URBAN GLAMOUR
“For a city bedroom with high ceilings and tall bay windows, I would paint the walls a deep charcoal gray and the wood trim a crisp, glossy white. I love drama! The ceiling would be the same shade of aqua/blue as in the small linen sample. All furniture would be arranged on a plush white-silk Tibetan rug over gleaming dark wood floors. I would accent with silver pieces, creating a space that juxtaposes loose and relaxed with drama and glitz.”
1. “I would use this charcoal linen for a loosely slipcovered headboard, duvet cover, and bedskirt.”
2.“We need some glamour, so I’d put a sleek Lucite or shiny stainless steel bench at the foot of the bed, with the seat covered in this sparkly, silvery gray fabric.”
3.“To lighten things up a bit, I would use this contemporary floral fabric in long, straight panels on the windows.”
4.“The combination of smooth linen with a pleated woven cotton is beautiful; I would use this pinkish-lavender cotton for shams and a throw at the end of the bed.”
5. “I would throw a pair of simple aqua linen pillows with large flanges on a pair of comfy but sleek chairs slipcovered in the same charcoal linen I used on the bed to set off the floral fabric on the windows and continue the room’s relaxed feel.”
Photograph: Leonard Gertz
RUSTIC MODERN
“I’m picturing a family room in a modern glass-and-timber vacation home in the woods, with very large windows overlooking fantastic nature. To these textiles, I would add a white cowhide or Mongolian lambskin rug, tables made of stainless steel and glass, and rustic accents, such as a pair of woven-wicker stools or baskets and beautiful white birch logs in the fireplace.”
1. “I like to use plain fabrics on the larger pieces in a room, so plain nubby linen would go on a sleek-lined sofa.”
2.“I would use this fabric, with the stripes horizontal, for a set of 22-inch throw pillows on the sofa.”
3. “This embroidered squiggly pattern has a larger scale. I would use it for simple grommet-top drapery panels on stainless steel rods that would run around the perimeter of the room, with the panels stacked in the corners for softness.”
4. “I would add this abstract dotted pattern in the form of a long rectangular pillow in the center of the sofa to provide a bit of movement, without overpowering the mostly neutral scheme.”
5. “The walls would be covered in grass cloth, hung horizontally, allowing the stripes to mimic a log cabin in a very sophisticated way.”
6. “This complementary burlap wallpaper would work very well in an adjacent powder room.”
7. “To counterbalance the sofa’s heavier texture, I would cover the seats of a couple of chairs (preferably with stainless steel bases, such as a Mies van der Rohe Barcelona or an Arne Jacobsen Egg) in smooth, vintage caramel-colored leather.”
Contact: Midnight Sun Swedish Antiques & Design, 110 W. Lake St., Libertyville, 847-362-5240; midnightsunantiques.com
Photograph: Leonard Gertz
Buy Guide
ABOUT OUR SOURCES: We attempt to provide as much information as possible about the products and professionals involved in designing the homes we show in our pages. Items not sourced here are probably not available for sale; they might be antiques or part of an owner’s personal collection. When an item or product line is widely available, we may not list a specific store for it. If you have a question about our sources, please write to us at chicagohome@chicagomag.com.
Urban glamour: Charcoal and aqua linen, rose-colored pleated cotton, and floral drapery fabric by Clarke & Clarke, through Midnight Sun Swedish Antiques & Design, 110 W. Lake St., Libertyville, 847-362-5240; midnightsunantiques.com. Platinum and Metal Facets sparkly fabrics, Kravet, Merchandise Mart, 312-527-0505, kravet.com. Rustic modern: Vintage leather, Nomi striped indoor/outdoor fabric, China Seas taupe linen with white dots, through Midnight Sun. Le Boucle nubby caramel-colored fabric by Beacon Hill, Robert Allen/Beacon Hill, Merchandise Mart, 312-644-5790; beaconhilldesign.com. Celerie Kemble for Valtekz drapery fabric (with dark curlicues), burlap wallpaper with curvy white stitching, and striped grass-cloth wallpaper, Schumacher, Merchandise Mart, 312-527-4650; fschumacher.com.