Eclectic International Style Defines This Glam Chicago Colonial

Details

black parlor with a red...

Benjamin Moore’s Black Beauty cocoons the moody parlor. A Space Copenhagen sofa, twin Jayson Home chairs, a Noir coffee table and Chinese Art Deco floor covering from Oscar Isberian Rugs create a cozy conversation area. The ballerina-inspired artwork is by Candace McGarry.

powder room with patterned wallpaper,...

The artful powder room includes a custom wallcovering by artist Ellen Catanzaro, an Anthropologie rattan mirror and a pair of Kelly Wearstler pendants. A black-marble countertop from Blue Pearl Stone adorns The Furniture Guild vanity.

dining room with teal walls,...

Benjamin Moore’s Mediterranean Teal adds depth to the dining room. Arteriors chairs surround the Lema table. A Nourison jacquard rug, Terzani chandelier, custom sideboard fabricated by Riverton Cabinet Company and artwork by Sarah Raskey complete the scene.

White kitchen with black island,...

Featuring cabinetry crafted by Riverton Cabinet Company, the reconstructed kitchen makes room for a generous island outfitted with a Bajkal crystal quartzite countertop from Blue Pearl Stone. Arteriors counter stools and Kelly Wearstler pendants create a welcoming spot for dining and socializing.

Breakfast nook with built-in banquette,...

Jewel tones define the built-in breakfast nook with a banquette upholstered in Kirkby Design fabric, Noir dining table, green-velvet chairs from Moe’s Home Collection and an Arteriors mirror. A Nolan brass pendant shines overhead.

bedroom with garden-inspired wallpaper, rattan...

Zoffany’s Peacock Garden wallpaper envelops the primary bedroom. Christopher Spitzmiller table lamps from Visual Comfort & Co. and Made Goods nightstands flank an Arhaus bed. An Arteriors’ Prescott chandelier floats above.

freestanding bathtub in a sea...

Bold black-and-white Kelly Wearstler floor tile grounds the primary bathroom, painted Benjamin Moore’s Green Tint. An Ann Sacks marble tile backsplash frames the Kohler freestanding tub from Studio41. The artwork is by Heidi Becker.

decorated console in front of...

Thibaut’s Palm Botanical wallpaper plunges the sun room into a romantic tropical oasis. An Arhaus console with a hand-rubbed antique brass top anchors the charming vignette.

sun room with pink stone...

An Arto Artillo brick floor from The Fine Line infuses earthy warmth into the reimagined sun room. Matching rattan swivel chairs from Kathy Kuo Home and an Oly woven-leather bench encircle an Anthropologie oak-and-brass coffee table.

Driven by endless curiosity, this Chicago couple adores traveling around the world, exploring art, history and culture with their 5-year-old son in tow. And they’ve amassed a vast collection of treasures along the way—from antique maps to signed Pablo Picasso prints to rare books (including a 16th-century Bible printed on a Gutenberg press). “As a family, we’re a little eclectic,” the wife says with a laugh. “When you live like that, it’s really hard to put it all in one house.”

The abode in question, a Colonial in the suburbs, felt impersonal by comparison. Like their travels, they wished their home inspired a similar sense of adventure—adorned with vibrant colors, textures and patterns, as well as their beloved keepsakes. So they recruited interior designers Mia Rao and Robyn Swanson, who loved the couple’s sense of style. “They are fun, funky and bold—not afraid to take risks,” Rao recalls. With this in mind, Swanson adds, “We wanted to create fully enveloped environments. Each room would have its own personality, but with a moody, flamboyant vibe throughout.”

Joining forces with builder Adam DiCharia, the designers first focused on removing incongruous and insubstantial architectural details like a pair of faux-Greek columns in the central hallway. Then they bolstered the interiors with high-contrast materials. The new foyer established the home’s bolder spirit with a checkered-tile floor of Carrara marble and black limestone, and an inky runner cascading down the staircase. 

The new kitchen, which Rao and Swanson reconfigured to include a vast island for festive gatherings, continues the graphic black-and-white theme with custom cabinetry and crystal quartzite countertops with deep gray veins that crackle. Meanwhile, jewel and metallic tones punctuate the modified built-in breakfast nook. This made room for a custom ebonized dry bar which they turned into a curio cabinet to display the couple’s ceramic collection. “I think contrast is a common thread throughout the home, mixing the dark and the light,” Rao notes.

The home’s sensuous side is most indulged in the dining room and parlor—which the designers swapped from the original layout to improve their functionality. Now in a larger space to accommodate more guests, the dining area is swathed with emerald walls and glints of gold from the chandelier and a gilded painting by Chicago-based artist Sarah Raskey. Leaning into its smaller confines, the new parlor (home to the wife’s early edition of Bram Stoker’s Dracula) exudes a shadowy romance. Walls are shrouded in deep charcoal gray, which continue up the tray ceiling accented with metallic wallpaper. As an accomplished carpenter, DiCharia “did a great job in detailing the new picture molding,” Rao says, which added depth and dimension to the dramatic hue. The designers then curated velvety finishes that would gleam against the surroundings, from the ruby-velvet settee to the antique silvery-pink Chinese Art Deco rug. “This is the place for the adults, perfect for post-dinner cocktails,” Swanson notes.

Other spaces in turn conjure sunnier climes. The sun room feels imported straight from a Key West oasis with its pink-clay tile floors, basket chairs and palm-print wallpaper that the wife instantly fell in love with. In the middle of a Chicago winter, “I can sit in there with a coffee and book, and it still feels like summer,” she shares. The family room also feels bright and playful, anchored by an oversize chartreuse area rug from Thailand, big enough for stretching out during game nights. 

Indulging the couple’s love of art and history, the primary bedroom transports one to a palatial Indian garden, surrounded by a tapestry-worthy wallpaper inspired by traditional Mughal paintings. “What made this project so unique was the walls,” Swanson says of their many surface treatments. From atmospheric paint colors to intricate prints, “They really defined the feeling of each room.”

Balancing the saturation of patterns and materials, furnishings favored modern simplicity—armchairs, sofas and tables all articulated with a straightforward line or gentle curve. New built-in bookcases likewise both protect and corral the display of artifacts and objets d’art. “While they like their antiquities, they also like to have clean lines,” Rao explains of her clients. 

After all, the owners never wanted a cold, museum-like procession of collected objects—but a living, breathing home that coalesced all their passions and experiences. “There’s a fluidity here,” Rao muses. “There are a lot of layers, but it’s all very cohesive.”