apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

ok, if their true big purchase was the house, where did they find the THREE Warhol paintings? This place has lots of potential, but seems 'off' to me; I don't know why. It's dark and static, except for the office. And I, too, wonder how just two people can fill up over 4000 sq ft!

The slide show is missing the most obvious and most anticipated photo - the one from the outside that shows what exactly a half-circle home actually looks like!

How scary is that picture in the bedroom of the Pope greeting people. Judas is scares me.

Good Lord - These folks need to learn how to edit.

So no one likes this? I think it's pretty cool.

I'm curious about the two pictures above the bed, they look like they're anamorphic trompe l'oeils.

That is a really cool house! I wish there was a pic from the outside though. It did seem really dark which would bother me. Maybe it's just the pictures or maybe it's the downside of an oddly shaped home.

I love the semi-circular fireplace in the living area and how open it all was. The first office picture seemed so cozy, I just wanted to cuddle up in that chair...until I realized I'd be looking at a picture of skeleton and bugs. I liked a lot of the rooms, but a couple had too much going on for me personally.

such a fun, beautiful home...great job!

I'm with Home Body, where's the floor plan or an exterior shot? Other than that I really enjoyed the tour.

First I think that it looks like these two read a little guide book called, "How to Decorate your House with Vintage Items", it's just seems kinda anticeptic. The 50s elements overpower the total awesomeness of the house, and I love the 50s! Secondly, I would be so embarassed to be a couple living in a house that size considering the state of our planet! Downsize!!

I don't like it at all. Too large, weird choices of furniture/objects (and not weird in a fun way ... just ... I don't know, can't put my finger on what it is that bothers me), and for some reason (perhaps the large scale) it doesn't strike me as being a home, but feels more like some sort of visitor's center or something. Especially the main area.

I agree, this place seems dull.. too bad for such a large space. and whats with the doctors office. kinda impersonal

This kind of feels like a film set of some surreal show. I feel oddly uneasy looking at the tour photos. I can tell a lot of work went into it, but I just would not want to be in this space for long.

Potluck - ditto!
I feel like it should have been awesome, but kind of missed the mark.

I love the house. I love what's in it. I just don't feel the two go together. But it was a fun virtual visit!

Yeah, cool stuff, and what could be a cool house. I think one of the issues might be that the finish carpentry screams 'Brady Bunch' but the house purrs "Malibu, baby..." Maybe it's the honey colored stain?

This is the sort of place I'd have to live with for a while before I made any big decisions. But if it were mine I'd go with blond wood trim to set off the dark floors and lots of neutral colors on the walls. I'd let the house and the furniture provide the focal points.

I love the space and the architecture... although I would have done the interior much differently, and changed some details like the staircase, flooring and banisters on the half-wall, which seem to detract from what is otherwise a magnificent space.

Love their dogs!

wow, I love this place. it's comfy and cool and looks like you could come over for a party and stay for a week. I totally disagree about there being too many mid-century items, at least they have a personal approach to it, unlike SO many houses I see on AT. No Eames lounger, no Bertoia wire chairs, no Noguchi coffee table...thank god!

and I don't get chastising them for being a couple living in a big house...I don't see any evidence in the photos that they are wasteful consumers (quite the opposite, considering all the vintage items they are using) and you don't know anything about their life! Maybe they have huge families that come visit, maybe they are planning on having 10 kids...you don't know, so stop with the shaming.

The guy in the picture looks terribly miserable....I bet he's pissed his wife hung that stupid picture of Pope John Paul by the bed. He doesn't look happy....I guess he is clinching hold of those dogs to prove he has some dignity left after his wife made his dream home into a cluster frick.

I love the open floor plan downstairs, especially the kitchen. I would be all over that. The decor is just way too busy and dark for me. Kitsch can be fun, but that is just 70s gone wrong depressing. I'd feel like I was living in the Ice Storm and really need some therapy.

So many weirdly hostile comments here-- so you don't share their taste-- that doesn't make them the devil incarnate. As for "editing," well, they like clutter. If they like clutter, why should they edit? Bravo to all of you who had the grace to say "for me" or "for my taste."

Love the dogs!

LittleRock - SO bizarrely hostile.

Love the house, love the dogs! Different strokes for different folks, people. These two are obviously happy with their place and I would be too if I had so many sweet flea market/estate sale finds and a rediculously awesome reminds-me-of-the-brady-bunch house.

What a unique home! A little on the cold or dark side for me, but a lot more interesting than some of the homes I've seen!

I'd love to see a big fluffy white rug (flokati, perhaps) in the living room and maybe something similar in the dining area...I really think that it would make those areas seem cozier.

Props to you guys for finding so many treasures! My dad drives a recycle truck for Waste Management near Lake Barrington and says that he sees so many great things but he can never pick any of it up since he has nowhere to put it. Bummer!

As the owner of this home, I can only say that I am dismayed at the level of negative criticism. I'm certainly not in love with every home I see on AT, but if I felt compelled enough to comment on a particular space, I would try to keep my comments constructive and within the realm of good taste.

Thank you to those that had nice things to say and thank you to those of you that had intelligent design-related comments and suggestions.

LittleRock:
Just for the record, my husband purchased the painting of the Pope several years before we met. It's one of his favorite junk shop finds. We like to joke around when people come over and see it for the first time. Someone will usually say, "Who is that?" and with a totally deadpan delivery Jeff will reply, "That's the Pope". Sorry you don't see the humor, but it's not a Holy relic, just a bad oil painting.

I love this place! It looks like it was a lot of fun decorating this home. That Pope pic was hilarious...at first I thought the guy shaking his hand was Elvis..which would have made it even more funny. Love all the flea market and thrift shop finds. You have a truly unique home. Plus love the doggies!

My favorite thing (besides the circular dining/living area) is the pope picture. I think it's utterly fantastic!

I love this place! Great pieces!

LOVE the paint colors they used!

Super fun! It's warm, interesting and personality-filled. This would be such a great house for a party....it would be so fun to walk around looking at all the treasures.

(such cute doggies too!)

amen to the 'no design within reach chairs' - this house, while not my taste, is a great display of items carefully selected by the owners. i'm shocked at the clutter comments; for the amount of items in the home, it doesn't look as 'overdone' as one could expect. i'd love to see a photo of the exterior!

I think there looks like a lot of care and love in this house and a true love for finding fun stuff to put into it---thats what it is all about.

IMO the best thing about this place is that it doesn't have the clean, mid-century pleasantness most house tours on AT have. These are people who know what they like and make their home reflect them rather than design magazines. I find that really refreshing and fun.

Is it my style? No, but it's clearly theirs, and it's not my house.

That painting of the pope, however, is all kinds of awesome. I absolutely, unreservedly love it--but I would put it in a more over-the-top frame.

The raw space is totally stunning. Love the architectural structure. That main living area with the open partitioning and fireplace: I would require fainting chairs all over that room. Overall, I like their choices and sense of humor.

I wonder if because this is such a large space for just two people (that's a mansion!), that the disparity doesn't contribute to the 'impersonal' feeling that so many people have commented on. Many of these spaces don't look like they get really lived in-- instead the rooms function like incredibly large display cases. I'm totally in the mid-century cult, but one of my biggest pet peeves are those vintage-inspired spaces that are executed in a way that end up looking like showroom floors. I'm getting a bit of that here, expecting to see dangling price tags.

But you can absolutely tell this house is a labor of love for this couple. Lucky them for getting that big old house.
I'm so disappointed in how utterly shitty people can be when they think no one is looking.

There's no need to attack people here, is there?

The first thing that entered my mind when I saw the living room pictures was how much it reminded me of "The Brady Bunch" (like Bolder and Suziegoombs said). I think that's kinda cool. I'd like a little more color though.

I think that this house is the coolest one that I have seen on AT for some time. If it were mine, I would definitely edit and alter so that the house had precedence over its contents.

Nevertheless, the point is that this couple graciously shared their home with us voyeurs. Regardless of one's preferences, I have to take my hat off to people who are brave enough to embrace avant-garde projects without resorting to wholesale plagerism. More please.

My dream house would be a round house, so I'm interested in seeing the floorplan or an outdoor picture of this semi-circle, as well.

I'd love to buy a house like this and de-clutter it into this decade. ;) I think the part I find the most unsettling is the carpeted fireplace, and the carpeting on that otherwise beautiful circular staircase.

The decor isn't my taste, but I'm intregued by the house, itself. I'd love to see a floorplan!

Wow. People are harsh. I thought AT was going to address the offensive posts. Otherwise, it can kind of suck to be a guest at AT...

Love the dining table and luxurious purple chairs you could just sink into!

Very eclectic...and I love the big "J" up on the shelf...in the bedroom I think??? Would like to know where that came from.

Thanks for sharing.

Your home is so unique and full of surprises. Thank you so much for letting us have a peek inside!

PS- I am in looove with your sectional sofa!

As Tim Gunn would say - "That's a lot of look."

Very bizzare and interesting. I think I'd be too anxious there with so much to look at. I am a fan of humor in decorating, though...the Pope painting made me laugh out loud.

The Pope painting is hilarious.

I love the decoupage wall in the guest bathroom, and the kitschy papal picture. I am disturbed and offended by people who post the negative comments. Others before have said it better, but really if you have nothing constructive to say, keep quiet.

While 4,000 sf is admittedly larger than most of the featured houses or apartments,* it is by no means the largest I've seen on AT, and subjective judgments probably aren't helpful. I am impressed with the mid-century pieces that are vintage and real, and not DWR purchases. Jeff and Jennifer seem to know what they like, and they've assembled a home that probably works for them. It's true that the cliches that mark so many AT homes are missing, but if the place works for them, then frankly I don't think any of us need to consider whether we'd want to snuggle up next to the fireplace with a nightcap or sleep in one of the guest rooms...just keep calm and steady on.

*and nearly five times the size of my place at 832 sf

I'm officially sick of the overly sensitive feelings of how-dare-people-not-like-my-house on this blog. Get over yourselves. Granted, the comment about the husband being miserable was odd and personal, but for the rest of us who just don't like it, are we douchebags because we don't like it? I DON'T like it. It's too big for my liking and it feels like the lounge of a lodge or something. Does that mean I think the owners should be exiled to the pits of hell for living in such a place? For god's sake no. Enough with the PC whinery about how AT should get rid of negative comments and enough of people complaining about people who don't write oohs and ahhs. It's an open forum, not a kindergarten show-and-tell. If you want to offer your home on a design critique blog, then don't expect to get all replies of "hurray! You're so brilliant!" I appreciate people who are brave enough to open their homes here (although as someone pointed out on another house tour, it usually seems like mostly artists, etc. whose main goal is to plug their businesses ... Not that there's anything wrong with that) but with that you must take what comes. That's precisely why I would never offer my home as a house tour ... Although I'm wildly happy living there, I guarantee at least 3/4 of the readers here would HATE it and say so. "You have too many Simpsons collectibles! Grow Up! A hall full of Peanuts strips??? Talk about overkill! Ugh ORANGE! Orange is so three years ago!!" I'd rather keep my place my own personal sanctuary than to have it picked apart by people who don't even know me or what I'm about. But if I DID put it up for a house tour, and everyone hated it, I'd accept it and move on. Just because some strangers hate my place, doesn't mean I'd love it any less. The homeowners here (and on every other house tour) should see it the same way, as should everyone who's posted annoyed comments that there are negative comments on house tours in general.

We don't all like the same things on here, and that's precisely what keeps me coming back to this blog ... I LIKE reading all the conflicting points of view.

P.S. I do think the pope pic is hilarous.

I love the purple dining room chairs--can anyone share what they are? I've seen then in other colors in other spaces but never figured out the source. thanks!

ridge_van_winkle, I couldn't agree with you more. If you're going to open your doors to the public, you better be ready to face the public when they give you 2 thumbs down.

I don't mind that people don't like our house. In fact, I'd be worried if everyone loved it. I can handle the criticism, but the personal attacks are something else. I may not like kids, but I'm not about to tell you that your baby is ugly and you should be ashamed to bring it out in public.

Anyway, I have uploaded some pictures of the exterior. Feel free to take a look. http://pixelatomic.blogspot.com/2008/08/different-strokes.html

PS. You are also right about the tour be a shameless plug for my business. It was a secondary motivation, but I'd be lying if I said it hadn't occurred to me.

Thanks for posting the outside photos - my curiosity about what a half-circle house looks like is now appeased. Though that mention about a 70s era orange hot tub has left a new tease...!

I didn't know that house tours were volunteered by the owners. I just thought AT magically came up with new places to show... haha.

I love the two paintings (or are they prints) of the groovy child drummers. Can you tell us anything about them? Maybe the artist's name?

Also, I dig the roundness of your house - it must be neat to have that open , flowing floorplan but still have the different living areas a bit separate from each other because of the curved walls. Thanks for sharing!

Sarananda: The prints are both signed J. Tarjan '60 and the backs are stamped Snare Drum Museum Edition Print and Bongo Drum Museum Edition Print. I picked them both up for $12 at an junk store in Elgin, Il called Able Furniture.

Thanks for looking!

Ooop. I mistyped the name. It's Targan. Sorry.

Personally, I dig the place and the color solutions seem to melt right in to the architecture. The only room that seeems undressed is the sewing room. Maybe that is the way they want it.
I always ask my clients what they want not what I think. Most of the comments made are intended to give both positive and negative feedback but I always like to take the side of the individual and respect their wishes. If I feel I can educate them to opening their color pallette a bit, they usually will follow my lead.
Color represents many emotions. The feeling of the home is very subdued and calming. That is most likely the energy they wanted. It all flows very nicely together. You guys did a great job!
Michele
Colorthemes

PS: I meant the comments posted above by others is intended to give positive or negative feedback. I would only give constructive and empowering feedback to my clients.
Michele
Colorthemes

Thanks Michele! I completely agree, constructive feedback is very empowering and always more effective in opening avenues for discussion.

Your observation on the sewing room, aka, the "red room" are very astute. The room was painted that color when we purchased the house and we just haven't decided what we want to do in there yet. Maybe you have some suggestions?

Very unique architecture. The home's color scheme seems very brown to me, but we all have our fav colors.

This is an odd mixture of elements and styles. In almost every photo, I see things I really adore, but overall it doesn't gel. In any case, it's one of the more fascinating tours I've seen here, and the owners obviously love their home, so more power to them.

Hello! Can you tell me what the name of the paint color in the office is? It's really perfect.

Miss Atomic, you are a perfectly good sport.

I think when I look at your house, that its not quite where I would choose to live, however, I am terribly interested in the people who would make this their home, because, clearly, they are INTERESTING.

You've got extra in the personality department.

this is awesome!!

Love the house and everything about it!!!

Where can I find the beige and tan sofa pictured in the bedroom in slide number 17??

I love the massive fireplace with the fish- good choice. Everything is so strategically placed and its lovely, its almost like the feel of an art museum.