six George Colin paintings on found paper
• Two acrylic paintings
• Pastel still life
• New Eileen Gray table
• 1930’s Ceramic Art Deco whippet lamp with silk shade
• Wassily style chair
• French Art Deco Gentlemen’s Wardrobe
• Collection of Porcelain vases
• 1920’s fer forge End of Day lamp – Architectural Artifacts, Chicago
• Signed “Fredrick Stained Glass, Chicago 1994” stained glass lamp
• 1970’s stainless steel and granite table
• Irish and Scottish mohair blankets
• Early 20^th Century French etching

BATHROOM (Master):

• “Julia” Rosenthal Fornasetti plates
• Pair midcentury Jensen art tiles – Etsy
• Midcentury watercolor by Bernard – thrift store, Chicago
• “Mara” stoneware vase – Morelia, Mexico
• Chinese “Persian-style” Rug – Randolph Street Market, Chicago
• Villeroy & Boch toilet and pedestal sink (all bathrooms) – Old Park Hyatt, Chicago demolition sale

BATHROOM (Upstairs Guest)

• 1920’s Painted Sarouk Rug (Persia)
• Numbered Print of Amish Farmer Plowing – Kalona, Iowa
• Modern Art Numbered Print

FIRST FLOOR WATERCLOSET

• Mid 20^th Century rug fragment (Persia) – Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• 1930’s Art Deco etched amber tinted mirror – antique store, Belmont, Chicago
• 1999 Anchundiah painting – Trunk of the artist’s car at Saturday morning market in SoHo, New York
• Hammel painting
• Midcentury painted art tiles

LOWER LEVEL:

• Slate pool table
• 1920’s Century English desk
• Baker ball and claw chairs
• Hickory Wingback chairs
• Late 19^th Century German eight day clock
• 1930’s Bijar Rug (Persia)
• Circa 1960 Russian Tekke Rug
• Early 20^th Century Melas Rug (Turkey)
• New Dosemalti Rug (Turkey)
• 1930’s Lori Pambak Lambaloo Rug (Caucuses)
• Late 19^th Century Kurdish Gaziantep (Yoruk) Rug (Turkey)
• Early 20^th Century Sewan Rug (Caucuses)
• New Shirvan Rug (Azerbajain)
• 1950’s Yomut Rug (Turkmenstan)
• 1940’s English Old World Globe
• Irish Waterford lamps
• 1920’s desk lamp
• 1920’s Baker liquor jack
• Early 20^th Century pair of watercolor Chinese ancestral paintings on silk – Valparaiso, Indiana
• 1920’s English style serving cart
• 1930’s inlaid checkerboard table
• Signed fox hunt prints
• New jockey prints
• Gold leaf mirror – Pottery Barn
• South Carolina leather hunt club chairs – New Buffalo, Indiana
• Baccarat liquor decanters
• Bavarian porcelain tea set
• Inlaid backgammon set – Istanbul, Turkey

Thank you Tom & Jess for allowing us a peek into your KILLER abode!

This has been a Design moment from Lynne McDaniel of An Orange Moon.

If you’d like to showcase your space in UBER HIP HOMES, please click the link above.