How An Eclectic Palette Elevated This Chicago Town Home

When it comes to bold hues, some may shy away, but this Lincoln Park couple embraces them full force. “We live in color, that’s our mantra,” the wife says of the rich jewel tones that dramatize the interiors of their welcoming three-story town home designed by Dan Rak and Emily Samano.

While the couple’s passion for color is long held, they opted for a neutral palette in their previous residence after starting a family. “Dark colors can show a lot of markings,” the wife explains. But when this stately house—just up the block from where they lived—became available, the kids were past toddlerhood, meaning the couple could lean back into dark and moody shades. For Rak and Samano, this was an opportunity for traditional-meets-eclectic interiors, where coral and rust pop against slate blue and cobalt, marigold mixes with soft black, and occasional plaids and patterns stimulate without compromising the beauty of the architecture. 

Though built in 2011, the abode nods to the historic homes found throughout the neighborhood, a style Rak describes as “thoughtful, traditional and pretty clean.” Classic elements like the extensive millwork provided a frame for the designers’ vision, which involved using color not just as an accent but rather in broader applications. The wife shared inspiration photos from restaurants and a Paris hotel, noting she “liked the aesthetic but more so just admired how they used color.” Rak intuited the direction, noting, “She didn’t come to us with specific asks, but more like a feeling.” Adds Samano, “She shared inspiration that encapsulated a lot of these jewel tones, but maybe not in as bold a way as we used them, like for entire rooms. That’s where the trust came—and they really did lean in.” 

The homeowners’ top-floor bedroom served as the launching point. The designers painted the walls a soft black with violet undertones, a shade that lends dimension as it reads aubergine in the afternoon light that filters in from the west-facing balcony. Marigold and burgundy velvet bedding lends high-contrast depth, while a bouclé armchair balances the space with softness. 

That bold scheme continues throughout. On the main floor, coral and rust rugs in the living room and adjacent dining area, respectively, “pull color out and forward,” Rak says. Deep slate-blue walls in these spaces echo the bedroom’s dynamic intensity, while a classic yet playful motif on the living room’s rug introduces some whimsy. “We tried to find a balance with color and unexpected moments while retaining a level of sophistication,” he continues. 

Pattern also appears in the plaid stair runner, an “urban take on a classic country look,” Rak notes. It also nods to menswear, which strikes a chord for the wife. “I’m not a girly girl,” she says. “I lean toward a more masculine setting.” At the rear of the main floor, lighter shades of gray thread through the family room, where an oversize plaid ottoman echoes the runner. Overhead, the coffered ceiling is accented with a subtle wood-veneer wallcovering, bringing in more warmth.

The space adjoins the kitchen, a room that spoke to the couple immediately. “The refrigerators have these beautiful wood paneled doors and brass handles,” the wife describes. “The first thing I said to Dan was, ‘I want a lot more of this.’ ” To that end, the team reconfigured the kitchen to accommodate both a larger butcher-block island and the pièce de résistance: a cobalt range. It serves as much more than just a pop of color. The wife loves to cook, and the family loves to eat—proof that the home is as much a reflection of their lifestyle as it is their design inclinations.

Settled in with her family now, the wife reflects on their return to color, their home rich in hues but also imbued with their life experiences, referencing their travels and even the early years of marriage. “In our first home, we tried to instill a lot of color,” she says, “so this is a kind of a coming back for us.” Adds Rak, “I don’t think their style changed that much—we just helped them find a higher expression.”