A trip to Palm Springs was a major source of inspiration for Heather Fritz, creative and interiors director for Cedar Street Companies, when she designed the tiki lounge inside The Draper, a new apartment complex located in a transformed 1950s insurance building in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood.
Conceptualizing a tropical space with no windows was a design challenge, yet one she delivered on with a ceiling wallpapered in a palm leaf motif, a vibrant orange Smeg refrigerator and woven light fixtures—plus classic games like shuffleboard and pool. The result? “A space that transports you not only to another era, but another state of mind,” says Fritz.
The Draper—whose name is a nod to the fictional Don Draper of Mad Men—joins a family of Flats apartments, including The Otis in the historic Otis elevator company factory.
