An Airy and Inviting Chicago Bungalow

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Sunny living room (Image credit: Carolina Rodriguez)

Name: Diana, her husband and their two kids
Location: Logan Square — Chicago, Illinois
The basics: 5 years, owned — 1,000 square feet

Diana and her husband decided that while their home was totally fine, it wasn’t really them. Being on a budget and humans with jobs and children they opted to do smaller fixes when they could find the money and time. The result is an airy home, perfect for a fun young family.

Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: I am a designer and mom-of-two and my husband and I bought a fully renovated Chicago bungalow. We were so thrilled to find such a beautiful house in Logan Square. Without sounding ungrateful, we only wished we had the opportunity to renovate the house ourselves. People thought we were crazy to even think about touching a new house, but it didn’t feel like us. Whenever we could find extra time and money, we made small adjustments to the house and most of it, we did it ourselves. Our work isn’t perfect and it will always be a work-in-progress, but we’re very proud of it nonetheless.

I always get a little chuckle when I hear other families say that they will invest in their house when the kids are older. I understand it, but I refuse to let it stop me. Having a home that is comfortable, stylish and family-friendly is a priority. We have a 3-year-old girl, Olive, and a 5-year-old boy, Miles. They inspire my designs and creativity everyday. I want a house for them that does the same.

What is your favorite room and why? The kids’ room. It’s honestly an oddly-shaped room and was challenging to figure out, but then you see this tiny playhouse and it’s unspeakably awesome. Miles and Olive share this room because we do not have a ton of space and also because I think you learn a lot from it. That said, I also wanted to make sure Miles and Olive had their own space within this shared space. So they have their own corners to sleep in and they share the playhouse. We call the playhouse “the library” and use it mostly to curl up and read books.

If you could magically change something about your home, what would it be? The kitchen. We would love more modern countertops and appliances as well as different cabinetry. When we got this house, there were dark cherry wood cabinets on top and bottom with a sea-colored stone and glass tile backsplash. Can you envision it? It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t our taste either. With lots of hesitation, we ended up taking the upper cabinets down and hacked through all the tile work, it was a mess. Since we are always on a budget, we decided to patch up and paint the walls, add open shelving and replace all the knobs. Instantly, we felt like our kitchen could breathe!

What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? The Miles sofa from Interior Define and a safari chair from Ebay.

Which fictional character would be most at home in your place? Maybe Goldilocks because it’s “just right.”

Diana’s words of wisdom: Create a wish list for your house and slowly work thru it whenever you can. Life always gets in the way, so be patience with your list, as well as, forgiving. You will be surprised on how a thoughtful house can inspire yourself and the people in it.

Thanks, Diana !

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