With a bent for designing dazzling avant-garde structures and a first one-man show of his groundbreaking projects on view through Oct. 8 at the Art Institute of Chicago, Douglas Garofalo, 47, is clearly a significant figure in the architectural world. So, given the attention his progressive projects have attracted, and the daring sensibility they convey, it’s easy to envision him as a “young Turk” type with hipster proclivities. And a sleek, equally edgy home to match.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Instead of a futuristic pad akin to the seminal projects he’s done for clients, he lives in a humble walkup duplex above the proverbial store. He and his wife, Chicago sculptor Chris Garofalo, bought a Lake View storefront topped by two apartments in 1989, and carved it into a ground-floor office for his architectural practice with two duplexes above; they live in the rear unit, which overlooks a treasured back yard garden.
Another surprise: This hot architect and his equally successful wife (Rhona Hoffman Gallery in the trendy West Loop Gate district represents her work) are accomplished do-it-yourselfers. Their vintage structure needed a significant amount of work, and they have done much of it themselves over the years.
For example, they built an outdoor industrial-strength staircase out of steel grating to connect their apartment to the garden. Today, its once-shiny surface has been mellowed by rust to embrace an earthy aesthetic born of two worlds: nature and technology. “Chris’ art is based on plant life and geology, and she surrounds us with all these incredible specimens. So I’m influenced by them in everything I do,” he says.
Surprising words from a man who has been given labels with rigorous technological underpinnings, such as blob architect, design digiterati and minimalist in recognition of his daring, streamlined work. But he eschews such judgments. “I’m none of the above,” he says. Instead, he considers himself “contemporary in the sense that I look more forwards than backwards,” and a “problem-solver who embraces the nuances and idiosyncrasies of each project. I keep them visible and make them work, as opposed to trying to overcome them.”
In his home, he and Chris have done that by transforming the space into an intellectually and visually stimulating haven-but slowly, as time and resources allow. “Home is not a priority to me.
I prefer to live modestly, and our place doesn’t have to reflect my work,” he admits. Instead, “It’s about interest, comfort and aesthetics. We surround ourselves with things that speak to us and are functional, but also keep us thinking and please the eye.”
Thus his home is an eclectic and intriguing installation project-in-progress- filled with fascinating treasures.
