(Due to holiday scheduling, I am re-posting a house tour I did during my "audition" for the Editor position. It originally appeared on AT:NY on 3.02.06. Enjoy! - janel)
Name: Shannon and Emmett
Location: Chicago, IL
Size: 1700 s/f
Take a powder-coating factory in Chicago’s River West neighborhood. Subtract the spray paint. Add the following: Ten years, a painter named Emmett, a sculptor named Shannon, hard work, creativity, and some really great vintage furniture. Mix in: A young son, happy neighbors (goodbye toxic fumes), more hard work and lots of art supplies.
Oh yes, and don’t forget the cute dog. What do you get? The result is one of my favorite urban family homes; a true hands-on renovation from raw space to harmonious home and studio.
The 1700 square foot apartment has exposed brick, heavy timber beams and huge windows along its west wall. The main open space serves as kitchen, dining and living room. The two bedrooms and bathrooms are enclosed areas, as is the 800 square foot work studio. Skylights and repurposed windows set high into the interior walls let natural light into the back rooms.
Being the home of veteran bargain hunters and treasure seekers, it features enviable finds. The butter yellow metal kitchen cabinets and stainless cook top were bought directly from the retired cabinet-maker’s own home in Indiana. Classic twentieth century design pieces and vintage metal furniture comprise most of the furnishings, along with a new, cozy sectional. A small computer workspace and bookshelves cleverly made from salvaged stair treads define one wall. The collections of pottery, quirky toys, found curiosities and artwork made by friends make the space a pleasure to explore.
Thanks, Shannon and Emmett!
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Please advise where you got your bookcases.
Thanks
Lucy:
I have some info from when the tour was posted in NY, so I can answer your question right away:
The bookshelves were made by Shannon and Emmett from recycled stair treads from an old Chicago coach house and threaded pipe they bought at Home Depot. They said it only took an afternoon to build.
the pictures to the left of the bookshelves...are those false-colored x-ray diffraction patterns of dna (or am i becoming more of a science geek than i thought)?
When I die, I want to be buried in that apartment. Love, love, love it.
on slide 8 of 12 they have theys huge slide things lite from behind. What are they, and where did they get them from? I have the perfect place on my office for something like that.
Erin:
Shannon did those prints - I'll have to ask what the inspiration was next time I speak to her.
James:
They made those too!
They are light boxes made with 4x5 transparencies of Emmett’s paintings, wired up with 5v bulbs.
As an artist, this is the type of place I'm dreaming of. Any hints as to what building this is in River West and if there are any vacancies?
janel:
thanks for offering to ask. the more i look at them, the more convinced i become that that's what they are. however, even if they're not, i've decided to steal this inspiration since i'm a geneticist and those type of prints would be a perfect way to bring my love of science into my home!
Your sectional looks to be exactly what I am looking for, where did you get it?
Great photos!
Wendo, did you ever find out what building this is?
does anyone have an idea where i could find some interesting reclaimed lumber to build a similar bookcase? thanks! - rebecca
i could easily live in a beautiful place like this, especially the kitchen area is great, thanks for showing!
Beautiful!
Could you post instructions on building the bookshelves?
Thanks!
Yes. I would love instructions, too.
Yeah, the shelves are amazing. Please share the wisdom of how you made them! What kind of vertical support/poles did you use to attach the shelves themselves?
Hello
I would really love to know how the bookcase was made. Looking to make one myself.
Could I get directions for this?
oh... i did exactly those kind of shelves in my basement. You can use any kind of wood (clearly) and the posts/fittings in mine are cast iron plumbing supplies. The boards are 2" thick, but they could be 1.5" I guess. The DIY is extremely simple, but how do I submit such a thing to AT? Also, do the original authors want to do it?
(and I have PVC ones in the garage)
Hi LMG -
Since the owners don't seem to be on here, would you mind posting the instructions you mentioned?
LMG -- I'd love those instructions too. I can't quite figure out how those shelves are secured. Could you write them up somewhere else and then link to them? The PVC version sounds very interesting too!
For those of you asking for instructions on how to build the shelves...we used this look for inspiration for the shelves we built for our entertainment center...you can find out how we did it at our blog http://masonjarchampagne.blogspot.com/2011/01/urban-industrial-shelves.html we even give a shout out to apartment therapy