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House Call: Gregory & Christine's Custom Chicago Style

Names: Gregory & Christine
Location: Chicago

Some classic Chicago style arrived in our inbox recently. Here is what Gregory had to say about the home he shares with Christine: Our two bedroom condo in Chicago, IL - full of antique furniture, painted wall murals, and custom built shelves. The inspiration for our home stems from the characteristics of the 100+ year old building mixed with our love for kitschy DIY aesthetics... with a sprinkling of modern mirrors, art, and sculptural objects that I have created as an interior designer for commercial properties. Custom shelves that I have built in the kitchen, bedroom, and living room along with the appropriately scaled furniture make the most out of this small space...

 
 

Wall murals add interest and color without taking away floor space. When I purchased this condo more than three years ago it was owned by a sixty-year old lady and the entire apartment was painted pink along with a pink kitchen floor, pink counter tops, and a shell-shaped bathroom sink. The entire bathroom, which is very small, was remodeled with a touch of modern influences. My wife and I painted (& sealed) the pink ceramic-tiled kitchen floor a dark gray. The built-in shelf over our bed houses an alarm clock, books, and has a light switch that turn on a night-light hidden behind the colored owl candle holder. The second bedroom is used for sewing and crafts by my wife and a wood-shop, bike shop, and art studio by myself.

Thanks Gregory & Christine!

Images: Gregory & Christine

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Comments (28)

Looks interesting, but it's kind of frustrating to see so little of the apartment. Could we see some more?

posted by klem on May 26th 2009 at 8:37pm
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i LOVE the art piece in the hallway, with the little yellow creatures hanging off a tree. any one have an idea who the artist is?

posted by nevergirl on May 26th 2009 at 9:43pm
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Love the bedroom photo - the Malm looks high end in it.

posted by david @ justveggingout.com on May 26th 2009 at 9:51pm
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very nice

posted by iroh on May 26th 2009 at 10:29pm
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What is the name/brand of the green paint color in the walls? In the living room and dining area. Love it, thanks!

posted by hyblue on May 26th 2009 at 10:59pm
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Are the leaves on the white wall painted on freehand? I love how they tie the accent wall and the white wall together!

posted by miesh on May 26th 2009 at 11:54pm
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i really loved all the spareness, and bare surfaces. the place feels spacious, and it feels like a person can think, breathe, and do in there. lovely, thanks

posted by formosagirl on May 27th 2009 at 5:58am
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Lovely! Very restful. what is your source for the blinds?

posted by dolcib on May 27th 2009 at 6:36am
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The artist of the poster in the hallway is Jay Ryan, of Chicago. You can find his work here:
http://www.thebirdmachine.com/

posted by dede on May 27th 2009 at 7:24am
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I love the shelf in the wall above the bed. DIY or did it come with your space?

posted by alisaan on May 27th 2009 at 9:30am
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Yes, how did you paint the mural? DIY or did you have a mural painter, stencil, etc?

It's quite nice and subtle.

posted by MochiHome on May 27th 2009 at 9:57am
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I am moving into an apartment with a similar living room layout, and I would love to know the paint and color you've used in this space. What a lovely home!

posted by ErinO on May 27th 2009 at 10:35am
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I have to say, I am intrigued by a woman (earlier resident) who has the guts to cover every single surface with her favorite color (pink). But I like this better of course.

posted by BlueLM on May 27th 2009 at 10:37am
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Nice sofa set. Are those Picachus in the tree in the print? :)

posted by BlueLM on May 27th 2009 at 10:39am
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This is a lovely home. I really appreciate the lack of 'modern icons' actually. It gives my brain a rest from Eammes and reminds me we can design beautiful homes beyond or without all those design-savvy widgets (which are still awesome, don't get me wrong, just a little ODed is all). I really like your living room, it looks awefully cozy and the plants everywhere are wonderful.

posted by Jesse Lu on May 27th 2009 at 1:19pm
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You have great taste! I'm curious about the mural too, I've been looking for something "leafy" to complement by bedroom but not sure if i should go wallsticker, stencil, etc.

posted by blondblogger on May 27th 2009 at 2:39pm
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I would have loved to see the wall-to-wall pink! Please tell me there are photos!

posted by jooly on May 27th 2009 at 3:25pm
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My guess is that is free hand painting at it's best! (The wall color matches the stencil perfectly) You can do some pretty amazing things with vinyl decals though! Check out a few pics of some stuff I did at my office here:

http://bacacreative.blogspot.com/2008/04/i-heart-writing-on-walls.html

posted by cbaca on May 27th 2009 at 10:55pm
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Great use of muted colors to highlight the home's traditional architectural elements in a modern way. So lucky to have so many big and beautiful windows!

posted by J Dandy on May 28th 2009 at 12:26pm
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great house! I love the yellow wall and the mural.
where is the dining table from?

posted by misstokyo on May 28th 2009 at 4:20pm
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Your living room is lovely---simple, serene, green.

posted by bejeweled on May 29th 2009 at 12:29am
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Smart idea, that embedded shelf above the bed. Functional, neat and it looks cool, too.

posted by Ianny on May 30th 2009 at 12:29am
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They look like "Pikachu." Minus the red cheeks. What a fun painting!

posted by dunklekatze on June 1st 2009 at 12:12am
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Hi & thanks for all your comments, below are the answers to most of the questions above. As most of you know the artist of the large tree print with "yellow critters" in it is Jay Ryan, this was a piece my company commissioned from him for the rooms of the new Intercontinental Hotel in Rosemont, IL next to O'Hare airport. The green paint in the kitchen is Behr Asparagus on top and Grass Cloth on the bottom. The dining room table is a craigslist find, originally the table was the same colored wood as the chairs, but my wife and I sanded the table down and stained it the dark color you see in the picture now in order to add some interest and contrast to the area. The blinds throughout the house are from smith noble, I installed them myself and love them. The murals are both freehand and stenciled with a low-tack vinyl I had cut at Skyline Design, a art services company in Chicago. The branch above the bed was done freehand. The shelf above the bed was DIY by myself, the box rests between the studs of the wall and the cord for the outlet comes out of a 2" hole by just above the running board below and plugs into an outlet behind the bed. One outlet is switched for the nightlight and the other is constant for the alarm clock. This shelf is super handy and eliminates the need for a nightstand, on either side of the bed since its accessible to both of us! More pics? Yes, there are many more custom shelves, murals and areas in the house which are not included in these photos. I'm planning to have it professionally shot and re-submit my post once this is done.
Thanks,
Gregory

posted by Gregory John on June 1st 2009 at 5:00pm
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I love your bedroom - the mural is great!

Debbie
http://girlwhimsy.blogspot.com

posted by dykelly625 on June 8th 2009 at 8:57pm
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Golly, I love the bedding - where's it from?

posted by EmmaG on June 21st 2009 at 10:32pm
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Love the mid century furniture!

posted by www.bungalowmarketplace.etsy.com on June 30th 2009 at 2:49pm
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that bedspread is lovely!!

kindly,
vintagedress
www.vintagedress.etsy.com

posted by vintagedress on July 13th 2009 at 12:30am
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