By Brian D. White
Three years ago my mother (Lyndsay) told me she was ready for a change after dealing with a big house and hurricanes in Florida since 1961. She said she was looking into a smaller community with assistance and nothing for her to worry about. I have been suggesting for years that she move to Chicago to be closer to Jim & me and her brother and family (Peter & Alicia Pond) and I told her I would create the apartment of her dreams if she moved here! (Even doing her grocery shopping, changing light bulbs and many other things to make her life easier) Something in keeping with when the building was built in 1912 with a simple design using beautiful colors and high gloss black on doors & baseboards creating a backdrop (the shell) for what she already had coming from 4 generations and 5 different houses over time. She was lucky enough to sell her home in less than a week at the height of the market…..and remarkably we were able to buy an apartment in Chicago….in my same building….adjacent to our own apartment. It was a total gut job that literally hadn’t been lived in for some 50 years, so my work began!
I hired what I refer to as “The Everglades Club of Contractors” with DiVinci Painters & Contractors (based in Highland Park) and their team of Wes Podstolowicz, Kate Foley and Michael El ghoul were a dream to work with and the reason I loved doing this so much!
To start our project I had DiVinci review the aesthetic of my apartment which they actually painted 23 years ago and have been maintaining ever since. So, let’s begin our tour with my apartment first. It was always my favorite building bar none and our apartment was a total gut job as well. A Benjamin Marshall building built in 1912 with a Robert Adam influence of simple forms with elegant, stylish details. Large, grand rooms designed for one 8,800sf apartment per floor. Apartments now range from a few 1 bedrooms on up to a full floor but no matter what size apartment you have- it always feels like its part of a 8,800sf apartment because of the sheer size and scale of the windows, rooms & 10’2” ceiling height. If combined- we now have half the floor all along Division Street from LSD to Stone St. Although I had a total “vision” of what I dreamed of for this apartment – we hired the team of Margaret Elliott and Stephanie Harrold who owned Astor Interiors at the time. Jim and I were both friends with them for years and we knew they both had elegant and refined taste and were incredibly lovely people to work with.
Lorenzo will be greeting you in the foyer with a tray of cocktails as we begin our tour!
The Foyer looking into the Living Room
So I’ll start this tour as if you are arriving for a cocktail or dinner party in my home and walk you through it – room by room. I am an extremely detail oriented person and notice every nuance and how every piece relates to something else within a home and I like to “set a tone” as if you were in the 1920s. My influences are much more “TCM” (Turner Classic Movies) than Architectural Digest with my favorite designers being Elsie de Wolfe, Dorothy Draper and Sister Parish. You would be welcomed to a party by Lorenzo with a tray of drinks in my foyer where you will most likely hear the sounds of Eddy Duchin, Lester Lanin or Bobby Short in the background. He is wearing a black and white uniform with white gloves for a reason. He has a black tray with silver edge for a reason. And he is serving rose champagne in an old-fashioned champagne “coup” for a reason- to take you back in time to a more elegant era paying attention to every detail- and make you feel like you are somewhere very special. I don’t just consider the “interior” when designing a project- I think of every aspect and detail of life and entertaining, (from wardrobe & vintage accessories to the cocktail napkins being used) that creates ones life and how they like….. or want to live. I have even trained my helpers to always say “my pleasure” after someone thanks them for something – something I noticed at Blackberry Farm some 20 years ago and thought it was the most elegant reply. I designed this space by working directly with Mike Gracie in NY with hand painted custom (Gracie) wallpaper and you can see I designed the wall sconces to be hanging from the branches of the hand painted trees. We used a silver leaf background with the trees & birds painted in a softer color pallet so it felt old and a bit faded- even though it was new. I used the silver leaf wallpaper on the ceiling as well to feel like a jewel box as you enter the apartment as light is reflected off the silver leaf paper all around you. Even the light bulbs made of silicone are unique & add a golden glow to the space. I love high gloss and used black for the baseboards and all wood trim & front door so you see the movement of (white) reflected light on every curve – which creates an unexpected energy when entering and moving through a room.
Dear Friends over for dinner in our Living Room featuring pink & white stripe (Dorothy Draper) placemats and “Acorn” Bernardaud china.
Interior Living Room during the day featuring Farrow & Ball “Folly Green” paint color and custom black Aubusson.
Friends at a Lilly Pulitzer theme party in colorful clothing set against the Farrow & Ball “Folly Green” walls in the Living Room
As we go into my living room, the door frames are a high gloss black on one side in the foyer, then semi-gloss white on the other side leading into the living room. I liked the way the black and white door framing looked against my Farrow & Ball “Folly Green” paint on my living room walls. I use Farrow & Ball paints for the “color” around my apartments and usually use “dead flat 2%” on the walls, contrasted with High gloss or semi gloss trim. I wanted a very 1920s look and used the Folly Green for the walls, white for the chair rail, light cream below and high gloss black baseboards which are part of my signature design. I worked at Stark Carpet way back- prior to this project and remembered the most elegant rug- but I didn’t like the colors it was designed for- so I reversed the colors using black as the field and the taupe/white for the trellis and the Greek Key and tassel -border pattern and had it made in a fine Aubusson which looks as stylish today as when it was made. I also like to think of as may uses of a space as possible so when we just have 4 for dinner we use a round table on the west wall and I used this pix of dear friends we had over for dinner as it shows a nice view of the living room going into the foyer & library on the left & through the hallway on the right. I also think of a space in terms of entertaining and feel green is one of the best colors for a Living Room. As you can see it makes the perfect “backdrop” for my Lilly Pulitzer themed parties & beautiful flowers. It also looks great with black tie parties as well as the black & white is striking against the green walls. I not only think of the wall color….but what people will be wearing when I’m entertaining in that room.
Our kitchen done in Black, white & silver – featuring stainless steel counter tops & silver chandeliers
Uniforms are strictly black & white to coordinate with the colors of the interior & Jenny wears “dove grey” in the spring & summer.
As you head into the kitchen my philosophy is simple- I do all white cabinets and walls, stainless steel counter tops, polished nickel hardware and high gloss black baseboards and doors. All black, white and silver – including the black and white photos on the walls and silver chandeliers and black ribbon trim on the venetian blinds. The only pop of color is the green Le Creuset cookware– connecting a little of the living room color to the kitchen. As you can see from my helpers- I came up with very specific uniforms for them which are old fashioned & only black & white. “White Swan” was the maker at the time although they have long stopped making these particular uniforms. The only difference is Jenny also wears a dove grey and white uniform in the spring & summer – which also complements the interior colors I have throughout the apartment. No detail is too small.
A view into our powder room featuring the P.E. Guerin wall sconces
This next photo is of our powder room which features a wallpaper that not only connected a detail from our building hallways (at the time) but had a little “flower” design that picked up on the P. E. Guerin wall sconces I fell in love with. It’s also a reverse color of our living room rug with taupe and cream base color with black accents.
View of the library at night- featuring “Pelmets” (window treatments) that I designed, a deer head from my grandfather’s collection, my Grandmother’s favorite painting by Mead Shaeffer, a table that came from my mom’s parents house and silver I have collected from 1770-1810
Showing how we use our library for a dinner party for 8
We then enter our library and most people think it has to be original but we had the paneling installed when we renovated our apartment 23 years ago. We had been going to Blackberry Farm in Tenn for years and Jim wanted a Knotty Pine paneled library in the color as if you dipped it in tea or honey. One day he was looking in my calendar and noticed that every Wednesday I was meeting “Jesus” and he asked if I was super religious all of a sudden and I said – no- that is our carpenter Jesus- and I was meeting to review the quality of the wood and the color stain we finally chose after 20 samples! As in my foyer with the faded wallpaper- in this room we used a beautiful oriental rug from Oscar Tatosian with Oscar Isberian Rugs– with a LOT of wear to help “soften” the newness of the paneling. I hate any room that looks too “new”. You can also see how we use the Library for dinner parties and can comfortably seat eight at a narrow table in the center of the room. This room also features one of my favorite design elements in the apartment- the “Pelmets” I designed and had covered in a rich crocodile material with ribbon & antique brass nail heads around the perimeter.
The view from our bedroom, through our library, hallway and into the living room
I think my favorite view through our apartment is from the bedroom looking through the library, hallway and into our living room. The hallway between our library & Living room is more of a pale yellow even on the ceiling with white chair rail and black baseboards and black regency tole chandelier. I joked at the time that I even coordinated the color of our pugs (Wallis & Windsor) to our interior!!
Our bedroom featuring a red Chinoiserie wallpaper, black ceiling and leopard rug- during a crowded party!
My master bathroom using only “black, white & silver” as the color scheme including silver, mirrored frames on the artwork.
The bedroom is one of my favorite rooms using a red Chinoiserie wallpaper and I HAD to have a dead flat black ceiling with contrasting high gloss black window frames, moldings, doors and baseboards. Seen here at a party I would often say to guests upon arriving “grab a drink and head straight to the bedroom” we would get SOOOO crowded! Even the vintage luggage I have collected – sitting on a leopard rug- could literally connect with any room in my apartment!
And finally, a photo of our master bathroom- with my signature black, white and silver- which I prefer when coming off a room filled with pattern & color- a simple, yet stylish 1920s look- down to the mirrored silver framed pix of fountains.
NOW JUST 65 FEET DOWN THE HALLWAY TO MOM’S APARTMENT!
I wanted to continue the same design style as if they were connected (although they are not currently) and I asked my mom what her three favorite colors were from Farrow & Ball. She chose “Bisque”, “Blue Ground” and “Whirlybird” so you can see where I used each in the photos – which were literally the same three colors I had chosen for her.
The “Before” of the Foyer showing major water damage, peeling paint & neglect for 50 years
The “After” of the Foyer- featuring Farrow & Ball (color- Bisque) “dead flat 2% paint” on the walls and a higher gloss on the ceiling
You can see from the first photo this apartment hadn’t been touched in 50 years. Peeling paint, water damaged floors & walls, requiring new wiring, plumbing, kitchen & bath, all new windows, A/C, floors -all being gutted or restored. What I discovered in this “labor of love” for my mom- was that I LOVED overseeing this renovation and I would love to do this more often! I am passionate about turning a “challenge” – into something elegant! Like gardening I enjoy so much- it’s watching the growth, cultivation and transformation into something beautiful that motivates my passion for design!
Tall Case Clock from the early 1700- chosen for its slim design and rich green color against the “bisque” Farrow & Ball paint
Wall sconces from Antique Resources with heavy patina gold against the “bisque” Farrow & Ball paint color
I wanted to highlight an amazing Tall Case Clock I fell in love with and found with Maribel at Antique Resources on W. Belmont with its rich, deep green and old gold painted chinoiserie details dating back to the early 1700s. To me- this is HIGH STYLE at its best! This English design is much thinner and more elegant than most grandfather clocks with its amazing “bonnet” and knew the deep rich color would look amazing against the “bisque” paint used in the foyer, combined with a gorgeous Aubusson from Oscar’s personal collection and sconces & mirror from Antique Resources. The sconces were heavily damaged and required restoration but that didn’t deter me from buying them as I thought they were so elegant and the patina was amazing. I did the walls in the “dead flat 2%” Bisque and use the same color in a higher gloss on the ceiling. I always notice the shadows created with lighting against a pix frame or sconces or chandeliers on the walls or ceiling and the high gloss ceiling paint heightens the effect – making it even more dramatic in the evening. I continued the high gloss black on the front door and baseboards with white frames for contrast similar to my apartment.
The “before” bedroom with ruined, water damaged floors, peeling paint, unfinished ceiling and original windows
The “After” for mom’s bedroom featuring the custom made “Pelmets”, Farrow & Ball “Whirlybird” color green and Matouk bedding with her favorite green & lavender color combination.
A detail from the “Pelmet” I designed for my mom’s bedroom window treatment – featuring hand painted “tassels” with silk trim and (600) brushed nickel nail heads
We then see the “before” of mom’s bedroom with peeling paint, water damaged – ruined floors, ceilings that have never been “combined” back when apartments were broken up- but then put back together. The three windows along Division Street make this a huge bedroom big enough for a King bed, writing desk and dining table in front of the fireplace. I wanted something very stylish and almost from a stage set for the huge windows in this room and designed these “pelmets” which I love & was inspired by a wallpaper I saw in a bathroom in an old book from 50 years ago. I hired a carpenter to cut them and an artist to help paint them and personally nailed in a good 600 brushed nickel nail heads for these window treatments. I found the chandelier at Antique Resources and added some subtle lavender crystals to pick up on the lavender in the pelmets and Matouk bedding. We didn’t add a chair rail because I wanted a simpler feel with only black baseboards and did all the doors in white- feeling a little softer & more feminine for my mom. Only the door from the foyer opening into the little hall to her bedroom is black against a Scalamandre chinoisirie wallpaper in the little hall to her room where I also did white crown molding with a dead flat black ceiling . When rebuilding the bedroom ceiling however, I did add an extra molding which Benjamin Marshall often did- inset about 8 inches from the wall molding- applied on the ceiling. When entering the room- it gives the effect of about four extra inches of height added to the ceiling. I then continue the high gloss black into the bathroom with the vanity but stick with the black, white and silver color palette for the bathroom- using a metallic silver paint for the stripes this time.
View of the bedroom fireplace & little dining table & chairs featuring the famous “Fern Fabric” designed by Elsie deWolfe
Time for another cocktail as we continue this tour!
Busy cleaning mom’s statues & touching up chips prior to mom’s arrival!
The “Before” of the Living Room which hadn’t been occupied for 50 years.
Mom’s living room where I created the “shell” for her existing contents of furniture, art and objects – featuring the “Pagoda” style pelmets I designed & nailed in 600 polished nickel nail heads.
As we head back to the “before” living room- I have included some pix of work I did to clean mom’s statues and a detail of an eglomise (hand painted on the reverse side) French coffee table from the 1930s with great patina on it. I worship just about anything done in this technique and look for it everywhere! Such refinement and elegant & aged detail. I think the perfect balance that gives you a “soft, old, elegant” look is a combination of elegant antiques, some new pieces for upholstered furniture…..and new pieces – with a good patina & perhaps hand painted. “Patina” being one of my favorite makers, handmade and hand painted to your exact specifications in Italy. This was the original living room designed by Benjamin Marshall for a full floor apartment including its herringbone border in the wood floor he was famous for. Even the brass sash lifts were original to 1912 and I had them acid washed and restored to perfection again for the new windows installed by Maurice Forde @ Forde Windows & Remodeling, Inc. which are an even higher quality than the original windows. The walls in this room had the original “canvas” that had been applied when the building was built- so after a 7 stage process of removal, restoration and fresh plaster- they looked perfect again! (Thank you DiVinci!!) When I found the Chandelier for the living room I stopped dead in my tracks as it was almost identical to the one I imagined for mom from a photo in a book I saw 20 years ago. I also found the amazing Maison Bagues wall sconces made in the 1920s which are my VERY favorite makers of lighting- especially if you can find the origionals from the 20s and 30s! PE Guerin still makes them new- but the patina of the original adds such an unexplainable richness! I never forget even the smallest detail of something beautiful and stylish….but I almost instantly forget anything I consider to be ugly! Remember, for this project for my mother- I was really only decorating the “shell” of the apartment while using almost all of my mom’s original artwork, furniture and decorative objects as they were shipped to Chicago. Every once in a while my mom would ask where something she was missing was located and since I had to get rid of a LOT of things that wouldn’t fit in her new apartment- I told her they were in “deep storage” and we just leave it at that!
Mom’s dining area within her living room featuring a portrait of my great grandfather, chairs my father grew up with in Massachusetts, a mirror from mom’s childhood home in VT, a dining table & chairs from our Summer House in N.C and marble statue from my Dad’s family “Camp” in New Hampshire.
So mom’s entire project was done in a remarkable 3 months and we had a deadline of mom moving in October 15th. Even the “day of” – with a crew of 10 working- sconces were being hung, Lorenzo was putting clothing away, Jenny was cleaning, dusting and putting her kitchen “in order” and I was arranging her flowers and putting orchids around the apartment. You can’t fathom what it looked like at even 1pm the day of – stuff was piled up to the ceiling and details were being taken care of but I was determined (as was DiVinci) to have it ready “on time”. But it all came together and when my mom arrived at 6pm to see her new home completely “done” I had her favorite drink on a tray, gave her the tour and she started to cry she was so happy. Then Jenny started crying & I followed. I promised to created the home of mom’s dreams….and I delivered!
But the most important thing that REALLY qualifies this being her “dream” home……is just being close and next door to us 65 feet down the hallway!! I’ve never seen my mom so happy as she is now and I told her all I want her to worry about is her next outfit and the next party she’s going to!
AND NOW OUR LAST STOP ON THIS TOUR!
Now- one thing leads to another and I planned a series of little cocktail parties for our friends to meet mom and see the job I did for her…….and one of those couples called me up a year later……and asked me if I would help them with their new apartment!
I met with them, told them I’m not a “decorator” and suggested 5 other top designers in Chicago – told them what I’d charge, and to think about it overnight before making a decision. Thirty minutes later they called and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse and I agreed to decorate their new apartment on E. LSD!
The Foyer for my new client using a deep green high gloss paint and featuring Maison Bagues sconces & chandelier from the 1920’s
A close up of the 1920’s Maison Bagues sconces used in the foyer which I feel are the ULTIMATE statement of elegance and refinement.
A view from the foyer looking into the living room showing the high gloss “Rectory Red” inside door panels for a hidden bar located in the Living Room.
This was an “easy” job as all it needed was some electrical work for picture lighting (which I think is essential) and what I call “frosting”. I worked with them on colors I suggested from Farrow & Ball only this time we painted the foyer WALLS and wainscoting in a high gloss deep green with white baseboards & doorframe and a black door and used the high gloss black for the baseboards in the Living Room. I also included many of my signature design elements of Maison Bagues lighting, hand painted antiques, special light bulbs, black candles and a Chinoiserie wallpaper in a small hallway that picked up on many of the colors around the apartment. The kitchen and bathroom were already in new condition but we stuck to the “black, white & silver” color scheme adding white venetian blinds with a black ribbon in the kitchen window and a cushion for the clear lucite chiavari chair in the bathroom that picked up on a color in the wallpaper. I did an inventory of what they already owned and chose the best pieces to keep….then I enhanced what they had with a few additional antiques that I felt MADE the apartment. Another English Tall Case Clock from 1720 made by Robert Gymer- Norwich, England – only in black with gold and silver painted details, a Maison Jansen silver leaf eglomise coffee table from the 1930s and a pair of spectacular Regency style arm chairs from the 1840s- all discovered at…. Antique Resources! I then scoured other antique stores in Chicago including another favorite- S. Rosengard & Co. to find other elegant decorative objects including a pair of silver plated candelabra lamps attributed to Frances Elkins and an eglomise Obelisk from the early 1900s. I then did the layout of their collection of fine oil paintings and placed them around the apartment along with their personal collection of monogrammed silver and other decorative objects.
A view from the living room through the foyer featuring family silver and oil paintings from the owner’s existing collection.
Highlight of the Scalamandre Chinoiserie wallpaper used in the hallway from the foyer to the bedroom & bathroom picking up other colors used throughout the apartment.
Again, I found the MOST elegant Maison Bagues vintage sconces and told them they HAD to have them! From the 1920s & 30s the antique sconces and chandeliers MAKE this apartment and set the tone of a glamorous apartment and life- ready for ones smoking jacket and martini’s.
After completing these projects I have come to realize I love doing this and would do it again for the right client. The “vision” I had for my mother AND all 3 apartments was comprehensive – from renovating & decorating an interior….to editing what to keep and what to buy to enhance- basically creating a beautiful, unique, stylish atmosphere and life for everyday living & entertaining. Even out of college – I was thinking about the “detail” of my landline phone number (no detail is too small!) and wanted something with a (312-787) number so I would have my phone number in the Gold Coast read as “SUperior7-1132” (a 2 letter & 5 number system created in 1948) because I thought it was cool & stylish and sometimes still list that as the rsvp for invitations today!
I hope you have enjoyed this little “Cocktail” tour of these three apartments & get to meet my mother sometime soon…..as no doubt, she will be at a fun party somewhere!
