Photography: Alan Shorthall
IN THIS AGE of pop-up shops and restaurants, why not a pop-up home? Designer Michael Richman took on an unusual project last fall: furnishing a 3,400-square-foot apartment in Trump International Hotel and Tower in conjunction with the art show Expo Chicago at Navy Pier. Curved walls of floor-to-ceiling windows presented challenges, but Richman “loved the drama of it.”
With about ten days to pull it together, he sprang into action, combining artwork from galleries represented at Expo with furniture and accessories from local vendors, including several pieces from his own collection. The result was an urbane, high-in-the-sky modern home that took shape, dazzled visitors, and disappeared as quickly as it came. (Who was that masked man?) Richman recently sat down to chat about the project, sharing tips on creating sophisticated spaces around contemporary art.
1. GO BEYOND YOUR WALLS If you’ve got a great view, use it. The windows in this guest bedroom want no furniture pushed up against them, no drapery in the way. And the artwork—mirrored-vinyl lettering by Aaron Krach, applied to the glass—has major impact without taking up any space.
2. THINK BIG In the living room, large furnishings with uncluttered lines cede the spotlight to David Maisel’s aerial photographs. A nine-foot sofa in an easy-to-work-with neutral fabric and a six-foot day bed were Richman’s starting points; between them, a coffee table with a poured-glass top is substantial without being ponderous. In the dining area, a mass-ive table with a stainless steel base and a top of Indonesian suar wood is joined by ottomans topped with sheepskin and a spriggy Swarovski crystal chandelier with LED bulbs.
3. MAKE FURNITURE STATEMENTS Thinking of furniture as sculpture opens up all kinds of possibilities. In the den, a voluptuous sofa upholstered in tweeded wool is all about curves and comfort. “When you sit on it, it sort of envelops you,” Richman says. More functional art: Three smooth-finished, ebony-stained sections of teak trunks make excellent low tables.
4. STAY WITH THE GROUP Display small- or medium-size works of art together for maximum impact; John Sparagna’s “Rupture and Void” photos of stacks of fashion magazines with holes drilled through them are arranged in an eye-catching grid in the entry. Richman mixed materials and periods to keep the symmetry interesting, positioning Louis XVI–style chairs on either side of a crisply contemporary marble-topped console with a white-gold leafed base. The chairs are upholstered with shiny vinyl in a rich hue.
5. PLAY WITH LAYERS Now you see it, now you don’t: In the guest room, wood-block art and a lamp that swivels to enable bedtime reading sit on aLucite desk that Richman calls “there but not there”; Alex Webb’s photo of Ciudad Madero, Mexico, hangs over it. On the other side of the bed, a stump pedestal performs nightstand duties. Colorful stripes and patterns bring in the noise as well as the funk in a rug, a throw, and a pile of playful pillows.
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Interior design: Michael Richman Interiors, richmaninteriors.com.
Bedroom: Bed frame and Lucite desk, Michael Richman Interiors. Pillows and striped wool rug, therugcompany.com. Desk lamp, lightology.com. Asem wood pedestal, San Juan Ventures, degiulio.org. Chair, aneesupholstery.com. "I’m Trying to Tell You How I Feel," vinyl text on glass by Aaron Krach, through Michael Richman Interiors. "Ciudad Madero, Mexico" photograph by Alex Webb, stephendaitergallery.com.
Living room: Main Street sofa, swivel chair, Anees Upholstery. Box Series day bed, Lumen coffee table, Michael Richman Interiors. Pedestal side table with petrified wood top, San Juan Ventures. Mirrored side table, jeandemerry.com. Silk rug, The Rug Company. "Lake Project 6" and "Terminal Mirage" photographs by David Maisel, Carrie Secrist Gallery, through Michael Richman Interiors. (On coffee table) "Bronze Men" sculpture by Ettore Greco, jennifernorbackfineart.com.
Den: Sofa, Michael Richman Interiors. Teak trunk coffee table, side table, San Juan Ventures. Floor lamp, Gulassa & Co., trufurniture.com. Pillows, rug, The Rug Company. (Left of doorway) Camouflage painting by Pete Skvara, andrewrafacz.com. (Right of doorway) Untitled woven image by John Sparagna, corbettvsdempsey.com.
Dining room: Suar wood table with stainless steel base, San Juan Ventures. Wood and metal ottomans with sheepskin tops, Jean De Merry. Blossom LED chandelier, Lightology.