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Name: Christy and John
Occupation: Public Health Project Manager and Publishing Sales Rep, respectively
Location: Logan Square
Type: Wood-frame bungalow, circa 1904
Size: 1500 sq ft
Years Lived In: 6.5 years

Christy and John are hard workers. They buy most of their furniture second-hand and then lovingly restore or reupholster it. They hold out for the right item, and each piece works perfectly in its space. Using local craftspeople and vintage furniture sellers, they've spent the past six years transforming their Logan Square bungalow into a home that fits all their needs.

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When they bought the place, the first floor was in the process of being rehabbed. By the time they moved in, most of the first floor was finished, and they lived downstairs while they worked on the second floor. John hired his friend as a contractor. One big priority: use the dead hallway and stairwell spaces to hold the many books John has collected as a publishing rep for Random House. Their contractor installed built-ins in the stairwell and fashioned a storage unit from kitchen cabinets that runs the entire length of the second floor hallway and bedroom. To bring light into the dormer rooms, they installed skylights in the roof. The finished rehab is a functional and livable home with storage space to spare.

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Christy and John's Survey:

Our Style: Mission meets mid-century meets garage sale

The Inspiration: Scarcity / re-use / form determines function

Favorite Element: Making use of dead spaces

Biggest Challenge: Making use of dead spaces

What Friends Say: Can I borrow a book?

Biggest Embarrassment: How the dog hair and scratched floors reveal what pushovers we are for our dog

Proudest DIY: Complete restoration of the front facade (took 5 months to complete); construction of sound-proof band practice space in the basement

Biggest Indulgence: Reupholstery and reconstruction of a German $10 yard-sale chair

Best Advice: Elective changes should be cash only; avoid loans and credit for all but the absolute necessities

Our Dream Source: Architectural Artifacts

Resources: Greenmaker, Craig's list, antique malls, Y-n-B home improvement

Thanks, Christy and John!

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Resources:

Living Room:
• Most of the artwork is by John and Christy's friends.
• The stamp art is by Michael Hernandez de Luna.
• Two pieces are from the Intuit Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art.
• The blue chairs are from a Kansas City yard sale.
• The Stickley rocker is from a neighbor's garage sale.
• The Joyeria painting was purchased from an art show at Lula Cafe.
• The Hank Williams portrait is by Jon Langford.

Kitchen:
• The workstation is an antique woodworker's table.
• Christy and John had a marble insert cut for the worktable.

Bar:
• The bar is an antique medicine cabinet from Edgewater Antique Mall.

Dining Room:
• Local upholsterer Kate Ronan did the chair and much of the home's upholstery.
• Christy buys upholstery fabric at fabricguru.com.

Hallway and Stairs:
• Their contractor is a friend of John's.
• They opened up the wall to the dining room and put in the wood posts.
• They also installed built-in book storage on the stairs.
• Their contractor custom-fit kitchen cabinets for book storage in the hallway.
• The painting in the hallway is by the home's previous owner.

Guest Room:
• Christy's best friend from graduate school made the quilt for her.
• They framed out the guest room closet and converted it into a hallway linen closet.

Bathroom:
• Their contractor added the skylights on the second floor.
• John tiled the bathroom himself.

Bedroom:
• The kitchen cabinet shelving continues into the bedroom.
• John and Christy store their laundry baskets in the cabinets.
• Christy made the cigar box artwork.

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