decorating

Gosh, we love this home’s outdoor living spaces. Everything came together here in just the right ways for an end result that feels relaxing, special and purposeful.

In this project, we were lucky to start with gorgeous exterior architecture and expert landscaping, providing a striking backdrop in the outdoor living areas. This is such an excellent example of the impact landscaping can have on a project, as it lends natural beauty to the space, while also serving the critical function of creating privacy for the homeowners, as you’ll notice in the photos.

There are two distinct zones to the outdoor living areas for this home, the main patio and living room patio.

The main patio serves as a spot for entertaining guests, and also to relax while watching kids at play in the yard beyond. It’s accessible through the home’s kitchen and main family room, making for easy transitions when guests are over. Orientation of furniture in this space was carefully considered to allow the homeowners to entertain guests while also keeping an eye on kids.

We love the Summer Classics teak dining table and chairs for the warmth they lend to the space, and performance fabric cushions means guests can linger at the table and relax.

When the meal concludes, everyone can retreat to the sofa and chairs beyond, tucked into their own little alcove.

Where the main patio is meant for guests and everyday living, the living room patio is designed as a private retreat for the homeowners. It is surrounded on three sides by the home, and the beautiful architecture and privacy landscaping makes lounging in this space a treat. The homeowners can step onto this patio via “her” office, the living room or the sunroom, which means there are ample opportunities to duck outside for a few minutes of sunshine and respite throughout a busy day.

We are so glad the season of outdoor living is finally arriving in the Chicago area. Go enjoy those outdoor living spaces!

Shop the Look

This one has its own special place in our Park & Oak hearts since the client ultimately became one of our team members!!

Lisa and her family had already made great strides in updating their new home, but needed some help getting to the finish line, especially in the living spaces of the home. She echoed sentiments we’ve heard from homeowners before: that they had made some costly mistakes and wanted to get it right the second time around. We loved helping Lisa and her family refresh these spaces and give them the home they had dreamed of!

The light, bright room pictured below, their family room, just needed a little grounding. Substantial linen window treatments help balance the dark fireplace surround and draw attention to the detailed ceiling molding. We brought in custom rust lounge chairs for a comfy pop of color, and used some of the clients’ own vintage finds throughout the space.

Peeking out from the right side of the above photo is one of the chairs in the refreshed breakfast nook. A large, built-in banquette in this space was not really working for Lisa’s family’s needs. One of our intentions in kitchens – and their adjacent spaces – is to make things warm and cozy; a happy, homey place not just to cook, but to live your life. A sage green settee here extends this concept to the breakfast nook, giving Lisa and her family a comfy place to sit not just for meals, but throughout the day in this hub of the home. Sturdy, wipeable chairs are practical (but still pretty!) for this family with young children. Relaxed roman drapes help break up all the horizontal lines and add an elegant touch.

Lisa’s favorite room – her oasis – is the sitting room we created in the front of the home. As we’ve all discovered in the last couple years, it can be nice to have a place in your home to get away. For Lisa, this is now the place. We wanted the room to stand apart – to draw the eye of visitors and be an enticing destination – so we started with a bold wallpaper, Sandberg Raphael, in the Light Blue colourway. Lisa would be the first to tell you this choice made her nervous when she saw it on the design board, but can’t imagine it any other way now that the room is complete. The wallpaper makes an elegant backdrop for the navy sofa, kangaroo style chairs and Lisa’s own mirror. Custom window treatments with a pretty trim detail help highlight the beautiful windows and french doors.

Lisa’s family uses their home gym frequently, and wanted the nearby bath renovated for convenience after workouts. The only wishlist item was for a steam shower, which we highlighted with steel and glass doors. The paint we chose here – Benjamin Moore Duxbury Gray – has a spa-like quality and the right tone offset for the custom vanity and counter/backsplash/ledge we designed. A pendant light with a brass interior adds a pretty and unexpected detail, and the rattan mirror brings a natural element. Lisa’s own vintage art finishes off the space.

With our client needing to move into their new home on a short timeline, time was of the essence in the renovation of this Glen Ellyn kitchen. While significant structural changes were not necessary, you’ll see in the before & after shots that we made some tweaks that had big impact in making the space feel more balanced. Most notably, we squared off the corner where the original range was situated, and moved the range to the center of the wall where the refrigerator was situated. That small change went a long way in giving the eye sensible places to rest.

The new cabinetry and island, painted with Farrow & Ball Black Blue, are custom designed for the family’s specific kitchen needs. Reeded glass on the upper cabinet in the forefront of the kitchen has the effect of lightening up the space – as clear glass would – but diffuses the light and doesn’t require vigilant cabinet organization from the homeowner. The same is true of the mesh inserts used in the top cabinets on either side of the range. The mesh helps break up the cabinetry, and adds texture, detail and lightness. A larger island allows for more storage, and gives the family a place to gather.

In lieu of replacing the already new range, we opted to add a custom metal detail to the drawer fronts, giving this area its own special interest. Quartzite counters and backsplash make for durable, easy cleanup – a must with three teenage boys in the home.

The original pantry wall felt a bit like it was floating in the space, so we cased the new pantry to give it more permanence, and made it larger to help accommodate the storage needs of the family. Wanting to give the kitchen a rich, lived in quality, and help break up the space as well as connect it to the family room beyond, we opted to stain the pantry versus painting. The tile is Casablanca ceramic from Bedrosian’s Tile & Stone, chosen for our color-loving client to bring some additional interest to the kitchen.

Finally, adding art is one of our favorite ways to make a kitchen – the place where many families spend the bulk of their time – feel like a comfortable living space. The art here is vintage, curated by our team, and we styled the shelves with some of our favorite accessories. We added a library light not just above the artwork, but in the pantry coffee bar, as well, to really drive home the idea that this is a cozy, welcoming space.

There will be more reveals to come for our Carmel-by-the-Sea project, but we couldn’t wait to show you the butler’s pantry, the first finished space! Let’s start with a before & after.

This Spanish-style home allowed us to stretch our wings a bit, as it is not a common form of architecture in the Chicagoland area. You’ll see more of those influences when the kitchen reveal comes, but there are hints of it here in the butler’s pantry. We wanted to stay true to this style, but brighten things up from the original cabinetry and finish choices. The light gray paint on the built-ins accomplishes this, but the dark stain inside the open top cabinets helps stay true to the style, and echos the dark ceiling beams.

These Waterworks leather and brass pulls are also at home in this architectural style. We sourced these gorgeous pulls in person during a visit to the Waterworks showroom in Chicago’s Merchandise Mart.

The handmade clay tile is a natural choice here, too. The uneven distribution of the material and variation in color from tile to tile gives great texture and depth to the backsplash.

Located just behind the kitchen, the butler’s pantry also shares space with a cozy den, so makes the perfect spot to keep barware and glassware.

We can’t wait to show you the rest of this project! Stay tuned!