The pre-eminence of the thin-crust pizzas at Follia was just one of many things the design team agreed on. And . . . concrete kitchens, the demise of birds of paradise wallpaper and the sanctity of bovine life.
The partnership of decorator Jordana Joseph and architects Mark Ladd and Bob Brobson was one of easy consensus right from the start. Renovation began in June 2003 on this first collaboration, a tired flat on the Gold Coast in a 1920 building famed for its Tudor-detailed luxury apartments.
“This was my first foray into ‘forensic architecture,’ ” says Ladd. “We found a lot of funny stuff in the walls, like pipes insulated with old newspapers and weird clay tiles.” And Ladd knew right away that he would have no time to concern himself with the interior accessories. “Good architects know when they need a good decorator.”
Enter Jordana Joseph, an ebullient Milwaukee native who had worked at Sotheby’s in Chicago and studied in Paris before opening her Chicago firm. They knew it was kismet when they found themselves in agreement on concrete as the perfect material to cozy up the family kitchen.
Ladd, an associate at commercial uber-architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, is on intimate terms with cement, and when Joseph asked, “Why don’t we [extend] the concrete off the counter?” the team had a simultaneous vision. By mixing concrete pigment into paint, then painting the walls and ceiling to match the counter and benches, they could create the illusion that the heavy concrete extended up the walls and overhead.
There were many such moments, often sketched on napkins over one of those Follia restaurant pizzas. “We would face a challenge and collectively come up with a great idea,” enthuses Joseph. Not that there weren’t occasional freelance efforts, like the evening one of the owners, inspired by a late-night glass of chardonnay, singlehandedly tore down the garish 1980s birds of paradise wallpaper in a back room. Happily, all confessed to having had the same wicked impulse.
Previous residents had left the elegant Jazz Age floor plan virtually intact, and the elongated front hall with its thick, flat moldings is a space that even a modernist architect could love. “It is the spine of the whole house,” says Ladd affectionately. “It really sets the tone for the apartment,” Joseph agrees. She boldly finished the formal space with a shimmering silver mural by Evanston artist Bill Borman of Design Red. The iridescent painting glistens like an antique Lusterware teacup.
“Jordana nailed it,” says Ladd, but he does confess to some initial doubts about the startling 1960s Italian glass chandelier that Joseph then chose for the ceiling. “My good friends, Jim and Rick, found it for me,” says Joseph, referring to the owners of Urban Artifacts, a shop on Lincoln Avenue that overflows with mid-century treasures, “and I knew it was perfect.”
To highlight an extensive collection of Asian art and African tribal artifacts in the den, Joseph at first considered sheathing the walls in rich leather. “But I am a vegetarian,” Joseph says ruefully and when she realized that no fewer then 10 cows would give their all to cover the walls, “we decided to save the herd and go with Ultrasuede.” Adding a collection of inherited pre- and postwar modernist furniture to the mix created a room that evokes a nontraditional style yet still feels right amid the apartment’s 1920s detail.
Though they’re still in the early arc of their respective careers, Joseph, Ladd and Brobson have forged a bond based on a passion for modern design. Joseph recalled how she recently heard artist Gaetano Pesce speak at the Art Institute. He threw out a challenge to young architects and designers: To be truly innovative, he said, they must use the materials of their time. Asked what new material they wished they’d been able to work into this project, Ladd had an immediate one-word response: resin.
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RESOURCES
Interior design: Jordana Joseph, Chicago. Architects: Mark Ladd, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Chicago. Bob Brobson, Bob Brobson Inc., Chicago. Living room: Robert Motherwell print over console, Knoll sofas, rug-personal collection; ansen nickel sconces and French Deco chandelier-Pavilion Antiques, Chicago; vintage Borsani center table-Casati Gallery, Chicago; Zanotti coffee table-Luminaire, Chicago; pair of earthenware vases-Guava Imports, Chicago. Media room: Vintage De Sede sofa, Frank Lloyd Wright coffee table, Wassily chair and Ellsworth Kelly prints-personal collection; Eileen Gray table-Design Within Reach, Chicago; rug-Peerless Rugs, Chicago. Kitchen: Custom teak cabinets-T.H. Snyder, Palatine; concrete countertop and benches-Concrete Age, Chicago; plasterwork-Nass Fresco Finishes, Fox River Grove; faucet-Dornbracht, Waterware Luxury Plumbing, Chicago; ceiling fixture-Lightology, Chicago; stools-Orange Skin, Chicago. Entry: Faux silver-leaf walls with bamboo pattern-Design Red, Evanston; altar table-Primitive Artworks, Chicago; rug-Odegard, Mart; 1960s Italian glass chandelier-Urban Artifacts, Chicago; sconce in next room-Aqua Creations at Odegard, Mart; flowers-Kehoe Designs, Chicago.
