Tour a Chicago Home Where New York Cool Meets California Calm

Jennifer Fernandez

November 18, 2024 at 2:00 p.m.·7 min read

All products featured on Architectural Digest are independently selected by Architectural Digest editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, Condé Nast may earn an affiliate commission.

The pressure was on when Claire Staszak and Sara Gubin spotted the cobalt velvet padding of a pristine Guillerme et Chambron armchair on one of their last stops at Round Top, the Texas antiques fair. “It was one of those moments when you see something from a mile away, and it seems like you’re running in slow motion to get to it,” says Staszak, owner of Chicago-based interiors firm and AD PRO Directory member Centered by Design. “We were dealing with bad reception and sending images to our client that wouldn’t go through.” Though some might find that kind of thing stressful, Staszak and Gubin, her lead designer, were exhilarated. “I joked that our trip to Round Top was more fun than my bachelorette party,” she laughs.

A graphic Oscar Isberian rug anchors the custom Centered by Design cocktail table and Verellen sectional and accent chairs in the family room. The throw pillows are from Pat McGann Gallery and Treko.

Shop out the look of the house here⤵

Staszak and Gubin were fortunate to have a client who shares their love of the hunt. “She lit up when we would look at vintage items,” the designer says of the homeowner, who tasked her with converting a 5,400-square-foot house built in 2003 into something more in keeping with a classic Chicago greystone. “These pieces would often become the starting point or inspiration for a room.” An old French cataloging bureau dictated the palette and mix of materials in the formal living room, where a pair of leather-clad Nielaus and Jeki Mobler chairs sit with a live-edge walnut cocktail table. In the primary bathroom, vintage Barovier Rostrato sconces inspired the aqua-green veining in the Calacatta turquoise Antico marble that adorns the walls and vanity.

“The beauty of these pieces is that we weren’t just choosing something that was pretty or perfect,” says Gubin, noting the client’s preference for fashion-forward interiors that also exude West Coast calm and sophistication. “Each piece that we chose was extremely intentional in that it had a strong silhouette or a statement pattern or a patina that added a lot of depth and character. Our client wanted that graphic element that you find in New York brownstones, but there are also a lot of the neutrals that you see in California interiors.”

In the formal living room, an Armadillo rug sets a neutral base for a Rowe sofa upholstered in Dedar velvet, a live-edge Skylar Morgan cocktail table, and vintage leather-clad Nielaus and Jeki Mobler chairs. The midcentury floor lamp was sourced from 1stDibs, and the antique French catalog cabinet was found at Schwung. The Gommaar Gilliams artwork was purchased with help from art consultant Laura Lester of Lester Fine Art.

Jennifer Shorto fabric covers the Doorman bar stools in the kitchen, where lanterns by Visual Comfort hang above the marble-clad island. A second sink (there is another larger one on the perimeter of the room) proves especially useful when the family is hosting friends and loved ones.

Calacatta viola countertops, Classic Brass hardware, flushmounts from the Urban Electric Co., and custom cabinetry covered in Benjamin Moore’s Cole Stone elevate the butler’s pantry.

Seagrass-backed Noir chairs make a subtle textural statement in the breakfast nook, a quiet space of that kitchen that’s embellished with a vintage Gio Ponti mirror, Club Cu French oak console, Ravenhill Studio chandelier, and McLaurin & Piercy striped Roman shades.

Take the wallpaper in the dining room, a contemporary print by Calico that reads more historical thanks to its juxtaposition against a stately oak refectory table and an antique French store counter turned credenza. A palette of earthy browns, olives, and burnt reds—and materials taken from the natural world—ground the spaces, a series of airy rooms that get lots of natural light thanks to the house’s unusual (for Chicago) horizontal rather than vertical footprint on a double-wide lot. “There’s probably more wood than we ever use,” says Staszak, also noting the mix of stone tiles, hand-dyed linens, and brass finishes, “but that’s where the California energy comes in.” Adds Gubin, “There’s an organic quality to the rooms, which makes it very comfortable.”

A botanical print by Calico adds a dose of elegant romance to the custom Centered by Design refectory table, Highland House chairs, and an antique French store counter turned credenza in the formal dining room. Above, a chandelier by the Urban Electric Co. mirrors the table’s long lines.

Comfort was key given that the homeowners’s three children are often running laps up and down the front and back staircases with their friends. Because the family is enthusiastic about entertaining, Staszak and Gubin designed the rooms for multiple functions: The library becomes a spot for afterschool homework and study sessions, and the kitchen opens up to a large family room and breakfast area to accommodate overnight guests.

Pierre Frey’s Ziggy fabric adds playful energy to an intimate private den off the primary bedroom, where the family often gathers on the Osborne & Little–upholstered Chaddock sofa for movie nights. A Wo & We wall lamp adds moody ambiance.

Yet there are also intimate spaces for quieter times. The family often retreats to the private media room off the primary bedroom, and Staszak installed a cozy reading nook in a closet under the basement stairs, a surprise move-in present designed to make the family feel instantly at home, complete with a mural of a tree carved with the kids’s names into the trunk. “That was so rewarding,” says Gubin of the children’s excitement. “You realize that we’re not just creating designs, we’re creating a home.”