“We’re here to tell our clients’ story,” says interior designer Kristen Ekeland of the sprawling full- floor apartment in River North that she—along with partners Melissa Benham and Jennie Bishop—designed for a young couple and their daughter. “This apartment has a very urban feel to it, and they were drawn to that immediately,” says Ekeland, pointing to the unit’s large white walls and expansive windows with black frames. “They knew what kind of aesthetic they were attracted to, but they relied on us to bring it all together.”
Creating a low-key vibe wasn’t on the designers’ minds, however, when they decorated the small front foyer with a graphic inkblot wallcovering. Paired with a Lucite console table and a vibrant vintage Turkish kilim rug, the mural-like covering is one of several throughout the home, including one with hand-painted butterflies in their daughter’s bedroom. “The foyer sets the tone for the rest of the apartment,” Bishop explains. “It creates the drama and lets you know that you’re not in a typical space.”
An arched passageway leads directly into the bright and open great room, where a large wool-and-silk rug helps to define the conversation area around the contemporary gray-brick replace and acts as a piece of art in itself. “The rug is painterly, almost like a very saturated watercolor,” Ekeland says. “With the austere architecture, we felt like we needed something spectacular.” Picking up on the rug’s blue notes is a custom sofa that is perfectly proportioned for the spacious room and echoes the sizable dimensions of the gray-stained walnut dining table, which has blackened- metal reveals at either end. “We love to entertain, and before going out to eat we enjoy having our friends over for cocktail hour,” says the wife, “so we wanted larger pieces to accommodate a lot of people hanging out.”
Art introduces yet another dimension—and one of critical importance for the owners, who have begun to collect large-scale pieces, including a colorful abstract by America Martin that hangs behind a vintage tufted chair in the living area. “The apartments in New York are smaller than average, so we didn’t have this kind of freedom there,” the wife says. “The ladies at Studio Gild were great consultants, and we valued their opinion and aesthetic.”
The designers also made minor architectural changes, closing off the husband’s offce from the hallway, for example, and adding built-in walnut cabinetry to the den, which doubles as the daughter’s playroom, too. “They wanted their home to be catered to adults, but they wanted it to be comfortable and practical for their daughter, as well.” Benham explains. “So, we juxtaposed sophistication with practicality.”
With the owners now happily settled in their new abode, they are over the moon with how it looks and functions. “The black-and-white backdrop was a beautiful blank canvas for us to come in and put our own touches on,” the wife says. “The ladies at Studio Gild took inspiration from our ideas and dialed them up a couple of notches with their signature sophistication to achieve great results. It was a total pleasure and a lot of fun.”
–Tate Gunnerson