For designer Jessica Lagrange’s client, home has always been a Chicago landmark: the sole building architect Rosario Candela constructed in the city. She and her brother were raised in a co-op in the 1920s structure, growing up in a vintage property they anticipated would always remain in the family. So three decades later, when her parents decided to relocate, she returned to the city with a medical degree and purchased the residence from her parents, moving back to the address she’d called home since birth.
In refitting her traditional childhood surroundings for her new life as a busy doctor, she knew just whom to turn to for help: Lagrange, her family’s dear longtime friend. “I have a pretty hard job, and I wanted to come home somewhere beautiful,” the client says. “I thought of it as a princess retreat.”
Outfitted with classical details like molding and trim, the apartment required major renovation work only in the kitchen and bathrooms, with assistance from architect Michael Viamontes along with builder Anthony DiVittorio. The backdrop sets the stage for contemporary furnishings and vintage finds to mingle with the owner’s gently reworked heirlooms. “It was about enhancing what was there and refining the unit so it feels relevant to today’s lifestyle,” explains designer Jennifer Durand, who worked alongside Lagrange and has since left the firm.
Home Details
Architecture:
Michael Viamontes, M Viamontes Architecture + Interiors
Interior Design:
Jessica Lagrange and Jennifer Durand, Jessica Lagrange Interiors
Home Builder:
Anthony DiVittorio, T&T Construction Co. Inc.
Go Behind the Design With Jessica Lagrange
The client had two top requests, one of which pertained to spatial usability. “When I was a kid, we were always in the back half of the home—the three front rooms were fancy,” she remembers. “One of my goals was to move 100% of living to those spaces.” The other was to drench the interiors in her favorite color—pink. But to ensure the space wouldn’t come across as “Barbie’s playhouse,” the designer laughs, she devised a toned-down palette that incorporates sister hues like burgundy and neutrals such as greens. “We wanted it elegant, not trendy—classical but youthful and tasteful,” Lagrange describes. “It was all about finding ways to temper the pink.”
Imbuing an approachable atmosphere in the front three rooms, Lagrange found ways to make each a purposeful destination. The color palette goes moody in the green-walled library, where she carved out a bar, selected a dusty-rose tufted sofa and arranged a seating area near a window. In the adjacent living room, curved furnishings create a fluid floor plan atop a rug with an abstract pattern made from a scan of a human skull—a nod to the owner’s profession—while a soft-pink, high-gloss lacquered ceiling reflects light. “The rest of the room is off-white, so it needed the pop,” Lagrange explains. And now used for daily meals, the dining room features the family’s twin 1980s black granite tables, which can be pushed together or separated into two seating groups. Pink appears in the room’s ombre rug and on circles painted atop the brassy, metallic wallpaper, adding a custom touch.
A wall painted Sherwin-Williams’ Cheviot opens to the dining room, crowned by Jiun Ho’s Hanagasumi pendant. Hickory Chair’s Laurent chairs surround the owner’s tables. J.T. Kalmar sconces from 1stdibs bookend another Clayton Whitehill painting over Paul Ferrante’s Gregory console.
In the dining room, the team added hand-painted detailing to Winfield Thybony’s Aurora wallcovering from Kravet, complemented by trimwork in Sherwin-Williams’ Serengeti Grass. Draperies in a Fabricut textile and a Brunschwig & Fils rug from Kravet enhance the look.
From the dining room, the team created a centered archway that opens to the kitchen, which received a full facelift. “We took it back to the exterior wall on the north and the west sides, brought the finishes down to the concrete, and started all over,” DiVittorio says. The team then rebuilt the space with burgundy-toned cabinetry, a Calacatta Violette backsplash, a generous island with a tamboured wood base, and an eye-catching brass hood. “An aesthetic goal of the kitchen was to bridge the gap between modern and traditional,” Viamontes notes. “While rooted in the present, it still feels timeless.”
A calm sense of romantic glamour drove the concept for the primary bedroom, a light-filled corner retreat. With a 1940s vanity that belonged to the client’s grandmother as a starting point, Lagrange introduced a supporting cast of a contemporary bed, Murano-glass fixture and striped rug, all in shades of pink.
As her childhood home transformed, the owner similarly entered a new stage: marriage. No longer a bachelorette pad, the apartment continues to evolve as the couple is filling bare walls with Indian art, a nod to the husband’s heritage. “Ken moved into her Barbie dream house,” Lagrange laughs. “They have a whole new life ahead of them. The next generation is seeing the residence through in a beautiful way.”
Paint’s Toadstool sets a moody tone in the library. Kerry Joyce’s Vouet chairs partner with a walnut Beam Artisan Workshop table. Jayson Home’s Reid mirror centers draperies of ombre Opuzen fabric from Anthony Inc.
Tour The Home:
Lulu and Georgia’s Anni rug grounds the library, where Arteriors’ Meadow coffee tables face Maiden Home’s Leroy chairs and Ludlow sofa. Danny Kaplan Studio’s ceramic Luna lamps from Spartan Shop rest on Beam Artisan Workshop side tables. Behind the arrangement is a Clayton Whitehill painting.
Paint’s Toadstool sets a moody tone in the library. Kerry Joyce’s Vouet chairs partner with a walnut Beam Artisan Workshop table. Jayson Home’s Reid mirror centers draperies of ombre Opuzen fabric from Anthony Inc.
The living room’s John Kazann artwork overlooks a coffee table and twin armchairs from Orange as well as a Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams sofa and Highland House chair. A vintage gold table, Konekt stool and Bzippy side table gather with a Visual Comfort & Co. floor lamp on the rug from Oscar Isberian Rugs.
Calacatta Violette marble from Marmi makes a striking statement as the kitchen backsplash and countertops. Farrow & Ball’s Brinjal colors the cabinetry by T.h. Snyder. A custom hood shines above the Wolf range. Visual Comfort & Co.’s Covet flush-mount light studs the ceiling.
In the dining room, the team added hand-painted detailing to Winfield Thybony’s Aurora wallcovering from Kravet, complemented by trimwork in Sherwin-Williams’ Serengeti Grass. Draperies in a Fabricut textile and a Brunschwig & Fils rug from Kravet enhance the look.
A wall painted Sherwin-Williams’ Cheviot opens to the dining room, crowned by Jiun Ho’s Hanagasumi pendant. Hickory Chair’s Laurent chairs surround the owner’s tables. J.T. Kalmar sconces from 1stdibs bookend another Clayton Whitehill painting over Paul Ferrante’s Gregory console.
The primary bedroom’s Murano-glass chandelier floats above a Missoni rug. Behind the bed is a Clayton Whitehill painting; in front is a Mattaliano bench. By the windows, dressed in Mokum sheers and Schumacher draperies, is a Barron Custom Furniture chaise. Visual Comfort & Co. lamps top Beam Artisan Workshop nightstands.