Name: Emily and Jacob
Location: Ukrainian Village, Chicago
Size: 950 square feet
Years lived in: 2.5
Even after years of working for Apartment Therapy, my email inbox continues to surprise and delight me. This summer, I got an email from a very kind person - someone who attended a wedding that Emily photographed - telling me that I should check out the wonderful photos of Emily and Jacobs home for a possible tour....
Needless to say, of course I did and I was stunned by how amazingly lovely both the photos and the home are. A few weeks and a few emails later and voila! Thanks to Emily, we are able to share this wonderful Chicago home with the Apartment Therapy community. It's a lovingly crafted look at an artists own home and we're sure you will enjoy the tour.
AT Survey:
Our style: Vintage Organic
Inspiration: Winter, the home of Jean Dubuisson (french post WWII architect), the beaches of Normandie (where my family went to escape Paris on the week ends), Hitchcock's Rear Window, Moby Dick, and the music of Sigur Ros. Pearls.
Favorite Element: I'm not sure... but I just love our twin armchairs. They're one of the first things I got when I finally had my own place. I bought them out of some crazy lady's garage after responding to her ad in the newspaper (newspaper!) for a drop-leaf table. We made most of our decorating choices around these chairs!
Biggest Challenge: Our dining area, we love cooking and entertaining and wanted to create an inviting space to enjoy those things despite being in the same room as our office space -- it worked!
What Friends Say: The most obscure:"It's like walking into a beautiful website". The most common: "Your space is so calming!" and "I'm moving in."
Biggest Embarrassment: Our perpetually messy kitchen?
Proudest DIY: The shelving I designed and Jacob built in the office/dining area. It's the perfect blend of form & function for us!
Biggest Indulgence: Our ever growing collection of ceramic serving dishes. We've been picking things up as we travel lately. Our favorite sources: Montes Doggett, Heath Ceramics, Conran Shop, The MOMA Store...
Best advice: Define your style. Literally. I spent some time two years ago brainstorming & jotting down everything I could think of that made me, me. And distilled "myself" down to two style words that guide most of my purchases and aesthetic decisions... try it, it's fun!
Dream source: Hmn, I think Roche Bobois, maybe?
Resources:
Bedroom:
Bed is from West Elm, Painting by Antoine Revay (french), dresser, mirror & lamps are vintage, nightstands are from Viva Terra. Wall Color: RL Home, Olive Tree
Living Room:
Sofa: Room & Board, Chairs: vintage (recovered), coffee table: vintage Lane, end tables: stump, z-gallerie, twist tables: Viva Terra, Metal & glass side table: Vintage, Cedar Chest is a family heirloom (engagement gift from my husband's grandfather to his grandmother), Torchieres are vintage (picked up on a road trip), White Lamp: CB2, White bird: Perch Home in NOLA, Print on Mantle: Prairie Smoke by Jen Tarver, Rug: Ikea. Wall Color: RL Home, Dovecoat.
Dining Area:
Table: Vintage, Chairs: Room & Board, (Jake in Oak), Bench & Glass/Metal desks: Symmetry (Chicago, I think it shut down), Arch Lamp: CB2, Card Catalog: Vintage (from the school where Jacob was librarian for a spell), Dishes & Serving pieces are a combination of vintage from our travels and Sophie Conran for Portmeiron, China Cabinet is a craislist find and my first refinishing project (in progress, I'm still hunting for the perfect hardware).
Office area:
File cabs: CB2, Chairs & rolling console: Container Store, Milk glass lamps are vintage. desk storage is from ikea. Wall color: Behr, Minced Ginger.
Kitchen: Chopping block & pot rack: Crate & Barrel, Small cart: Ikea, Espresso Machine :) Breville at Crate & Barrel (we highly highly recommend it for a mid-range machine!) Wall color: (similar) RL, Aged Mint
(Thanks, Emily and Jacob!)
Images: Emily Johnston Anderson
Dirty Little Secrets of Tidy Families
Hillary & Michael's Refined Roost
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Nomade Express Slee...
How To Cook Fluffy, Tasty Quinoa
Easy Pickle Recipe: Cucumber Kimchi Bites
lovely. just lovely. and with some humor too. i enjoyed the whale pillow quite a lot.
Big breath, and ahhhhhh! You've achieved such a soothing atmosphere, nicely done. Kind of makes me want to drop by sometime for a homemade streusel or an oversized hot chocolate crowned with fresh whipped cream. Thanks for inspiring me.
Beautiful photos! I love the shallow depth of field in the first photo and the color palette of the whole place.
One of my favorites! I love how it's so simple yet very very warm. I agree with Alyssa, I totally want to drop by for hot chocolate... and then take a nap. mmm!
Absolutely beautiful. I would say *almost* too perfect, but just skirting the line. This is what I aspire to achieve at my house.
Your home is so beautiful
Gotta say, though, the way it was photographed made me think it was a dollhouse at first
Very nice photos
A breathtakingly beautiful home. Thankyou so much for sharing it!
Beautiful photographs and wonderful inspiration. Thank you.
Gorgeous. Did i miss where you got the tall cabinet with glass sliding doors? thats stunning...
Lovely home! Thanks for sharing.
I pronounce you both razor-sharp aesthetic warriors.
I would also love to move into your apartment! So warm and inviting. Also, beautiful photographs of your space, thanks for sharing with us!
Most beautifully photographed tour ever! Beautiful use of color and the perfect amount of stuff. Just gorgeous!
http://inspiredroomdesign.com
Wow, these photos are so inspiring. Makes me completely rethink the way I photograph interiors.
i love the bedroom green, and the photography is great. it's good to see someone compose photos of a home, not just a carefully posed space.
Switch out the modern furniture with some refined rustic and that would be a home I could call home. I love the color palette and the more natural woods.
Totally loving it!
Gorgeous home! Where did you find that wood & metal potrack?
Nice photos and lovely home. There's a very Martha Stewart-y feel to both the photos and the house (I mean that in a good way).
Just toasty warm and homey. But not like Homey the Clown, just homey :-)
Love the RL bedroom paint. Whole house is so dreamy and soothing. Great tip, Janel!
Your house is so beautiful! and calming as told by your friends. If the electrical wires can be tamed, it will be perfect.
Beautiful home. Love the colors chosen for the whole place. They flow so nicely. I am stressing about finding the perfect white for my trim. I am loving the white on your fireplace and windows. Do you happen to remember the details?
I've never commented before on home tours but this is just lovely. My favorite so far!
I'm so jealous-
1) because the house is exquisite
2) Because I would love to live in Ukrainian Village in Chicago but I live on the other side of the world
I'm rarely wowed by wedding photography, but that Emily Anderson is excellent.
Thanks for the introduction.
JaneLane says it looks a bit like a dollhouse and I agree--and I'd LOVE to have this dollhouse!
beautiful...did we get the yellow paint color in the dining area? would love to know...
your photos are wonderful - love that shallow DOF. it did contribute to a dollhouse feeling. tilt shift and all that. :)
this is such a lovely home - i love the colors and the calming feel. but it's not sparse either - it looks lived in. i love it!
Stunningly beautiful photographs of a lovely home. And, the colors are just perfect.
Absolutely incredible. I love this home tour. I love the photo in the kitchen with the steam coming up.
Gorgeous, just gorgeous - BUT (and this is not a criticism, just a question), I wonder how much of the wonderfulness is the photography and how much is the home? It's clearly a well-designed, tasteful home, but with its simplicity and muted palette, would it look as good through the lens of a less talented photographer armed with a point-n-shoot (like, say, me)? I think a big part of this Home Tour's appeal is the dreamlike quality of the photos...
I love the paint colors. What is the color in the kitchen?
A lovely welcoming home put together with a graceful hand. The combination of old and new, along with the colour palette are beautiful -- simultaneously modern and homey (in a comfy 1930's sort of way).
Absolutely lovely, and fantastic photos.
Beautiful! Nice combination of just the right mix of new and old. I love the palette the most.
Can you tell me the paint color in the kitchen, it is so close to my walls above my wainscot in my living room. I love that color for a kitchen.
Nice refinish on a great find of a china cabinet, gorgeous!
I loooooove it. The home looks beautiful and very soothing.
title says it all--"poetically photographed." really beautiful.
I am thinking even the electrical cords (kitchen wall clock) add to the appeal...
Very fine...
LoriSF- They actually did an amazing job detailing resources; I almost missed it myself. For the kitchen, "Wall color: (similar) RL, Aged Mint" is listed.
Although, now that I'm looking up pictures of RL's aged mint on flickr, it doesn't actually look so similar. : (
Beautiful. Can someone explain to me how the living room manages to be warm and interesting even though it has no real color other than the yellow pillow? I have similar color walls but a darker brown couch, and have been struggling with what color rug and other textiles (pillows, etc.) to add. It would never have occurred to me to get a rug like this one because I assumed it would look too drab, but it looks so nice here.... Is it because of the various textures, i.e. the fireplace brick, the beadboard, upholstery on chair, etc.?
Obviously it's a well-loved home. The library catalog in the dining room is nice. But the color palette overall is so subdued it would put me to sleep.
obviously lovely and peaceful. serene even. very disappointing that one couldnt actually visualize the rooms due to too many close-ups.
not my style (i wouldn't have put that together) but very well done, beautiful aesthetic, attention to detail, peaceful, somewhere i'd want to live!
I admire the use of the card catalog cabinet in the dining room, and of course the photography is stunning! Overall though, I must say that the utter lack of color makes me dreary.
Admirable. Sheer beauty with nothing to prove! That's my favorite kind of beauty. I think elemental is the word.
Ah, reminds me of the old B&W movie sets when tonal quality was considered when photographing.
Love your color choices and admire your sense of whimsy, too.
By far one of the most beautifully photographed homes on Apartment Therapy. The austere color palette is so refreshing and restrained. This place is cohesive, unpretentious, and perfectly curated.
love the craigslist find: dish cabinet with glass doors that you refinished.... but can't believe you only display 5 pieces in it... did you edit for the shoot? Sometimes photos make a home look like a showroom and I prefer to see the real thing. Hey, life is messy and we all have too much stuff...
Lovely Martha-esque photography.
Beautiful!
What lens did you use to photograph the space? Great bokeh!
I love your home. Love the browns, tans, gray color scheme. I am going back for a second tour!
Such a fresh perspective. It's very traditional but modern in the spareness that's used. I really love it (and am a little jealous of the restraint they used in their palette). Nice job!
Where did that whale pillow come from? It's awesome!
Please tell me what color was used in the kitchen. Thanks!
What a beautiful space! The pictures are amazing as well.
I'm not sure if I missed it but what type of wood and brackets did you use for the shelves above your desk?
Like everyone else has said...lovely. I always cringe reading some of the comments, I get that everyone has a right to their opinion but I often wonder if these are the type of people who always have something negative to add. Electric cords? Really??? Perhaps they should of cut off the cords for the photos??? Come on, its a home that is actually lived in! I loved the use of accessories throughout the home, perfect editing, not too much, not too little. Great photography too!
One of my favorite house tours yet! And the accent chair in the living room is to die for! I just blogged about the best accent chairs for smaller homes and would love to have included this from Emily and Jacob's home. There is so much to like, the lovely palette of calm colors, the terrific dining table bench which works beautifully with the table and chairs, and the little touches of color throughout the home that add just the right balance.
A perfectly decorated smaller home. Bravo!
Genevieve http://www.thejewelboxhome.com/
Love the photography!
www.cieladesign.com
Gracie
It's always the best pleasure to have a peek at the homes of artists. This home is deliciously beautiful and the pleasure is enhanced by the tantalizing photograph.
Thanks for sharing!
I enjoyed every photo. This place looks so fresh, yet comfortable. Love the tones of wood everywhere, touches of whimsy, paint colors, simplicity. Yum. Speaking of dollhouses (I thought this, too!), you can make your photos look similar to this: http://www.flickr.com/groups/tiltshiftmaker/. These photos are amazing to look through (timewaster alert).
Can you please tell me where the wood "kitchen cart" is from? Or who makes it? I have been looking for one of that size with a wine rack, so it would really help me to know. Thanks!
Warm and wonderful. Some of the photos evoke memories of a dear great aunt I visited when I was a child. Thank you for sharing this 'jewel' of a home with us.
This makes me want to start over on my own home. (In a good way.) It is just so serene and lovely in every way. And what a treat to have such nice photos of the home. Wow.
What a lovely, cosy, warm home. It feels really familiar!
A poetic home photographed in a poetic way! Simply wonderful!!!
And a side track - Oh wow, not one bitchy comment so far and that's a lot to say from someone who has read through a lot of discussion threads in this section, during this day (registered yesterday).
Very nice. Is it even possible to speak in loud voices in this home?
Beautiful home! The clean lines mixed with the bit of whimsy and color really work. Love the whale pillow!
oh yes the tiltshift program is a nice tool for photographs. I do think the photographs stand on their own as a warm, simple, lovely home.
Lovely photos, lovely home! I especially love the image with the simmering pot... great use of depth of field. Also love the colors, particularly the eau de nil-ish green (Aged Mint, I gather?) and the deep moss in the bedroom. And what is that white dish on the top shelf of the hutch, with the grey and brown (?) inside it? Love how everything flows with the "vintage organic" theme.
I LOVE the color palette used in each room! The light colors used, especially the green in the kitchen, work really well. Exceptional work, amazing choices in design. I'd like to see more from this designer.
Ben Gebo
www.bengebo.com
This is my favorite house tour EVER. BUT if anyone could tell me what color yellow is used or even something close, I would be extremely grateful. For the last month, I have been searching for this yellow and I just cannot get it.
Thanks for the super kind words everyone -- this is a whole new kind of apartment therapy,. Now when I'm down, I just stop by for a read :) AT, what wonderful readers you have!
Ok, now to answer questions if anyone's still reading
Grizzle, the color is called Green Ginger, but I can't remember who makes it, got it at Home Depot.
Thrace, the dish is a pebble bowl set, from the MoMa Store.
AES0213, the large kitchen cart is from Crate & Barrel, a few years ago.
Kabbie12, the brackets are basic home depot, and the wood was salvaged from a photo studio where I used to work
niabasset I made the whale pillow :)
spcnyc I shot these with a 50mm 1.4 on my 5D, no tilt shift :)
Your house is perfection! I second the request for kitchen paint color.
The quiet subtleties of your style and photography are stunning. Thank you for sharing.
So cute!
This is absolutely breathtaking.
Wow. Perfect.
Clearly, this House Tour was so soothing that it quashed all negative comments too : )