We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs.
From the get-go, designer Jennifer Sucher’s client, the owner of a vintage jewelry and botanical skincare boutique in Chicago, had a very specific vision for her home: She wanted her house to look “dressed,” as if it had just put on a really nice outfit for a night out. “She wanted it to feel fun, styled, and finished so that when she had people over, she could be more casual,” says Sucher.
The three-bedroom brick home in Wicker Park, which the client shares with her husband, boasted good bones and an entertaining-friendly flow, with a cocktail hour–perfect parlor, sleek kitchen peninsula bar, cozy dining nook, and spacious living room. But its bland finishes and safe colors—white, gray, and navy blue—were at odds with the owner’s creative energy and desire for fresh, unique spaces.
Taken by Sucher’s Instagram feed of warm, color-drenched rooms and use of vintage finds, the client was in lockstep with the designer as they embarked on their first shopping trip together—a hunt for 20th century treasures at South Loop Loft in Chicago. Sucher had two main pieces of advice: buy what you love and shop across eras. “We wanted it to feel something like a curated home of curiosities, not a showroom,” Sucher says.
The designer’s other vintage rules? Be open to reupholstery and have patience. Sucher nabbed four Art Deco dining chairs from Architectural Anarchy and covered them in green linen; snatched up a 1970s chaise off Chairish and recovered it in a woven Schumacher fabric; and ventured to Round Top, Texas, to corral a scalloped travertine coffee table and floor lamp with a hand-blown glass shade. Her final shopping trip, to Design at 329, a warehouse of stalls in Chicago, produced the final layer of accessories.
Sucher had chic, purpose-driven pieces custom designed, like a headboard swathed in sumptuous faux mohair to conceal the primary bedroom’s adjustable mattress. She amped up the intrigue with an eye-catching mix of angular and curvaceous pieces—a trio of mismatched geometric bar stools beneath a pair of red conical pendants in the kitchen is exhibit A.
Now the client can don jeans and a white T when friends come for cocktails, knowing that her surroundings represent her personal style.
What was the very first thing you bought for the project?
The chrome Arthur Umanoff chairs in the parlor. It happened totally by accident. I attended a vintage design show in Chicago, and the client and I had just signed on the dotted line. I stumbled upon this pair and texted her [a photo], and it was the quickest “yes” I’ve ever gotten. Without really knowing too much about the project, I knew exactly where they were going to go—that we were going to do two chairs and a bench or loveseat in the parlor, which flows nicely to the kitchen and dining room for entertaining. They were upholstered in a black and taupe wool stripe (Alexander Girard Toostripe), which is classic and timeless, but the chairs are so edgy that I knew they would work.
What was your biggest save?
We didn’t make too many changes in the kitchen, aside from the new backsplash, painting the cabinets, and revamping the hood (we constructed it purely out of drywall, gave it an interesting shape, and painted it to match the walls). The red pendants above the peninsula and the wild backsplash felt more important than the hood in this scenario.
What was the most unique or exciting material you used?
We looked at zellige tiles for the kitchen backsplash, but wanted something even more organic and unexpected. When I saw the terra-cotta tile at The Fine Line Tile, I knew it was it. Terra-cotta is naturally a bit imperfect—some pieces are pitted—and paired with the geometric shape of the collection, which is fittingly called Tetris, it was unique. We custom colored it to make it even richer and installed it haphazardly so there was no repetition.
What is your favorite paint color that you ended up using?
Honestly, the whole color palette, but I think I’d say it’s the blushy peach color we did on the walls in the front of the house— the kitchen, dining room, and parlor. It’s just so warm, and it really changes throughout the day. Sometimes it feels more pink, sometimes it almost feels like peachy yellow, depending on how the sun is hitting. It creates a nice backdrop and lets everything else kind of sing in a cozy way.
What piece of storage felt like a real game changer for your clients?
We didn’t add too much storage, but we created a moment by replacing a sliding barn door with a custom stained glass pantry door. It’s beautiful, whether it’s open and catching the light from the family room or closed with the pantry light on behind it. It was the client’s idea to do stained glass somewhere, and this added something that I didn’t even know we needed. The colors act as a bridge between the blushy pink of the front of the house to the minty green of the back of the house. So it’s kind of this fun transition. Most pantries aren’t that beautiful, so it was a nice little update.
How did the decorative plate wall over the dining room banquette come about?
The clients love to travel, and plates are an easy thing you can bring home from overseas. So while these are all vintage plates sourced from Etsy, it’s an opportunity to display handmade, organic items as they acquire souvenirs over time.
Tell me about the fabulous built-in headboard.
The client has an adjustable bed, so I knew we needed to build around the frame. I’ve always loved an upholstered headboard. It’s upholstered in this beautiful Holly Hunt faux mohair, which is durable but still feels luxurious and soft. It was a great way to bring some color into an otherwise neutral space. As for the curved shape, any chance I get to add a curve, I take it. These rooms are all square boxes, so introducing curves through furniture helps soften the space.
How did you choose the powder room wallpaper?
It is from Josh Green Design, and it just had all the right colors: the olive green from the kitchen cabinets, the burgundy from some of the art, and even a bit of blue. It also has a nod to the 20th-century Chinese screen in the parlor, which added a nice sense of continuity. Funny enough, when I showed it to the client, she later realized that a family member had almost the exact same pattern in their home growing up. That kind of thing can go either way, but in this case, she loved it—so it was definitely a win.