apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

David--a three-flat is a three-story building with an apartment on each floor. In Boston, I believe they say, "double-decker" "triple-decker" etc. What term do they use in NYC?

Heather -- don't be too provincial, dear. My little corner of the world is less than a third the size of this so-called "three-flat" (any Chicagoans care to illuminate us ignorant East Coasters as to the meaning/provenance of this term?), but I think said three-flat has been beautifully decorated and has lots of ideas that would transfer easily to smaller spaces.

To wit: Sa, et al:

1) please tell us more about the CD built-ins -- they look great! There are always fights 'round here about how people should throw away their CDs, burn MP3s and go minimal, but I want to display my CDs and books and things! Nice job.

2) would you mind identifying paint colors? I am especially drawn to the caramellish-taupe-whatever in the bedroom.

Thanks!

Love the furniture (a little jealous here) but what's with the totally creepy photo of the naked kids in your fireplace nook???

give us back our french doors!

I really enjoyed the house tour. I love the architecture, from the built-ins to the doorways and the adorable old-fashioned doorbell. Your art is also beautiful, and the mid century pieces you've collected really adds to the charm of your home. You have a great space!

Holly

Very nice place!

What a lovely light-filled house! It's stylish and cozy and makes me want to make myself at home in every room. Wonderful job!

Love it. It's both beautiful and personal -- a hard mix to attain.

while it's great fun to peek into others' homes from all over the country, I can't help but feel that a house tour like this (on the new york page of AT) is largely irrelevant for most of we New Yorkers. this home is 1700 sq ft (!!!). how many other new yorkers like myself can really find big homes like this a designing inspiration since our apartments are mostly 3/4 the size (if that!) and our storage and decor issues are way more challenging? if i had a 1700 square foot apartment, i too could show you some pretty nifty sparse yet tasteful rooms. please keep showcasing the smaller apartments that we cube-dwellers can resonate with. don't get me wrong - i do love your site and visit every day! any other new yorkers kind of agree with me here?

A three flat is an entire building 3 stories high, with an apartment on each level. I believe they are a type of building unique to Chicago, but don't quote me on that. Here's an example of what they look like.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/metroblossom/150039297/

I'm guessing that Sa lives on one floor and maybe they rent out the other 2 apartments.

And what's wrong with showing places this big? Sure that is a large space, but not totally uncommon for Chicago.

Also, Heather, West Ridge is on the far north border of the city limits; definitely not a "near-downtown" place to live by any means. A place this lovely would surely cost a pretty penny in Lincoln Park, or somewhere comparable.

As for the place, I adore it. It has that sort of effortless, "this all just happened organically" feeling of chicness and style that remind me of times passed. Lovely, calming, and very family-feeling, if that makes any sense.

Great furniture and light, and looks like Theo is destined for artistic greatness, what with all that beautiful (homemade in some cases it seems) art on the walls! Dibs on his first oil on canvas...

I second the request for the paint colors (especially the light grey color in the study)...
Thanks in advance!

Their color schemes are so soothing but with the funky, surprising art, the place becomes a bohemian household. I'd find a new set up for their TV though.

Thank you for sharing your home with us!

Very nice. I like that it doesn't look "decorated." Instead, it looks like the people who live here just happen to have great taste.

Love the pictures taped to the walls! It's such a casual/chic touch. And LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the CD storage. The CD shelving is like a piece of art. So cool. Great paint colors too.

P.S. Don't forget to put your knives on a higher shelf when Theo starts to walk!

Beautiful! It feels like a place I'd dream of living in.

In Sydney they are called a duplex (2) or triplex (3).

In NYC they are callled 'dream on'.

nothing very exotic about three flats (think brownstone divided into units). i agree that west ridge is likely to have more "value" than someplace south (but still oodles cheaper than nyc). chicagoans should take pride in their vintage interiors; while gut rehabs may seem better than tear downs, it's hard to recreate this kind of feeling you get looking at these photos. sa + family: enjoy.

In Minneapolis we, too, call it a triplex.

Tres bien... very nice space. Thanks for opening your doors so graciously.

Merry, Merry (:

Thanks for all of your interesting responses. I love the fact that Apt. Therapy cross listed our house tour on the NYC site. We live on the third floor of a building with one apartment (identical layout) on each floor. There are many ‘two flats’ and ‘three flats’ in Chicago. And many, like ours, are owner occupied with tenants on the other one or two floors. ( in Chicago, a duplex is an apartment with two floors).

Our neighborhood is one of the last great values on the north side of Chicago. By comparison, our entire building cost less than many one bedroom condos in Manhattan. If you come to visit our area, go to Devon street, which arguably has the best selection of Indian and Pakistani restaurants in North America.

Paint has been one of my few decorating splurges. I’ll admit it: I love Farrow and Ball Estate Emulsion. It is the chalkiest matte paint I have ever seen. Bedroom is painted a color called ‘Dutch Pink.’ In reality it not pink at all, but a terra cotta, So our bedroom feels like the inside of an unglazed, but well lit, pot. The living room is ‘Cornforth White’ which is a super subtle, malleable grey that has a hint of lavender. Dining room is ‘Farrow’s Cream’ which is a bit too yellow for my taste. Entry Hall is a blue grey (not F&B) that we formulated by bring one of Scott’s favorite t-shirts to the paint store.

I live in this area of Chicago, and love it. Devon has some of the best shopping in the city! Love your apartment...I am a sucker for classic Chicago three-flats, and yours is wonderful. Your place looks really peaceful and inviting.

Are these really all that rare in New York? Okay, strike that ... in the New York area? (Perhaps not Manhattan.) Most of Brooklyn apts. of friends are this style (maybe not as large, but one on each floor of a brownstone) and most of my old neighborhood in Queens was this way ... but actually built to be one unit on each floor, not just broken up that way.

Actually, come to think of it, the block I used to live on in Harlem had all buildings like these ... including our gigantic 3-bedroom top-floor apt. Man, I miss how much space we had there. And gorgeous pre-war architecture too!

I've never commented on a house tour before but since this one was super special- here goes. I love so many elements- the nursery with it's un-cutesiness, the hand lightswitch cover, the completely unromantic painting over the master bed. I love its unexpectedness and that it looks accessible to so many economic classes (I'll just have to keep combing the flea markets for some beautiful, MATCHING dressers....)

Thanks for educating me re: three-flat. We do have 'em in NYC, we just don't have a name for them (or not that I know of). In fact, it turns out that my lady friend lives in a "three-flat" in Park Slope, Brooklyn!

As to the posters suggesting duplex/triplex -- in NYC, at least, we think of duplexes & triplexes as one single residence/apartment on multiple floor -- a rare luxury. That's why Eartha Kitt wants a "duplex/and checks" in "Santa, Baby".

Sa: thanks for the paint colors, and once again, thanks for sharing your lovely apartment with us!

Thanks so much for sharing your beautiful home, and thanks AT for showcasing such an archetypal example of residential Chicago architecture. This is the type of apartment that so so many of us live in (although maybe not as big, or as sunny, or with such amazing radiator covers), and it's great to see it reflected back in such an utterly charming way. This home is such a wonderful example of how a space benefits from a mix of styles, and of how a home is more than a space. Monochromatic and stark is not the only path to sophistication; books and cds aren't clutter. Beautiful t-shirt colored entry hall!

I also really like this place, but am I the only person that finds the living room lay-out incredibly odd? One couch diagonal with two uncomfortable looking chairs on either side, with a TV on a little tiny table blocking that awesome fireplace. These are the times where aesthically, leave those blocky TVs to the private areas (bedrooms) and make the main living area more inviting for guests and the people who live there. The living room has so much more potential while still keeping with the feel of the entire home. Other than that, great paint color choices and a great job on Theo's room.

Worcester (MA) also has a plethora of these types of buildings/apartments. There we called them "3-deckers."

Sa,
You have made another beautiful home.
We love coming over for visits, there is always something new to look at.
And I love our discussions about decorating.

I really like it - your home has an easy, comfortable sense of style to it and is very personal. Lovely - thanks for sharing.

Your home is very soothing and peaceful. I love the lamp over your dining table. May I ask what kind of lamp this is and the designer?

Thank you for sharing

I really love your home too. For some reason, it reminds me of the past, before our homes were dominated by high techness. For me, the only question mark is how you could be so generous to put that gorgeous chair in your son's room! I think I would be tempted to get him something more mundane and keep that one for the livingroom.

Great house tour--it makes me homesick for the Midwest. :)

I was wondering if you could tell me the color on your dining room walls. Love the house, by the way.

HH I think that's an ikea light?

Your home is beautiful! I'd love to know about about your napkin holder (bird?); maker and where I can get it, please.
Thanks for sharing.

SA

I love your home. Thank you for sharing it with us. I love the character and quirks of older dwellings. You've taken an apartment and breathed personality and life into it with your family's art and tastes. I almost feel as though I know you!

Seeing your place has given me inspiration! I particularly like the "double-dressers" in your bedroom! Happy thought, indeed!

I love the little green chicken? dragon? napkin holder on the dinning room table. Does anyone know who makes it?

This is great.
Even with kids around the place is organized, and looks like it gives place for all it's occupants.

A few replies to recent questions:

HH and luvdecor, the light is a Klimt lamp from DWR-I think Ikea sells a knockoff that is similar, but smaller in scale.

tchoup, The little green chicken napkinholder is from Ravenswood Antique Mart, here in Chicago. I've never seen another one like it. It is the most saturated green and is both graceful and kitchy.

mstina,
Paint in dining room is Farrow and Ball Cream.

Thanks for looking, Sa

Nice! I really love the wood hand light switchplate in the bedroom.