Tour This Classic Yet Boldly Colorful Chicago Greystone

It is rare for a stoic greystone to blush. But this one—perched in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood since 1905 and recently reimagined by designer Dan Rak—proves that a bit of flushed pink can be a powerful move. Rak tempered the hue with wine red, French blue and wood tones that, together, lasso the bold color into something that feels distinctly like home for this family, who were determined to nurture the house back to a state of warmth and livability. While an early-2000s gut remodel gave the residence updated systems, the rooms were left mute in the detail department. Rak and the homeowners sought to layer in well-considered flourishes such as millwork, a new staircase and intricate fireplace surrounds to bring back the missing sense of classic tradition—filtered through a spirited, contemporary lens.

Long before purchasing the greystone, the homeowners found themselves captivated by the peony-pink front door of Villa Sierra, a midcentury house in Palm Springs, California, and hoped to recreate it for themselves one day. In a stroke of kismet, their greystone’s original stained-glass bay window, which remarkably survived over a century of renovations, is tinted with pink and green, making a ballet-blush door a natural fit and setting the tone for the interior palette.

Inside, walls drenched in a burgundy-aubergine envelop the entry and living room. In the latter, Rak designed a new surround for the fireplace that weaves in branch and rosette motifs plucked from the home’s stone façade, and also refashioned the front bay into a window seat large enough for the entire family to cuddle up in while reading. “In our very first conversation,” the homeowner explains, “we talked about how we needed everything to be very family friendly.” At the same time, Rak and the clients ran every idea through a simple filter: Could it plausibly have been here in 1905? The result is furnishings that look timeless, never precious (case in point: the cerused coffee table, which can, and frequently does, withstand coloring sessions).

Planted into the dining room’s new millwork by general contractor Roman Patro is a boldly scaled floral wallcovering that helps establish the room’s decorative palette. The space also has the bonus of a bay window, which allows for a round table and cozy upholstered chairs intended for lingering. “Whenever we can use round tables, we do,” Rak notes. “They create such a great space for conversation.”

The house divides neatly between public spaces at the front and family life at the back, where Rak’s sleight of hand unlocked a beverage center, walk-in pantry and new island to transform the kitchen into a hyper-efficient hub with a family room and breakfast nook. “One of the things I really like about this arrangement is it separates the color schemes so the moody is in the front, and the bright and fresh is in the back,” the homeowner says. The French-blue cabinetry in the cooking space gives it a sense of cheer, while the streamlined walnut-and-brass hood provides a focal point with a historical reference. The combination plays beautifully with the adjacent breakfast area, where a bubble chandelier practically effervesces above the coral banquette.

As for the primary bedroom, the homeowners preferred it serene, with enough neutrality to flex with their evolving tastes. “Furnishings like the paired-but-not-matched nightstands infuse a collected-over-time vibe impelled as much by the room’s dimensions as aesthetics,” the designer notes.

What makes it all sing is Rak’s calibration, straddling the line between too much and not enough. The house is now undeniably of its century but also expressive of the family who lives here. “Overall, we’ve embraced what we’re drawn to, rather than what’s of the moment,” the homeowner says—a choice that never goes out of style, in any color.