When you sell the family home in Oak Park and skip the usual Arizona or Florida retirement plan for a full-floor loft in Printers Row, you’re clearly not here to play it safe. The architecture? Slick and minimal. The finishes? Perfectly coordinated. But after a whirlwind build-out and placeholder furniture that felt out of place, the homeowners were ready to infuse their space with personality, panache and comfort. That’s where we came in. Instead of wiping the slate clean, however, we went room by room and created a plan that involved reinvigorating some of their storied pieces — grandma’s chair, a trip-to-Michigan side table, a bleached rug — while leveling up with fresh texture and pattern (and lighting that not only illuminates, it speaks). A cozy library got a tiger-print ottoman and overstuffed chairs; the main bedroom went moody and plush. Metals got mixed. Art got layered. The puppers, Margo, got a window-height daybed. The result: a loft that doesn’t just look like them — it is them. Unpredictable, collected and comfy. Margo approves.
