Name: Bridgette Buckley (BB1), furniture designer, Britton Bertran (BB2), art professional, and Mickey the dog.
Location: Logan Square, Chicago, Illinois
Size: 1200 square feet, 2 bedroom in a 20-unit courtyard building; circa early 1900's.
Years lived in: 1.5 years, rented
Apartment Therapy readers first met Bridgette Buckley in our 2010 Summer Style Survey where we learned that she spends her summers hanging out with Britton Bertran, drinking Tom Collinses, draped in gold and dreaming of Scandinavia. Needless to say, I've been mildly pestering Bridgette and Britton to share their lovely, light-filled Logan Square apartment with us ever since.
The obvious lesson learned is that pestering totally pays off! Walking into Britton and Bridgette's home, you hope they invite you to stay, because you're visually delighted and too comfortable to leave. From years of working the gallery, museum and non-profit arts world, Briton has amassed a serious collection of artwork-- and possesses a decisive curatorial eye that translates beautifully to the home environment.
His pieces are bolstered by Bridgette's own artwork and furniture (much of it by her own hand) that provide a quiet strength based in her Scandinavian spirit. Their pieces blend together in a cohesive way that many couples struggle to achieve when both partners have strong tastes. Bridgette and Britton's personal styles prove to be the masculine and feminine sides of the same coin-- a consistent ambiance throughout, yet both personalities decidedly shine through.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
Our Style: From one of our favorite songs: "...make it up as we go along..." (Talking Heads, This Must Be the Place)
When we first met, we were each living in modest one-bedroom apartments that proudly displayed our respective collections: furniture and art. They were not dissimilar--a feminine and masculine version--and when we moved in we were thrilled at how seamlessly it all came together. Since then we've continued to weave our collections and styles, selectively adding new pieces.
One thing we're most proud of is that we use our every room in our apartment. It's big, but every space gets utilized on a regular basis. We don't believe any space or furniture piece should be too precious to use and we want our guests to feel as at-home as we do. Our style is casual and comfortable, with moments of modernist refinement and visual indulgence.
Inspiration: BB1: A lot of what inspires me comes from simply living. I can turn just about any household activity into a kind of ritual (painstaking but loving execution and giving it greater purpose), and enjoy the process of a constantly evolving home. I pay close attention to how we use our space, and try to make adjustments accordingly; making it more comfortable and livable with each step. I take strong cues from Scandinavian design and culture; placing value on subtle lighting and a color palette of mostly natural tones, with pops of color. Also, I pretty much love everything I see on Remodelista.
BB2: Well being an "art professional" I want to experiment with living with art. Not only what goes where, but also how what goes where and why. Then the breakdown of what art - and the living with it - comes into play: form, function and aesthetics.
Favorite Element: BB1: The layout, abundant natural light (lots of windows), hardwood floors, radiant heat and the vintage bathroom fixtures and tiles.
BB2: That the front hallway is slightly crooked (the building settling with age) and the amazing 3/4 panoramic view.
Biggest Challenge: Though also a great asset: the windows. We get a lot of heat-gain in the summer and it creates less wall space to hang art. Also, there is no immediate outdoor space which we both really miss.
What Friends Say: "This place is huge!"
Biggest Embarrassment: The rental kitchen cabinets and ceiling fans.
Proudest DIY: BB1: I am very proud of affectionately enticing Britton to upgrade his bachelor sofa by adding new pillows, a cover for the cushion and replacing the feet which had been long lost (!).
BB2: Repainting the dormant fireplace a perfect institutional gray color to go with the different shades of wood and realizing the speaker fits perfectly there.
Biggest Indulgence: BB1: For me it's about determination. I never spend excessive money on items for our place (outside of my own prototypes), but the biggest effort I made was bringing my bedroom dresser from Copenhagen to Chicago, which through the help of key individuals didn't cost much either.
BB2: Leaving some walls free of art.
Best Advice: BB1: Always see your home as a work in progress.
BB2: Use each room as living and looking space.
Dream Sources: BB1: Wright, Andrew Hollingsworth, Artek
BB2: Alex Zachary Gallery (NY), Mondoblogo.
Resources of Note:
Entry
- • Bridgette Buckley Studio (El Cielo Entry Table)
• Danish thrift store (mirror)
• Ikea (lamp)
• Selected artwork by (L to R): Lucia Fabio, Josh Mannis, Ryan Duggan, Soul Jazz Records, Ray Noland, Jay Ryan, Bridgette Buckley (fur chair)
Living Room
- • Room and Board (big sofa)
• The Ark Thrift store (small sofa)
• CB2 (coffee table)
• Bridgette Buckley Studio (Crab Table, 24 Hour Lightbox)
• Holly Hunt Design Studio (lounge chair and drink table)
• West Elm via friend on Facebook (rug)
• Broadway Antique Mart (Hans Wegner Rolling Cart)
• Design Within Reach (media stand)
• Ikea (lamps, record bins)
• John Melone, Bridgette's grandfather, (footstool)
• Family heirloom (toy chest/bench)
• Peter Hoffman (plant painting)
• Lisa Boumstein-Smalley (plexiglass painting above sofa)
• An Orange Moon (leather moose on mantel)
• Joe Hardesty (paper bag skull on mantel)
• Mike Genovese (graff/text painting titled: "Recapitulation", 2006 on mantel)
• Design Within Reach (Japanese wood puzzle on mantel)
• Haeger (ceramic vase on mantel)
Dining Room
- • Hand-me-down from friend (dining table)
• Various thrift stores and yard sales (plant table, chairs, globe fixture)
• Ikea (BB2's desk, bookshelves, rug)
• Bridgette Buckley Studio (Collins Dining Arm Chair)
• Former Dr.'s office chair (BB2's desk chair)
• Selected artwork: William J. O'Brien, Antonio Casanova Y Estorach, O' Brien, Jamison Ogg, Dave McKenzie, Dan Gunn, Banksy, Haeger, Philip von Zweck, Ryan Scheidt, Wendell Castle, Chris Silva, Design Museum. Helsinki, Brion Nuda Rosch, Joe Hardesty.
Kitchen
- • Bridgette Buckley Studio (Twosome Counter Table, One Seater stools, Morning Light Pendant)
• Ikea (pot rack, spice shelf, stove lamp, paper towel holder, clock)
• Container Store (baker's rack)
• Artwork in Butler's Pantry by Maggie Bogdanich
Bedroom
- • Copenhagen Thrift store (dresser, lamp)
• Bridgette Buckley (bench)
• CB2 (nightstand)
• Ikea (nightstand)
• Holly Hunt (lampshade)
• Chicago Alley find (chair, reupholstered)
• Selected artwork by: Mary Melone, Bridgette's grandmother (still-life), unknown (astrological chart), unknown ("Indian miniature painting"), Phoebe Fisher (painting of Mariah Carey, 2003)
Bathroom
- • Thriftstore (chair)
• Ikea (lockers, small table)
BB1's Office (Sunroom)
- • Ikea (desk, book shelves, credenza, sewing table)
• Village thrift (fabric storage cart)
• Various surplus and thrift stores (chairs)
• My father's former architecture office (desk lamp)
• Bridgette Buckley Studio (El Cielo Table holding printer & scanner)
Back Hallway
- • Artwork by Thomas Rapai
Guest Room
- • Ikea (sofa bed)
• CB2 (night stand)
• Bridgette Buckley Studio (4-Square table)
• Wendy Cooper Gallery (painting rack)
• Design Within Reach (chair)
• Selected artwork by: Howard Fonda, Tyler Britt, Sarah Ann Lobb, Erik Wenzel, Ryan Fenchel, Denise Kupferschmidt, Jamison Ogg, Josh Mannis, Dan Gunn, Aline Cautis, Reverend Seymour Perkins; various posters, ephemera and found art.
Thanks, Bridgette and Britton!
Images: Smith Schwartz
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love this place, it has a great feel!
where did you get that beautiful cheery fabric-- w/ the red #2's that look like hearts --on the pillow & made into curtains?
Definitely the best design element is the Syracuse hat! Go orange. I love the rest of the apartment as well.
This is one of my faves
@TAmom: i have very similar fabric, if not the same, that i got from ikea a few years back. i also made pillow covers with it! great minds! :)
Great house.
Oh I love your place, so cool and charming! I need to know what breed of dog you have......so adorable!! Looks very similar to my dog...although she is a mixed breed. Uncanny resemblance!!! But back to your space ......amazing! Great design and it looks so artsy but clean and well thought out.(Some of us artist types can be a bit messy ;)! Oh and I must "borrow", some of your kitchen organization solutions!
Beautiful, thoughtful and loved space.
great building.
reminds me of Mulders place
the dining area is my fave: black and white rug + glass panelled doors.
thanks zoebean, ikea does have great fabrics.
I made that same pillow from the Ikea fabric! Although the surroundings don't look near that good!
Such a gorgeous place! Where did you get that adorable heart fabric from?! I love it!
Love the barstool/table set, though am a tiny bit sad that the stools are not precisely like the table... I undoubtedly cannot afford it, but I'm also sad it's not available for sale on her website (yet?)
i think we might be neighbors! your place is gorgeous--well done!
The dark woodwork that's everwhere and the hex tiles in the bathroom are so beautiful!
How do you deal with cleaning your West Elm cable rug? I had the same one in my living room, but between the endless shedding and dinginess from foot traffic, I had to get rid of it. Vacuuming did nothing for it.
Love this space! Looks well thought out and elegant but also lived in. (Some of the AT tours make me wonder if anyone actually lives there on a regular basis!) You simple clean lined furniture makes me dream of Scandinavia too :-)
The puppy is the perfect finishing touch.
Where did you get your black wall clock in the kitchen? I've looked at what feels like hundreds of clocks online which don't grab me but this one does.
Hi everyone, BB1 here. Thanks for all your great comments on our place! We love it here and we're glad you like it too.
To address your questions:
@zoebean, @Kalen You are exactly right about the "2"/heart fabric; it's from IKEA, and we found a few remnant yards about a year ago. I always forget what great textiles they have...
@her_royal_gr8ness We're still trying to guess Mickey's breed, but the current verdict is in at German Shepard/ Staffordshire Terrier mix. We got her from West Suburban Humane Society http://www.wshs-dg.org/wshs/ who thought she might be Boxer.
@thorndale It's not actually! Works every day. :)
@lepidoptery Glad you like the set! They are in final prototyping which is why they're not on the site yet. The table has an "x" cross-stretcher because it's a stronger, more straightforward construction, and the stools have a box stretcher so you have a place to put your feet.
@bosworth.alpha Aside from picking fuzz balls obsessively by hand (which I do), I don't have a better answer. We're letting it 'patina' and de-fuzz as it will...
@Klaus Sonnenleiter I think it took a few days, but as she's growing, we're up-sizing the rope!
@BB1
Haha, I assumed that was the reason the stools were like that... otoh, I figured the table was that way just because it looks cool and you can tuck the stools in, but I didn't realize there was additional engineering behind it!
Pitch perfect.
beautiful--love all the wood in the architectural details, the floors, and the gorgeous wooden furniture. esp. like the dining room. in the living room, though, the coffee table seems a bit lost. it's too far away from the couches to be practical & one would have to lean waayy over to place a drink on it. everything else though is just beautiful!
Does anyone know what material might be used on the red board on picture 40? The board that rests atop the radiator? I have radiators like that in every room of my apartment, and I'm very interested in finding a material that can be set on top of that--even in winter when they are used. Any ideas?
Oh, I should say - I love your place. Big is definitely a good word to describe it! The fireplace is...wonderful.
I can definitely relate to the kitchen cabinets and ceiling fans as being an embarrassment--I have the same problem! Well, that and my bathroom floor
Great job!
So beautiful! I love all the massive wood.
love the apartment - Go 'Cuse!
@her_royal_gr8ness - mickey looks exactly like my lovable little mutt. mine is a boxer/beagle mix - but i have a feeling my mutt also has some staffordshire terrier in there somewhere.
I really like!
Perfect place-I love it all!
Lovely place. Lots of beautiful natural wood and artwork! But why does your Chicago map only show north of the Stevenson? Never any respect for those living on the South Side. I live in a beautiful vintage house that I can afford, but it is on the south side. Oh well, guess I'll never be hip. You do have a nice place, though.
Great place filled with great items lived in by great people. I like the dog too!
I'm intrigued by the description of the courtyard building and wish there was some of their outdoor space to explore as well.
this is one of my favorite house tours ever. THAT WOOD TRIM OMG - these two have great taste!
OMG -adorable!! (I am a teacher participating (with Casper!) in the U.G. program on the SW side!) What a surprise to see your place here!
@mauishopgirl The clock in the kitchen is from IKEA.
@lepidoptery That is another great benefit which works with this construction: the stools do fit very nicely under the table.
@timmy jr. The coffee table ends up working really well. We utilize the fact that it has wheels, and roll it and rotate it to exactly where we need it. I may never go back to a stationary coffee table ever again!
@Jessica Jeanne The board I used here is simply a cut piece of standard pine lumber, spray painted. It was a ‘quick and dirty’ solution, and tends to warp so I would recommend using cedar which could withstand extreme heat better. It would smell good too (if you don’t paint it). We have a small cedar board in the bathroom; it works really well for morning coffee.
@Wendoug The map goes to 59th on the front side, and to the city limits--138th and beyond--on the back side. We put it up one night while helping a friend look at neighborhoods for a new apartment (coincidentally on the northside) and it ‘stuck’. We don’t hate the South Side, and neither does the American Map Corporation.
@Ubermegan Our courtyard is beautiful and when we moved in I had visions of summer dinners there, but it turns out the management company is pretty restrictive on how we use it. It’s too bad, but boulevards and parks aren’t far away…
Thanks again everyone!
BB1