Name: Joshua and Bethany
Location: Hyde Park — Chicago, Illinois
When my husband and I bought our condo in 2004, we were instantly smitten with the place thanks to its sweeping views of Lake Michigan and local landmark Promontory Point. Unfortunately, the view of the inside was not quite as appealing.
The apartment was an exercise in austerity since the previous owner, a Catholic Archdiocese, had used it to house seminary students. The interior had been virtually untouched since the building, once a historic hotel, went condo in the early seventies. Pink tiled bathrooms (2 of them!), faux-brick linoleum, and faded oak cabinets were just a few of the challenges we were up against.
Budget conscious, our first order of business was to refinish the tile and the cabinets, and install a floating wood floor over the linoleum. Instead of installing pricy new tile floors in the bathroom, we cut IKEA sisal carpets to fit. They are feel great underfoot and look great with a fluffy bathmat on top. Our most recent improvements include the installation of a glass tile backsplash in the kitchen and—my dream come true—wallpaper around the dining room!
Over time we’ve gradually up-graded our hand-me-downs and IKEA furniture to investment pieces like a vintage Lucite chair and a pair of walnut nightstands we snagged on eBay. We rescued the mid-century lounge chair in the office from a moldy basement and had it reupholstered and we scored the marble, Saarinen-style dining table on Craigslist.
Today our home is colorful, modern, and fun and reflects both our love of mid-century design and the beautiful view outside our windows.
-Bethany Adams
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Any chance we could see the views of the lake that they see?
I love the rug in the second photo!
What is the paint color in the bathroom? I've been looking for a violet that's not overwhelming. Very nice!
Really nice, I am saving the first picture for future inspiration.
Lovely. I second the request for the color in the bathroom and the kitchen too.
Where did light blue couch in the first picture come from? I love it!
What's wrong with pink bathrooms?
That said, this is a very nice place - perfectly serene...
Woah, all carpet in the bathroom? I just cringed at the thought of the growing bacteria.
I love everything about what you have done to this place.
lovely!!!!! i love the pops of color on the muted backgrounds. also love pattern, pattern, pattern!
source the pillows, please. they are very missoni-esque (if not missoni). love them.
Love the wallpaper, where is it from?
Ohhh lvely. Could you let us know the colour of the paint in the living room?
Just lovely! Nicest condo I've ever seen in HP (I did 2 years in HP -- it was all I could take).
Oh, and the bedroom colour? Both so gorgeous. We're looking for a rich, light, gray-beige-khaki for our foyer and those seem lovely.
"Woah, all carpet in the bathroom?"
Sisal isn't really carpet - it's a woven plant fiber which happens to be fairly water resistant.
It's also relatively inexpensive - therefore easy to replace - and it's biodegradable.
The wallpaper in the LR is fab.
yes please can you tell up where you got the wall paper and the color in the bedroom.
Thanks!
Where is your headboard and bedspread from? They are amazing!
What a beautiful space! I love the living room!
Lovely apartment. But I'm not sure I'm on board with the carpet tiles......
The reading area is divine... I'm trying to achieve a look like that! what kind of book cases are those?
Ditto. Must know where that wallpaper is from!
I heart those red chests. I like the textures of this place except the carpet in the bathroom. Can you say petrie dish?
Thanks to everyone for all of the nice compliments! I will try to identify everything that you asked about. Living room paint is: Glidden "Sand White". Wallpaper is: "Modern Trellis" from Schumacher. The zig-zag fabric on the pillows is also from Schumacher and is called "Zenyatta Mondatta". The bedroom and bathroom paint is Benjamin Moore "Elephant Gray" (eggshell in the bath, flat in the bedroom). The bed is the "Tate" bed from Crate and Barrel with West Elm linens and the bookcases are the "Billy" bookcases from IKEA. Whew! I think that's everything!
I also want to reassure readers that the sisal in the bathroom is more like a woven grass mat (on top of which is a very large cotton bath mat to catch the drips!) and not a cut-pile wool carpet or carpet tiles. It is very easy to vacuum clean and stays very dry (and mildew free!), I swear.
Love it. The living room is fantastic.
Absolutely lovely. The visual "ker-pow" of the red chests in the living room prevents the blue/grey/green scheme from being too bland, and I like the combination of tangerine and blue-grey in the kitchen - fresher and more subtle than plain orange.
There's also some excellent detailing evident, from the gold line in the bedroom curtains to the basin in the bathroom.
I love this! Your living room is like a collage of all my favorite colors. A house tour is necessary!
I sooo love the living room! House tour!
What a fun space! I especially like the arragement of the library area.
Nice pad. I dig the contrasty pop of the red coffee table chests with the gray.
Hi Bethany,
I am a latecomer to Aparatment Therapy, but i live in your area and am looking for a top notch glass tile installer for my backsplash. Can you tell me who did yours?
Many thanks.