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Heather Blaha

    Brice & Ilene’s Chicago Getaway
    Name: Brice & Ilene Bloom-Ellis Location: Lincoln Square, Chicago, IL Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; owned Brice and Ilene are two social workers from St. Louis, where they have a home filled with memories of raising a family, many of their favorite objects, and plenty of space. But, finding themselves in Chicago hotels way too often (Brice travels to Chicago regularly for work), these mid-century lovers began exploring real estate on a small scale.
    Heather Blaha
    Oct 5, 2014
    Bethany & Michael’s Artistic Andersonville Abode
    Name: Bethany Petryszak Mudd and Michael Mudd Location: Andersonville; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,800 square feet Years lived in: Less than a year; owned “It almost feels… a little surreal.” That’s how user experience designer and painter Bethany describes living in the macked-out condo she shares with husband Michael, an IT consultant, along with their two dogs and two cats. “I can’t believe that we live in a place this nice.
    Heather Blaha
    Sep 3, 2014
    Karen & Deborah’s Cherrywood Renovation
    Name: Karen LaShelle (nonprofit director) and Deborah Esquenazi (documentary filmmaker) Location: Cherrywood; Austin, Texas Size: 2,100 square feet Years lived in: 9 years; owned It’s been five years since we first toured Karen’s house in Austin. Since then, her 2 bedroom/1 bath house has undergone some big and meaningful changes.
    Heather Blaha
    Apr 7, 2014
    Katie & Toby’s Artful Edgewater Apartment (8 Years Later…)
    Name: Katie (artist/blogger) & Toby (music producer/motion graphics designer) Location: Edgewater; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 12 years; rented Katie and Toby’s home was one of the first Chicago tours featured on Apartment Therapy — back in 2006!
    Heather Blaha
    Mar 7, 2014
    Eva’s Cozy Sense of Clarity in Austin
    Name: Eva Schone Location: Hyde Park; Austin, Texas Size: 850 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; rented Eva Schone, the founder of Trophyology (and an architect on hiatus), describes her style as “light, cozy, and green with a sense of clarity.” It’s true. Upon entering her sun-drenched two bedroom garage apartment, Eva’s decisions and delights are perfectly clear, without the appearance of a lot of work or fuss.
    Heather Blaha
    Feb 24, 2014
    A Model Apartment: Jay Michael’s Lincoln Square Style
    Name: Jay Michael Location: Lincoln Square — Chicago, IllinoisSize: Approximately 300 square feet (this particular model) Jay Michael and his construction manager (and long time friend) Diana Tokat led me on a recent tour of this small yet mighty Lincoln Square model apartment in one of Jay’s converted rental properties. The idea is simple: show prospective renters how beautifully and efficiently one can live in a small, rented space.
    Heather Blaha
    Sep 1, 2011
    Jeff & Mary’s Mod Home (and Airstream!) Rehab
    Name: Jeff and Mary LaCosteLocation: Crown Hill — Seattle, WashingtonSize: 2100 square feetYears lived in: 4 — 3BR, owned Behold! It’s the folks behind ModKnobs, which we featured back in 2009 (custom modern doorknobs made from hockey pucks). Rehabbing their home from the the ground up, Jeff and Mary left no detail untouched.
    Heather Blaha
    Jul 14, 2011
    Crystal & Gavin’s House for Modernist Cats (& Dogs!)
    Name: Crystal & Gavin GregoryLocation: Parkwood — Shoreline (Seattle) WASize: 920 square feetYears lived in: 2 — owned The owner and creator of Modernist Cat (featured on AT back in January) recently opened up her newly renovated home for us. Vintage feline ledges and custom-built catwalks compliment Crystal’s handmade modernist cat furniture, which blends seamlessly with the home’s MCM pieces.
    Heather Blaha
    Jun 1, 2011
    Jo-Anne & Howard’s London Home & Bonsai Garden
    Name: Jo-Anne Bichard & Howard PotterLocation: Deptford — SE LondonSize: 800 square feetYears lived in: 9 — rented/owned: a bit of both — UK program of shared ownership This design anthropologist (Jo-Anne) and oncology nurse (Howard) have long lived in southeast London — from several years renting in New Cross to taking great advantage of shared ownership with this new build terrace house/millennium design in Deptford.
    Heather Blaha
    Apr 25, 2011
    Nina’s Lovely North London Flat
    Name: NinaLocation: Islington — North London, United KingdomSize: 485 square feet (45 square meters)Years lived in: 1 — owned Nina’s one-bedroom Victorian flat and new sense of ownership are a long way (albeit nearby) from living in a tiny shared Brick Lane flat above a curry house back in 2002. While both places certainly had/have their own charms, the biggest shift is from little light and lots of noise to light-filled and sweet serenity.
    Heather Blaha
    Apr 21, 2011
    The Wurm Storefront Kitchen & Studio
    Name: James WurmLocation: Pilsen — Chicago, IllinoisSize: 860 square feetYears lived in: 1+ — rented In just over a year, James has transformed this storefront space into a livable, exciting stomping ground for cooking, socializing, and sharing.
    Heather Blaha
    Oct 6, 2010
    Julie & Iker’s Marina City Heaven
    Name: Julie Michiels and Iker GilLocation: Marina City, ChicagoSize: 725 square feet + 225 square foot balconyYears lived in: 5 Designers and architects always have the best apartments, but rarely do they get to live in one of the iconic buildings that informed their careers. Julie and Iker are among the lucky ones and call the Chicago landmark of Bertrand Goldberg’s Marina City home.
    Heather Blaha
    May 10, 2010
    Dan’s MMC (Mostly Mid-Century) Home and Gallery
    Name: Dan DeveningLocation: ChicagoSize/Type: Owned 1,400 sq. ft. two-bedroom condo in newly constructed three-flatYears lived in: 4 With a home steeped in self-described “MMC (mostly mid-century)” visual stunners, Dan Devening lives the way he works: with and surrounded by art.
    Heather Blaha
    Jan 8, 2010
    Nursery Tour: Phoebe Rose’s Mom-made Room
    Name: Phoebe Rose Age: due any day! Location: Ann Arbor, MI >> Like her friends, we’re amazed that mom-to-be Emily made almost everything in her daughter’s nursery: toys, quilts, cross-stitch, burp cloths, chair slip cover, bird mobile…the list goes on! Although not yet lived in, this nursery speaks volumes of love and attention, originality mixed with vintage pieces, and has “Phoebe” creatively written all over it (both literally and figuratively).
    Heather Blaha
    Jul 30, 2009
    House Tour: Nicole’s “Vintage Comfortable” Townhouse
    Name: Nicole ZieglerProfession: Graphic Designer/Art DirectorLocation: Wicker Park, ChicagoType: 700 sq ft rented 1 bedroom brick townhouseYears lived in: 9 months >> A lot of Nicole’s finds come from family and near her Scranton, PA roots, creating what she calls her “vintage comfortable” apartment.
    Heather Blaha
    Apr 6, 2009
    House Tour: Emily’s Crisp & Contemporary Studio
    Name: Emily BallardProfession: Gallery Assistant/ Appraisal SupervisorLocation: Lincoln Park, ChicagoSize: Roughly 300 sq ft rented studioTime lived in: 7 months >> With solid bones and some interesting history, Emily has been able to make her Lincoln Park studio an open, light, whimsical yet thought-out home in just a few months. In a building that used to be a hotel, the (small) floor plans of each unit replicate those of vintage hotels.
    Heather Blaha
    Mar 12, 2009
    Pink Bathrooms
    Pink rooms get a lot of attention around here: we’ve asked if you’d go pink as a grown-up, gathered 7 pink dining rooms, admired a pink kitchen, and featured a Valentine’s Day assortment of red and pink combo rooms. The bathroom, still, maintains its stronghold as the more expected of pink spots — often with old pink tile that new occupants just have to “work with.” Still others go pink in the loo by choice.
    Heather Blaha
    Mar 9, 2009
    The “Plants in the Bedroom” Dilemma
    There’s some disagreement about whether plants in the bedroom is a positive or a negative. Feng Shui practitioners say that plants in the bedroom are not good feng shui, unless your bedroom is fairly large and the plants are located far from the bed. Also, since they represent growth and vibrancy, that goes against the calm and restfulness associated with the bedroom…Although plants improve air quality, they compete with you at night for oxygen.
    Heather Blaha
    Jan 14, 2009
    Roger Brown House in New Buffalo, Michigan
    New Buffalo, Michigan has been coming up in conversation a lot lately. Three years ago, I took a drive with my dad to see if his grandparents’ house was still there (a place he spent many childhood summers). It was! Recently, friends of ours went to the small town for a nearby getaway; this weekend, another friend is heading to the Roger Brown house.
    Heather Blaha
    Sep 22, 2008
    Online Deals from the CB2 Outlet
    Seems like the last thing we need to do right now is accumulate anything. But if you relish in post-holiday deals, take a look at CB2 outlet sales, including this great Merimekko cotton sheet set for $14.95-$79.95 (down from $29.95-$109). A few more items shown below (and available online only).Havana pillows, $9.95 each (reg. $24.95) Intersection print, $24.95 (reg. $99.95) Gumball paper lantern, $2.95 (reg. $6.95)More CB2 sales here.
    Heather Blaha
    Jan 4, 2008
    House Tour: Jim and Kari’s Evanston Modern
    Name: Jim & Kari (and Elsa & Henry) Location: Evanston, ILType: split-level ranch house, ownedSize: 2000 sq ftYears lived in: 1 After more than a year of house hunting and several months of updating and renovations, Jim and his family spread their Scandinavian style all over their 1950s split-level.
    Heather Blaha
    Nov 9, 2007
    How To…Stay Warm at Home without Much Heat
    Today, in our chilled state, we came across a great list of strategic steps and tips for staying warm at home if there’s little heat (for whatever the reason may be).Today is the first day that we’ve been truly cold in our home office, reminding us that the seasons have very officially shifted. We have on our wool socks, scarf, and almost considered finding some fingerless gloves so we could type more comfortably! We want to know your top way(s) of staying warm indoors.
    Heather Blaha
    Nov 7, 2007
    Good Questions: How Do I Deal With Plaster Walls?
    Dear AT,I’m moving into a restored Victorian place and it has what I believe to be plaster walls. Thankfully they aren’t the lumpy sort. I’ve had trouble putting nails and screws in plaster before. Usually, the wall crumbles and the screw or the nail bends.I just bought some shelving and curtain rods and I can’t risk the crumbling b/c i have very limited space to work with. How do you do it correctly?
    Heather Blaha
    Jul 11, 2006
    Andreas’ Greektown Loft
    Name: Andreas Location: Greektown, Chicago Size: 1,000 sq. ft. Years lived in: 8 months I’m inspired by the Danish Modern movement, specifically Grete Jalk, Arne Jacobsen, Hans Wegner. I really wanted my home to look different than any place I’d seen before. I wanted it completely different than the way it was when I moved in…and it is (see the “Before” photos). And I love good chairs!
    Heather Blaha
    Jun 2, 2006
    Minneapolis Room & Board Outlet
    If you plan on heading way north any time soon, listen to this. Our friend Dr. Roni just returned from defending her doctoral dissertation in Minneapolis. While there, she balanced her brain work with some shopping for her new home back in Chicago. The stop: Room & Board Outlet. Here’s what she wrote:“I found the patio table of my dreams and checkedto see if we could take it apart and fit it in my car.
    Heather Blaha
    May 11, 2006