Steve Majsak considers himself a can-do guy. He decided his experience as director of development and marketing for the Chicago Architecture Foundation would aid him in fixing up his duplex condominium.
The problem with having a good eye, however, is that it often translates into expensive taste. Spending large sums didn’t fit well with Majsak’s budget.
Rather than give up, he decided he would teach himself many of the skills needed to get the job done. He taught himself to paint, build furniture, make stained glass, install lighting, frame art and sew. During the five years it took to complete his home, he also learned certain useful lessons.
Rule No. 1: If you pare costs where the finest material or furnishing isn’t critical to the room’s success, you can splurge on other purchases that will make a difference. Case in point: Instead of replacing his kitchen cabinets, which would have cost $12,000, Majsak painted them a stone color and attached new silver pulls so that he could afford a 1 1/2-inch-thick slab of granite for the countertop.
Rule No. 2: Give each room a distinctive color scheme. Majsak painted the long entry foyer a stunning semi-gloss Botticelli red. He sponge-painted the living room with five coats to achieve the right ocher. In the dining room, he mixed two shades of green, one shade of white and one black to achieve “almost turquoise.” To pattern the walls’ surfaces properly, he devised his Rule No. 3: Take advantage of others’ ideas.
“A friend helped me get just the right swirls,” he says. “Another came up with the idea for the backsplash (the area behind the kitchen sink), which has the look of stainless steel but is less expensive vinyl flooring.”
Majsak placed living room furnishings on a diagonal to make the room look wider and to take advantage of street views. The dining room’s piece de resistance is an immense painting he did after a visit to the Sistine Chapel. When it came time to frame it, he was shocked by the $6,000 estimate, so he bought cornice molding for $115 and painted it gold.
Not every do-it-yourself project is a success, Majsak admits: “I made an extension for the dining table, but it looked like a football. I tossed it out.” But ultimately, he said, “it’s all worthwhile, because the end result represents a much more personal, fun place to live.”
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Resources
Design and work by owner Steve Majsak; many furnishings built by him.
Living room: Table bases–Architectural Revolution.
Hallway: Paint, Pratt & Lambert.
Dining room: Copy of Michelangelo painting by owner, (frame) molding–Home Depot; gold acrylic paint for frame–Pearl Paint; torchier lamps–Bloomingdale’s; paint for walls–Pratt & Lambert.
On Pg. 2: Bathroom mirror made by owner using sheet metal; orange vase–the Chicago Architecture Foundation shop; other accessories–Linens ‘N Things.
