Dean, I love your style and sense of humor. Your home is lovely and very inspired. I completely agree with your point about holding out for something you love rather than opting for a "quick fix." Patience is definitely a virtue when it comes to decorating your home, but you realize how worth the wait it is when you can stand back and feel content with what you've put together :)

Great apartment! I think you're right on with reupholstering the yellow chairs with brown leather. I like the yellow, but they are looking too worn. Funny how you've pinned your dream leather swatches to the chairs. Good choice.

Love your tapestries over your beds. And those two black shell lamps may be the ugliest lamps ever, but somehow look great flanking your artwork.

thanks for sharing.

Love it! It's so inspiring to see how a fellow Chicago resident put a spin on her place!

I love the last pic with the dog.... That dog did a good pose there...

Dean, a graystone is a great place to have a home. There are so many gorgeous architectural elements that are virtually nonexistent in new construction(even in some million dollar homes). The huge built-in mirror and crown moldings I think are a must for great design. I love all of the taxidermy in your apartment, including the animal paws and antlers. I have been decorating with "repurposed" animals for over a decade and I think you can never go wrong decorating with them. It adds a nice "green" element to a home, if you will. I enjoyed all of the details in your house tour.

So beautiful! I feel like I've found a kindred spirit in thrifting.

FYI AT: the link for South Social & Home isn't working :)

I see a dead deer on the wall and a dead cow on the floor. It fills the room with sort of an "I am the conqueror" vibe that just does not feel good to me at all. And before people react, I am not talking about eating meat, leather furniture, etc. Just that, as decor elements, these animal parts are one trend I wish would stop.

"pouring" not "poring"

That animal paw bottle opener creeps me out.

I love those chairs, and the dog.
(I have a corgi mix myself, and they are such sweeties!)

I like all the cane chairs! For sentimental reasons. I love that you're proud to call them knock-offs. :-D

The look on Bunny's face in the last pic is priceless!

@Seajayenn...thanks for the heads up! Link is fixed.

I really love the apartment. Managing to fill it with your treasures and still achieve that uncluttered look takes true talent. And although I normally don't like yellow, I really like what it does for the room. That said, I do feel creeped out by all the taxidermy and dead stuff. Nothing political, just not my taste.

Wonderful place. I have serious green lamp envy. You have a great eye. The white farm table is to die for. I don't think I'd enjoy the kangaroo paw bottle opener but only vegans can take issue with that. AND - you purchased it used so at least there's that.

Wait. You got the arco floor lamp at a thrift shop? Excellent score.

Lovely apartment & those chairs will look fabulous once recovered in the beautiful brown leather. The pops of yellow will be perfect scattered around your place.

Thanks for sharing your home!

Beautiful and cheap! No seriously, in the description we can see all is from IKEA, Ebay or DIY sometimes! An interior architect would not have done better with the same budget!

I love your style - so many great textiles and a lot of wonderful texture. Still, I must agree with PARNASSUS. I just can't get with the dead animal parts, especially that bottle opener. I look forward to this trend being over.

Agreeing with Parnassus and Sonje re the deceased animal parts.

Ooh, I love that rug/wall hanging as a "headboard". Definitely stealing that idea! Beautiful home.

I think it's great, including the dead animals. I especially like the well-stocked bar ;)

That last photo of the dog deserves a caption, LOL. "I need to be on guard. Did you see the dead animal parts in there?"

Lost me at taxidermy.

I am an avid fan of Craigs and Thrift! love your home and have been wanting to replace my dining room table. Sooo I went to Home Depot online and saw the saw horses and they are right up my price range. YES, I am stealing your idea for my new dining table. Maybe you can help me steal by telling me what size door you purchased. I think it is 36x80. Any who great tour!

@Cactina --

Nope, "poring" is correct.

Corgi mixes are the best!. Mine is terrier/corgi. Seriously love that green lamp. Great place.

Great little apartment. Love your style.

The doggies is so adorable.
Nicely done, except the kangaroo paw, somehow I don't like that. I love the Serapi rug by the bed.

@ericasullivan: oops my bad! learned something new today. also, i've been spelling it as "pouring" all my life- my logic having been: "i am pouring my focus over this book as water pours over a bowl." /smacks head/

totally creeped out by the animal carcasses around.

otherwise, lovely home - i especially like how rugs/fabric were used to simulate headboards.

oh my, that dog is sweet!

My in-laws stayed at Dean's apartment a few months ago and the photos of the bedrooms do not do them justice. She's addressed the teeny tiny dark Chicago bedroom very well and they were so inviting and warm. My favorite part of her adorable apartment.

If we'd known Bunny was that cute, we would have requested that he stay behind so we could dogsit.

New word learned today: "fusty" . :)

I'm always a fan of framing marbled paper. It looks so laid back in the dining room with those Ceskesque chairs.

houseofthebonestorm.blogspot.com

What an awesome and personalized space this is!

I like the cozy bedroom with dark walls. Good tour - but agree that the dead-animal artifacts should go.

What a great space. I truly admire Dean's creativity and ingenuity. I can even see the aesthetic of the deer head in the LR but I find dead heads creepy and wrong. We have a friend who has shot and killed deer, bear, buffalo, and other creatures which he has mounted and displayed, (the full sized bear is huge). And though he killed them himself, and therefore has bragging rights, I find taxidermy repellant.

Hate the dead stuff, love the dog.

to Cactina - it is "poring". Poring means to read something carefully with intent to remember. Pouring is when you spill a liquid.

The only taxidermy that freaked me out is that bird who looks like it's mid-flight in the bathroom, to each is own though I suppose.. Haha!

LOVE the living room, I just scrolled through the resources too.. Yay for craigslist/ikea/fleamarket. I am hoping to purchase my first house soon and I hope I can furnish it as well as you have with the same budget-friendly resources!

I have a cabin in the mountains and drive very slowly during the hours the deer come out hoping not to hit them because that would wreck me so and then seeing them end up on walls saddens me. I am suprised at the younger generation that is ok using dead animals as decor..

I just couldn’t get past the stuffed dead animals.

Nice place! I love that you have a lot of IKEA stuff but it doesn't look like an IKEA display room at all.

Curious as to how the cowhide works under the dining table. Is it taped to the floor? I would think it would get rumpled up anytime someone scooted a chair in or out.

I like the taxidermy just fine, though maybe not the kangaroo paw opener. It looks a little too much like a small hand. (I have one of those metal fish ones made in Mexico with articulated abalone scales---pretty cool.)

Great place! But so sorry for the dead animals. :-(
Glad the dog Bunny is alive. I wish he/she will never be like the deer head or cowhide they own.

Dean, I absolutely adore your style.

Im used to seeing Kangaroo Paws attatched to the Kangaroos.
When they come to feed in the paddock and they sit back on their hind legs and rub their front paws on their noses.or place their front paws either side of their pouch and the joey pops out and and she bends her head to smell and lick her baby and places a paw on the joeys head ever so gently, they are a sight to behold.

I think your place looks great. The dark bedroom looks too cosy to ever leave. I like the accents of yellow as well; I would be tempted to recover the chairs in yellow leather.

I love so much about your place. I really love the bedding! Where did you get it? I hate the dead animals used as decoration. I think it's so sad and shows disconnection from nature. The dog looks terrified! I always find it so ironic to have a liking for certain animals as pets and others heads, body parts, and skin as 'decoration'.

Our national animal used as a bottle opener? Noooooo! Skippy come home!

In light of some of the comments generated here, perhaps the homeowner would like to reconsider what she lists as her "biggest embarassment."

Love, love all the pops of yellow. This is so fresh and stylish, except for the dead things.

The dead animals is a little creepy for me. A deer head in a cabin, ok - but the cowhide rug, bird in the bathroom (I feel that would get gross w/ the humidity), foot opener, etc., is just too much and makes it feel like it's trying to hard to be ironic. Other than that like the apartment, but I think the taxidermy steals the focus and is sort of just for shock value.

i hate everything except the dead animals.

just kidding its all great.

the bottle opener is creepy.
not a fan of the dead animals. just my taste.

loved the yellow chair.
any plans for the dog when he goes?

might i add...i love all of the textures and colors.
thx for sharing.

I want that floor lamp! I'm jealous.

Love your blog and home! Yikes, MESO, yikes..

I love your place, but I'm not feeling the dead animals. I wonder if the dog is concerned.

This house is fantastic and has that warm feeling that can only come from patience, a good eye, love and collecting things over time.

I really wanted to comment on the photography though. I love how this shoot gave me a great idea of the layout of each room. I really like the wider shots so I can see the whole concept come together. I feel like there are always less of those and way too many artsy shots of small vignettes. That vintage typewriter might look really dramatic next to a stack of Russian nesting dolls and a piece of drift wood, but I don't need to see it from every angle. Great tour!

I'm not even going to look at this tour because of the deer head on the wall.

I love the alive animal! Not so much the parts of dead ones.

The paw bottle opener is really awful... So many dead animals do nothing for the space...

What is the name/style of the yellow chairs in the living room? A friend wants some... Thanks.

@wallflowerpower: Gangsters? Al Capone has been dead for years. Sure, there are some neighborhoods that aren't so safe, but Chicago is a big, beautiful amazing city--please check it out for yourself!

I really dislike all the dead animals, that style should go out the window. I find it strange she would refer to Ikea furniture as "crappy" yet there is plenty in her apartment.

When first glancing at the post, I was like "whatever" but as I've been going through the pics, I think I saved half of them. Although, I prefer more color, your space is great, so much inspiration and def not short on ideas for my own home.

HI DUDES!

First, I'd like to thank everyone for ALL of their comments. So great of you to speak up, and especially nice to hear so many positive things and compliments. I really appreciate it! You guys made my day.

ABOUT THE TAXIDERMY: Geez, sorry. I knew that I was in for a whole mess of trouble when I allowed my home to be photographed for Apartment Therapy (you guys love to hate taxidermy!), but I left everything as is. Believe it or not, I love and appreciate animals. All of the taxidermy in my apartment is older/vintage, I didn't purchase it new. Most of it was free to me (the elk antlers, the cowhide, the turtle, the coyote face on my dresser that I probably shouldn't even mention...) Also, THE KANGAROO PAW WAS A GIFT. I didn't purchase it. And yes, it definitely gets the most comments from visitors, good and bad. Anyway...I'm sorry that the taxidermy offends some of you. It's something that's been around for hundreds of years and I don't see it going away entirely. I love it in well-styled doses, but I don't think it overwhelms my space or makes it feel morbid. But hey, that's just my opinion!

BUNNY SAYS HI! It was so fun to hear from all the Corgi lovers out there. She's hilarious, and that is her "ugh, why are you taking my photo" face there at the end. She's quite comfortable in the apartment; in fact, her favorite spot is resting in the front window atop a sheepskin.

@LOLO1025: I love that you called me out on those horrible shell lamps-- They're hideous! I got them for $1 and somehow I have grown to love them.

@CALIGULALA: Lovely to see your comment on here! Thanks for chiming in, since you've been in the space...Please tell your parents hello :)

@MODERNCHAIRRESTORATION: The cowhide hasn't been a problem under the dining table. It's a bit curled up around the edges from foot traffic, but the aluminum tubes of the chairs slide right over the hide with no issues.

@S.J.P.: I am a huge fan of IKEA, but I think we all can agree that so much of their furniture is pretty crappy. I was mostly referring to the MDF entertainment units, dressers, and other junk that never looks as good or works as well as you hope it does, only to fall apart a year later. I love the IKEA pieces that I have-- and there are many other pieces that I'll continue to use and buy-- but I was really just using the Big Swedish Box as an example of "need-it-now decorating".

@ Meso - Best AT comment of all time, for my money.

I love the textiles--the living room and bedroom rugs, including the textiles used on the walls. The pillows are gorgeous too. Also like the blankets draped across the bed. Do you recall your source for the herringbone blanket? The hats work well too. I normally wouldn't be a fan of the schell lamps either, but they work with the flow of the artwork. I also like the choices that you've made for redoing the yellow chairs. How wonderful to have a built-in mirror in the living room. Love the zebra in the artwork above the dresser in the bedroom too. I especially love your dog--so cute.

Cactina ~
To read or study carefully and attentively: pored over the classified ads in search of a new job. 2. To gaze intently; stare.

Great place.

Mmmm. Dead animals are a lovely decorating tool, such whimsy isn't for many. So to dare to criticise as it was kind to share your home and now you're at the mercy of awful people like me.

Go ahead and update the yellow chairs for function and pretty-ness - but consider keeping them yellow. It's so fun to see them with the national geo's.

I'm sorry, but the paw bottle opener is just plain nasty to me. It doesn't matter that it was a gift. I can't imagine wanting to pick up a dead animal limb to open a bottle. And, I can't understand the mind of anyone that finds that attractive and decorative. Yeah, taxidermy has been around for hundreds of years, but I would hope that times and people change and grow. Frankly, I couldn't even finish the tour -- I was in the middle of lunch at my desk. Thanks AT.

I was trying to figure out what to do with my suzani [which is blue] in my new apartment. Someone suggested I put it over my bed, which I thought would not work since I already have a headboard.... but I really like the way you pulled that off. It works. And since it's a suzani it doesn't look like a college dorm room.
And I've actually only rented once, and didn't have any overhead lighting [yikes].... I'm assuming your landlord ok'd it? I think I read something about that- that most of them don't care as long as you change it back or if it doesn't damage the ceiling to switch what they have up with what you want up.

Love the overall style.

Uh, poring is correct.

Love the yellow chairs--they bring so much energy into your room. Any chance you'd consider reupholstering them in yellow?

@Buttoned: My landlord is awesome allows me to make improvements to the apartment. I've painted, put down a new floor in the kitchen, and have replaced the light fixtures in the dining room, hallway, and both bedrooms. The dining room still needs a medallion above the pendant, but it's such a huge improvement and makes a big difference in the space. I would love to replace the ceiling fan in the living room, but might just paint the blades white to blend with the ceiling more.

@GB73: thanks for your (and others') suggestion to keep the chairs yellow! I'm always open to unusual and unexpected options and love the current color of the chairs. I'm going to wait to reupholster them until we move into our next home, which we'll buy. So maybe I'll go brown, maybe I'll keep the yellow!

I agree about the dead animals. Should never been a design element.

I have no problem with the dead animals but I do wonder why people stop with animals...why not taxidermize (is that a word) and mount the heads of loved ones that have passed on? Other than the possible social stigma I would think one would rather gaze upon Dad's wise countenance hanging on the wall than some Bambi you shot between the eyes on a hunting trip no?

I use and have seen used, various skulls in decor. The animal elements add interest. Our culture has currently moved deeply into viewing animals as people, thanks in part to some major marketing. Those commercials for dog food, referring to the dog as a child, come to mind. Dean's use of animal parts makes her place unique in its urban setting.

Did someone really say dead animals =green element?? Really??

It doesn't make it interesting, it makes it look selfish and uncaring. Animals may not be human, but they should still be treated with respect.

Forget what I said about liking the taxidermy. You should replace it all with hemp and tie dye to please your detractors.

I LOVE the work table in your kitchen! ....never get rid of it:)

Because I own taxidermy, I would NEVER put my home on AT!!! It would be like asking for negative comments.

Also, your home is lovely!

While the taxidermy totally creeps me out, I was willing to take a "to each her own" attitude about it until the justification arrived that it's OK because it was free. No. It's not. Would it be OK to you to see your lovely dog's head nailed up on my living room wall? Hate to be so blunt, but it's that simple.

Are the hats above the bed intentionally supposed to look like nipples? If so, may I just say that I find that hilarious/awesome. If not, please forgive me for being a child.

Your home is lovely. It looks like a fun place to hang out.