A high-rise apartment with the viewpoint of the artist who lives there
Chicago artist who has been painting for more than 40 years recently redesigned her residence to reflect her artistic spirit.
“Stepping into her apartment is like stepping into one of her paintings,” says her daughter, also an artist, referring to the autobiographical nature of her mother’s art.
The apartment-dweller describes her art as “little interior spaces filled with very personal imagery,” and says that the home she shares with her husband was conceived similarly.
“The apartment was developed the same way my painting is developed,” she says. “First we designed the structure, a highly organized space that is repeated in my art. Then we added the same colors, pattern and detailing that are so closely related to my work.”
This woman thrives on surrounding herself with things that represent the different aspects of her life. And she is as likely to find something she admires in a flea market in Paris as she is in an antique shop on Lincoln Avenue.
Wishing to live with the things she loves, she fashioned a complex design. Unexpected patterns and colors blend comfortably with an abundance of fine art and ordinary objects and with the minimal pieces that reflect her husband’s taste.
Every surface offers an opportunity to mount a display. A color scheme featuring salmon-hued walls throughout the apartment provides a serenity that tempers the visual excitement.
“Grayed” hues throughout the apartment-“I don’t like bright red and bright blue; I like colors a little grayed,” she says-add to the sense of tranquility and permit the juxtaposition of colors that ordinarily would not work together.
In the entry, visitors are welcomed by the interplay of clean lines and a cacophony of art and objects. A shelf the owner had made runs the length of the hallway. On it, she has displayed African gourds, baskets from Santa Fe and copper pieces from Egypt. Such contrast serves as a subtle introduction to the decor.
In the living room, the symmetrical layout of furniture provides freedom to explore color and accessorize. The salmon walls enclose two couches covered in gray-blue velveteen and two brown leather Mies van der Rohe chairs. A kilim rug unifies the scheme. Tabletops abound with everything from a mah-jongg set to a painted house by Chicago artist Don Baum. Walls are hung with works by Jim Dine and Hollis Sigler.
In contrast to the geometric lines in the living room, curvilinear forms were chosen for the den. This was an area of experimentation. A heavily patterned Tibetan rug in salmon, teal, gold and cinnamon anchors a grouping with couches covered in a floral print of purple, navy blue, green, orange and cream. A postmodern Frank Gehry chair and a sleek Noguchi table are unlikely additions to the mix.
When asked her secret for putting it all together, this artist replies: “If you are true to what you really like, chances are it will work.”
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Resources
Architect–Grunsfeld & Associates; contractors and millwork–Pepper Construction Co; interior design, Reinhold and Petrie Inc.; painting–Executive Decorators.
Den: Sofas–Interior Crafts Inc., Merchandise Mart; fabric–Jack Lenor Larsen Inc., Mart. Oval table–Interior Crafts Inc., Mart. Lamp–Lang Levin Studios Ltd., Mart. Noguchi coffee table–Herman Miller Inc., Mart. Frank Gehry chair and ottoman–Knoll International Inc., Mart. Rug–Oscar Isberian Rugs Inc., Evanston.
Living room: Rug–Patterson. Flynn & Martin Inc., Mart. Sofa–Interior Crafts Inc.; sofa fabric–ArcCom Fabrics Inc., Mart. Mies van der Rohe Barcelona chairs and stools–Knoll International Inc., Mart. Coffee table and Tiffany lamp–owners’ collection. Paintings behind couch by Rodney Carswell, Roy Boyd Gallery. Painting between windows by Hollis Sigler, Carl Hammer Gallery. Screen on console by owner; house on coffee table by Don Baum, Betsy Rosenfield Gallery (now closed); construction on coffee table by Claire Zeisler.
Guest bedroom: Rug–Oscar Isberian Rugs, Evanston; headboards–Holly Hunt Ltd., Mart; bedspread fabric–Donghia Inc., Mart; bedspread fabricators–Dezign Sewing Inc. Table–Antiques Ltd., Mart; Lamp–Lang Levin Studios Ltd., Mart.
Powder room: Sink–Kohler Co., Mart; art–owners’ collection.
