Visit A Chicago Residence Emanating Urban Sophistication
ARTWORK: JEAN ALEXANDER FRATER.
Sapphire tones and elevated yet family-friendly finishes bring urban sophistication to a Bucktown home.
Abraham Lincoln has been credited with saying, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the ax.” Whether he’s the original source of these words has been debated, but the concept behind them rings true: A wellthought-out plan is necessary, whether one is felling an oak or overseeing a multifaceted renovation. “One thing we tell people is you can do a job in several stages, but we talk about the entire design vision from the very beginning,” says interior designer Elizabeth Krueger, who was tasked with updating a recently built Bucktown residence. “Planning ahead and having those conversations early helps there to be a continuous thread throughout the design.”
The clients, busy executives with two school-age children, bought the house in 2017 and began reshaping it immediately. What started with a lower-level refresh and upgrade to the baths soon ballooned into a full-blown renovation that was parceled out over seven years. While rooms were addressed in various phases, a sense of timelessness hums through the whole home. “It feels current, but not so current that it’s going to go out of style,” Krueger notes.
Balancing the sophisticated, design-forward tastes of the couple with high-performance finishes and fabrics for the kids drove every design detail of the contemporary interiors. “They wanted it to be family-friendly, but they also appreciate spaces that look elevated and showroom-esque,” explains lead designer Janelle Kando. “So, we saved the more luxurious things for places that were less high traffic.”
Bespoke touches abound, lending spaces individual flavor while still feeling of-a-whole. “Each room has a striking moment of its own,” observes Krueger, noting the thoughtfully placed artwork throughout—a combination of the couple’s collection from over the years and pieces sourced with Jennifer Armetta of Engage Projects specifically for the house.
Home Details
STYLING BY
DARWIN FITZ
Interior Design:
Elizabeth Krueger and Janelle Kando, Elizabeth Krueger Design
At the lower-level wine tasting room, a custom table by Chicago artisan Zak Rose hosts an RH bench and Anees Furniture & Design chairs. Silvio Mondino Studio’s handblown Chemistry Nuvole light, accented with leather and horsehair, floats overhead.
In the kitchen, pendants by Pigeon Toe Ceramics for Rejuvenation hang over the Super White Dolomite-topped island, which is lined by Holly Hunt stools. Artworks include a Francine Turk piece above the range along with an abstract by Heather Day and an Alec Soth photograph at the breakfast nook.
Benjamin Moore’s Hale Navy coats the dining room, where a Gabriel Scott chandelier crowns a Fine Furniture table. Caste side chairs join host chairs and benches by Eli-Wyn. An RH sideboard faces a Heather Day painting. The wall sculpture is by Angela McNay.
A Doug & Gene Meyer for Holland & Sherry wallcovering enlivens the Jack-and-Jill bath. The vanity by Abruzzo Kitchen & Bath is adorned with Iconic White Silestone quartz and Rohl faucets from Studio41. Hudson Valley Lighting sconces illuminate Rejuvenation mirrors.
Though the palette is subdued, pattern—in the form of the ceiling’s Jim Thompson wallpaper, Mark Alexander’s Plaster Junction fabric on the custom Savoir bed, and pillows from Jayson Home— makes the son’s bedroom pop. The Modern Forms pendant is from Lightology.
Hovia’s Tempest wallpaper provides artistic inspiration in the kids’ playroom. Sodura’s Aero chairs surround the pint-size crafting table. A West Elm light and rug complete the look.
The clients’ appreciation for creativity extends to their design leanings. Take the living room’s custom wallcovering: Abstract clouds on a craft-paper tan background set off local artist Jean Alexander Frater’s vibrant artwork Pink Mound, which is flanked by sculptural lighting. “The clients loved the fluidity of the wallpaper along with the structure of those sconces,” Kando says of the pairing. “They were open to taking design risks that make a big impact.”
Palette-wise, neutrals form a foundation for strategic hits of sapphire, though the dining room acts as a sort of inversion of this formula. There, navy walls are a dramatic backdrop for predominantly off-white furnishings, including a quasi-Brutalist sideboard and a gemstone-inspired linear chandelier with milky glass shades—a favorite of the wife’s. “She really likes unique light fixtures,” Kando says, pointing as well to the horsehair-brass-and-glass pendant in the tasting room. “When she finds lighting she loves, it often has a sculptural or architectural feel to it.”
“THEY WANTED IT TO BE FAMILY-FRIENDLY, BUT THEY ALSO APPRECIATE SPACES THAT LOOK ELEVATED AND SHOWROOM-ESQUE.”
–JANELLE KANDO
Shades of inky blue run throughout the abode, including in the kitchen’s cabinetry and island as well as the selection of artwork. The color appears again in a more dramatic fashion in the playroom. There, pigment rises and falls with watercolorlike imprecision on the mural wallcovering, grounded by cabinetry in a deep-blue hue. The result is a moody yet whimsical space for the children’s creative pursuits.
Interestingly, the playroom is one of the only spaces in the entire house that gives the slightest hint as to the age of its youngest residents. Of the four bedrooms, visitors would be hard-pressed to guess which two belong to the kids, and that’s by design. Take the son’s room, a stylish study in gray and blue with pops of pattern that add visual interest. Residents of all ages should be so lucky to curl up in such fashionable surroundings.
“They were really thoughtful about how these rooms will age with the kids,” Krueger says. “That the children’s spaces got the same treatment as every other room in the house speaks to the clients’ willingness to phase the project out to get what they wanted instead of rushing to do something cutesy.” Easygoing and elegant, the resulting family home is proof positive that planning pays off with the chicest of dividends.