A Chicago Loft Is an Interesting Mix of Industrial and British Period Drama Style

Name: Gizelle Jancovic and two rescue chihuahuas: Tallulah Bankhead and Zelda Fitzgerald
Location: West Loop — Chicago, Illinois
Type of home: Condo
Size: 1100 square feet
Years lived in: 4 years, owned

Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: I bought my West Loop loft about four years ago. It’s two bedrooms, one bath with a wide open kitchen and entertaining space and a large terrace. Before I moved here I was in a tiny rented studio apartment on the North Side, so it was really exciting to have a space I could call my own and to give my two chihuahuas an expanded territory to patrol.

I was raised on PBS period dramas and if it was up to me I would live in a traditional English manor home (someday!). My daily bus route on the North Side took me past an antique shop in the window of which one day appeared two gorgeous 100-year old, English leather club chairs. For months I stared longingly at them and the day after I closed on my condo I bought them. They kicked off this British colonial design inspiration I tried to carry through the whole entertaining space.

A lot of the accessories are things I’ve found in antique shops: mirrors, wall art, glassware — I have a whole collection of champagne flutes I’ve found at antique shops all over the country. I like to collect art on my travels as well. Last year a friend and I took a road trip out west and we bought a couple pieces by a Sioux artist right off the wall of the visitor center in the Badlands National Park. I am also really into dramatic dark colors — I’ve got a beautiful dark purple accent wall in the dining area and my fireplace and built-ins are surrounded by a navy blue so dark it’s almost black. My teen angst seems to have followed me into adulthood and manifested as interior design.

What is your favorite room and why? Right now my favorite room is my kitchen because I’ve just renovated. I love the way the cabinets came out with the modern flat fronts in a gorgeous dark matte navy that looks almost cobalt in the sunlight, and the lightning-like veins that cut through the quartz countertops are just stunning. I cook a lot so it’s a real joy to be the first person using all the appliances. I spend a fair amount of time sitting on the couch just staring at the kitchen.

Describe your home’s style in 5 words or less: Traditional drama with modern juxtaposition.

What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? Probably these West Elm amber glass pieces for the tops of my cabinets. I bought one and when I saw how beautiful the amber was next to the dark blue I ran out and bought a bunch more.

Any advice for creating a home you love? Two things: 1. Take inspiration from everywhere and never be afraid to go for it. I went to Norway and fell in love with their aesthetic, so I came home and turned my office into a Scandi paradise with a combination of mid-century modern and faux fur, with accent pieces from Denmark and Norway I found online.

2. This is actually from a good friend of mine and seems obvious: never keep an item or a piece you don’t like. I used to have a huge painting over my couch that was a custom order gone wrong, and it made me angry every time it caught my eye. Finally, I ditched it and found this incredible abstract masterpiece from an artist in Italy and it makes me so incredibly happy every time I look at it. Life’s too short to own things you hate.

This submission’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.

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