Name: Mike Noren
Location: Rogers Park, Chicago, Illinois
Size: 750 square feet
Years lived in: 10 months; rented
We got our first look at Mike's apartment during the Small Cool Contest, and now we're back for the full house tour. A recent Chicago transplant, Mike has outfitted his vintage apartment with a mix of new and thrift store-sourced furniture and accessories that comes together beautifully.
When Mike relocated to Chicago from Michigan, he knew he wanted an apartment with vintage details. He certainly lucked out with this Rogers Park charmer. From the built-in shelving in the kitchen/dining room to the large French windows that line the living room, Mike's apartment has all the character of an old apartment. Other vintage highlights include the farmhouse sink, rounded doorways and original doors.
One surprise in Mike's apartment is the amount of closet space. Vintage apartments often lack closets, but this one includes many. In addition to the large closet in the living room, which is hidden behind mirrored French doors that mimic the windows, there's a roomy closet in the hallway and one in the bedroom as well.
To furnish his apartment, Mike has invested in some nice new pieces, like the sofa from Room and Board, but filled in with thrift store finds. He's also gotten creative with his furnishings to save a little cash — like adding an old mirror to the top of a base to create a coffee table and dragging home a large branch after a storm when he wasn't willing to drop a lot of dough on one. All together, Mike's home comes together seamlessly.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
My Style: Mid-Century thrift-store Ethno-European.
Inspiration: Broadway Antique Mall, Edgewater Antiques, Room & Board
Favorite Element: French windows in the living room.
Biggest Challenge: Deciding what to keep and what to toss after moving from a larger 2-bedroom to a smaller one-bedroom.
What Friends Say: That the space is serene, everything has room to breathe, the light is fantastic, and the use of color is energizing.
Biggest Embarrassment: Kitchen floor is a bit worn out. I'm going to work on the landlady for that one.
Proudest DIY: I haven't really had any DIY in this space, other than the paint job. I was pretty happy when I found the tree branch after a wind storm, though. I'd looked at florists and online for a couple weeks before stumbling across it in my own neighborhood.
Biggest Indulgence: Hutton Sofa Chaise from Room and Board.
Best Advice: Buy the things that attract you and chances are good that somehow they will work together despite their differences. Also, one new piece that anchors a space, like a sofa or bed, can go a long way to giving new life to the rest of your things.
Dream Sources: Paris Flea Market
Resources of Note:
PAINT COLORS
- • Living Roomm: Silver Drop from Behr
• Bedroom: Manchester Tan from Benjamin Moore
• Dining/Kitchen: Palladian Blue by Benjamin Moore
LIVING ROOM
- • Sofa: Room and Board
• Rug: West Elm
• Painting: Marcio Cabral
DINING ROOM
- • Mod Frames: Room and Board
BEDROOM
- • Bed: West Elm
Thanks, Mike!
(Images: Jason Loper)
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I love the cat, and oh, the house too. So cozy.
Very nice. I love the greys with the orange accents.
Bonus points for the Maine Coon.
Both cats are darling!
And welcome to Rogers Park, it is a great diverse neighborhood. It can be a little quiet but there are some advantages to that.
I like it! Looks very inviting and comfy. Nice job.
I thought there was only one cat?
The ONLY thing I would ask you to change is to move the garbage can under the sink. It's a silly pet-peeve of mine. Anywho...I've been having a love affair latley with lamps so if you ever want to give up that green lamp, let me know! :o)
Super cool kitchen! Love those arched door ways and the architecture of this home. You have Crystal door-knobs *sigh*. Super cute cats. Funky cool headboard...well, let's just say your place ROCKS! Great tour.
Lovely space, very inviting! Your dining table is beautiful, and the green lamp in the living room is gorgeous! And what lovely blue eyes!
Love the old-style kitchens, but where is the fridge?
Rawr on the cat with the blue eyes! And the house, too. Source of the nice luggage?
I love everything about this apartment - terrific job. I live in Rogers Park, and I think I need to "stalk" this building - obviously it has great bones.
A great mix of interesting pieces and wonderful ability to place them together in balance. Nice kitties too.
Gorgeous orange cat. I like how he gets to sleep on the bed. Nice apartment, too.
Gorgeous! Love the whole thing; charming style, charming cat. Bravo.
Genius idea using an old mirror for the coffee table-top. I'm gonna need to steal that one.
Love the coffee table , sofa, art/photos & the green lamp in the very serene but lively living room. The orange touches are great too, including that sweet cat. The whole place is nice & elegant ! Thrift finds are so much fun.
Your cat is so beautiful! And obviously I'm not the only one that things so. :)
I love the greys; your home has such a relaxed feel to it. Very nice.
Lovely, lovely home. Why ask people to change things in their homes because we (who don't live there) don't agree with them? I've never understood that.
Love the orange chair in the living room! The whole place is lovely. Thanks for sharing!
So many things to love about your place. My favorites: the rug with the grey couches, the pops of orange in your living room, the simple blooms in the black jug, your kitchen sink, the orange birdie candle, the arched doorway, your thermos bottles, and that beautiful cat! I'm thinking there were two cats because one photo had a lot of white of the chest and the other photo didn't appear to have the white fur....please let me know! 1 cat or 2?
What a nice place you have. Love it.
Hey Everyone, thanks much for the kind words. The luggage piece, in answer to an earlier question, was given to me by my friend Dan. I keep photos stored in it.
There are, in fact, two cats. The one with white on him is Indy, the baby at 14 1/2 years, and the other is Tigger, 15 1/2. You're looking at a combined total of about 30 pounds of feline, there. Maine coons are the best.
I adore your kitchen and sweet orange kitty.
This is a wonderful home, one of my favs. ;)
The cats are among the orange accents!
Whee!! Rogers Park!! What a great neighborhood for vintage buildings and reasonable shopping and the best diversity in Chicago. I was hoping to glimpse out of your window to see if I recognized your street.
My favorite is the boy in blue in your window. May I ask who did that?
I'm not an MCM fan, but I love your house. Your color pallet makes it seem almost lush. I have seen many a Chicago kitchens with the eat-in nook but have never seen one that has such a dining room, cozy vibe to it. Lovely.
Very nice. Calming and great color selection.
Super sweet looking kitty too.
Very nice. The kitties are divine, and I love the Palladium Blue paint color. Overall I love how your color palette works together.
Hi BHanson, Thanks. The boy in blue is a reproduction of a Modigliani, painted by me.
Beautiful!
love the whole place!!! thermoses and all!
Nice.
Love the curved archway, the big glass double doors, the butcher block counter top and the funky sink! And the kitty kitty of course. 8)
Love the splashes of bold color and, especially, the wonderful accent pillows!
One of the best house tours I've seen! The living room, especially, is so serene. Love the archway, the bedding, the gargoyle, the thermos collection, and the cats!
Hey, you're my neighbor! Great to see Chicago in the tours-- especially a Roger's Park resident!
This guy has got more style in his little finger than I could ever hope to have, frankly.
Fantastic work. Inspiring.
An admirable balance of the new and old with the former lending sophistication, comfort and elegance and the latter providing coziness, charm, history and humor. As a thrift store and vintage aficionado, I found some useful inspiration here in how to achieve that mix. Thanks for sharing.
Really nice. It looks like a wonderful place to live. Also a great job photographing - we get to see how the place really looks without too many vignettes. Good job.
Your cats are beautiful but how do you keep the fur from being everywhere all the time? I have a gray maine coon who sleeps on my bed and everything i own has a layer of fur that is hard to get off.
Oh and your apartment is gorgeous too of course- love that table.
what a great space in which to work ... and then you 've added some very cool pieces. love the orange with the grey. and, yes, those sweet cats! thanks for the tour.
would you mind sharing where you got that patterned bedspread upon which one of those sweet kitties lays? thanks.
This is one of the handsom bachelor pads I've ever seen. Mike's done a beautiful job mixing patterns, textures, styles and colors. I have the same color wood floors in my soon-to-be house and I was concerned about having dark-colored bookshelves with it but Mike's decor goes perfectly with the room - the rug, the chocolate-brown (?) bookshelves and splashes of color. Wonderful! On a side note, what beautiful eyes Mike has! All the better to look at his kitty with, I'm sure. :-)
Hi Rayn, I use a mitt that you can pick up at places like PetSmart, Target, etc, made of that red velvety material used to make lint brushes. It's almost like an oven mitt made of the stuff, and I run it over anything the cats have been on. Works like a charm and lasts a really long time. the hair come off the mitt just as easily by rubbing it the opposite direction.
Art Is Necessary - The bedspread is from a website that I beleive is now defunct called 'The Mad Turban'. I bought several pieces from them, years ago, and they've held up over time. I use one of them as a beach blanket. Washes up well.
Mike you have a lovely home. I really like the kitchen sink and the fabric of the skirt. Lots of vintage collections without being overwhelming. Particularly like the thermoses(? plural) and of course the cat.
The kitchen and dining area (and the kittys) are so cute! Well done.
Lovely!!! Reminds me very much of the pre-war apartment I had in NYC.... Miss those beautiful details. And I love orange cats :)
Very cute. Love the orange accents, including the cat :)
What a lovely home, and it's a rental! Very good taste!
Wow! So lovely, and two dear kitties, too. The thrift store items work so well. But mostly, I have closet envy. No closets here. AND the two bookcases on either side leading to kitchen are so sweet as is the kitchen. I am going to have to steal the idea of putting a picture on the side of a shelf like that. I've learned a lot from the tour, thank you.
I could live here!! I love your furniture, very stylish and beautiful.
Gorgeous! So well done! May I ask where you got the garbage can in the kitchen? I've been looking for one just like that!
From where is the orange lounge chair? LOVE IT
Hey Jen, the garbage can is from Ikea. I think they still carry them.
Lifersfc, the orange chair came from an antique store at Detroit's Eastern Market. I'm not sure of the manufacturer, but if anyone had information on it, I'd appreciate it, as well!
Very nice. Great wooden floor, nice furntire, sweet cat. Looks cosy and live-able (meaning I imagine you living there, making coffee, reading, walking around, living!). Nice colors. Like the wooden frames as well.