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Name: Patrick Ewing & Mark Kanazawa
Location: Edgewater — Chicago, IL
Size: 1800 square feet (3 bdr condo, built 1920)
Years lived in: 10 — owned

When you first enter the home of Patrick Ewing and Mark Kanazawa, your eyes know they're going to be in for a feast. Each room draws you in with enticing vignettes of beloved objects - new, old, and found - making it hard to know where to look first. But it doesn't matter; your eyes are engaged wherever they land. That's because Patrick and Mark know a thing or two about creating eye-catching displays...

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As the window display manager for the flagship Ralph Lauren store in Chicago, Patrick envisions design on a big picture scale, while Mark, the toy and general gift buyer for The Field Museum Stores, has a flair for color and detail. Their complementary individual talents combined with their shared love of rethinking materials and spaces yield dramatic results in their home and all of their projects.

Creative projects are a constant for this couple. Patrick and Mark volunteer their talents for all things design (see slideshow for their "V for Victory" sculpture, inspired by WWII Victory Garden poster; reclaimed wood and paper mache, 8' h x 5' w) at the Peterson Garden Project and its accompanying Learning Center and are working towards developing their own side design business, KanazawaEwing, based on their experiences creating captivating environments for events, parties, and weddings, as well as designing interiors (see renderings in slideshow) for restaurant, residential, and retail spaces.

Yet it's their home that is the ultimate reflection of their combined talents and curator's aesthetic. It not only serves as their creative workshop where they can try out new ideas, but is also a warm, inviting, and personalized place where they can recharge and find inspiration in the objects they love.

Apartment Therapy Survey:

Our Style: A mix of modern and vintage highlighted with organic elements

Inspiration: Movie and theatre sets, the natural world, things with a patina and objects made beautiful by age and use

Favorite Element: Patrick's great great grandfather's handcrafted diorama...he was an amazing woodcarver, artist and acrobat.

Biggest Challenge: Figuring out the best way to use the space...specifically the extra bedrooms. They've been guest rooms, storerooms, workout room (by name only), and finally, offices - one for each of us.

What Friends Say: Where'd you find all this stuff? When our friends come over, we often find them just looking at the different groupings, like they are examining them. We like things that merit more than just a quick glance.

Biggest Embarrassment: The external back door. We wanted a door that had a large window panel in it that would let more natural light into the kitchen. The one we got seemed fine on paper - but then when we got it installed we realized the proportions weren't exactly what we wanted...the window panel was too narrow, and the finish started peeling off around the handle. For us it's all about the small details, and this one just wasn't quite right.

Proudest DIY: The table on the back deck made out of found wood in the alley, and the chandelier hanging over it made of fallen branches from the catalpa tree out front.

Biggest Indulgence: Our bed - it's from Ralph Lauren. We got it majorly on sale and we love it.

Best Advice: You can get the basics (shelving units, tables, seating) at a mainstream store, but it's the unique and personal objects that make a house a home. Buy the things you love and don't worry that they don't fit a particular style...then group things together in interesting ways. And don't be afraid of strong, dramatic colors, even in small rooms.

Dream Source: de Vera and ABC Carpet in NYC, a whirlwind trip around the world, bringing things home from travels abroad.

Resources of Note:

PAINT & COLORS

    • Wallpaper - Thybony Paint
    • Benjamin Moore - Bittersweet (dining room)
    • Benjamin Moore - Abingdon Putty (master bedroom)
    • Benjamin Moore - Artichoke (master bathroom)
    • Chalkboard paint (Patrick's office)
    • Gold wall - base coat Benjamin Moore - Venetian Gold; glaze Benjamin Moore - Latex metallic glaze: gold 620 (Mark's office)
    • Benjamin Moore - November Skies (half bath)
    • Back wall - Benjamin Moore - Tortoise shell; Grey walls - Benjamin Moore - Black Pepper (kitchen)

LIVING ROOM

    • Couch and glass side tables - Crate & Barrel
    • Sideboard - defunct thrift store on Irving Park
    • Goldplated sconce - Edgewater Antique Mall
    • Media stand - West Elm

DINING ROOM

    • Vintage French beaded funerary wreath - Architectural Artifacts
    • Farm table - Kane County Flea Market
    • Bearskin rug - defunct antique store on Belmont
    • Traditional Philipino hunter backpack (pasiking)- Edgewater Antique Mall

KITCHEN

    • Linoleum - Rexx Rugs

BEDROOM

    • Black leather bed - Ralph Lauren
    • Rosewood nightstands - Broadway Antique Mall
    • Side table - Saarinen oval side table
    • Bedspread fabric - The Field Museum Stores

BATHROOM

    • Root vase - The Field Museum Stores
    • Artwork - Art Forms in Nature: Ernst Haeckel
    • Tile - Tile Outlet

PATRICK'S OFFICE

    • Desk - DIY door with molding around edges & plumbing pipe legs
    • Sari - Mohr & McPherson, Boston
    • Curtains - Ikea
    • Floor lamp - Noguchi Akari lamp BB3 | X3

MARK'S OFFICE

    • Floor pillows - Anthropologie

Thanks, Mark and Patrick!

(Words: Judy Bruce; Images: Heather Blaha)

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