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WINDOWS (throughout house) Marvin and Pella SOFA Jayson Home and Garden MOROCCAN RUGOscar Isberian

text by SHANI SILVER
photography by  WERNER STRAUBE PHOTOGRAPHY

There’s a Victorian Mansion in Chicago and you need to see it. You probably need to pin it, too. Built in the 1880s by Holabird & Roche (and formerly owned by Joan Cusack!), the expansive space feels like something out of a Nancy Meyers movie, so naturally we fell head over heels. We were lucky enough to chat with Interior Designer Jodi Morton of 2to5design, who worked on this project together with Fred Wilson of Morgante Wilson Architects, to find out how they brought this incredible home full of history to its current, covetable state. Read on to learn more about this project and swoon over every photo. And honestly, this kitchen you guys…

YOKE PENDANTS Circa Lighting BACKSPLASH Tabarka tiles through Exquisite Surfaces

HOW DID THIS PROJECT COME ABOUT? My clients and Morgante Wilson Architects had already been working together for a year when I came on board. My client was at one of the restaurants I helped design, Ada St., and loved the look. She was looking for someone to help her select finishes and set the overall design story for the house. We met and hit it off right away.

WHAT AESTHETIC WERE YOU TRYING TO ACHIEVE? Our intention was a little bit modern, a little bit bohemian. In the end, we created a very personal and unique home that doesn’t subscribe to any one aesthetic.

CHAIRS Hairpin Chair, Fashion Seating WINDOW TREATMENT FABRIC Holly Hunt ART Julie Cowen through artenobject.com

WHAT WAS THE GREATEST CHALLENGE YOU FACED DURING THIS DESIGN PROJECT? Being sensitive to the history of the 1880’s Holabird & Roche designed home, while at the same time embarking on a renovation for a modern family. And of course, the paint schedule. I curse the paint schedule. Selecting every paint color for an entire house at once is always a challenge.

LAMPS Circa Lighting ART DEBUTANTE A. AND B. Dana De Ano

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE MEMORY OF BRINGING THIS TOGETHER? I loved hearing my client squeal with delight each week as we walked through the house and she discovered new elements that she hadn’t seen installed the week before.

LIGHTING Watt Sconces, Waterworks FLOOR 

Popham Design

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DESIGN ELEMENT IN THIS HOME? The vaulted kitchen is a showstopper. And overall, I love how perfectly the home marries the historic and the modern.

SIDE TABLE CB2 BEDDING Pine Cone Hill and Land of Nod

FLOOR Popham Design