Chicago And Tours

Location: Wicker Park; Chicago, Illinois Size: 2,000 square feet Years lived in: 7 years As a young person living in Chicago, I spent many hours rambling though Wicker Park, an area of the city that used to be synonymous with art and music. The neighborhood, home to historic flats on shady, tree-lined streets, has since been gentrified six ways from Sunday.

Name: Liz Klafeta, Founder Bangtel Location: Lakeview; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1100 square feet Years lived in: 1 When Liz moved to New York two years ago, she started renting out her revamped home in Humboldt Park on Airbnb. She couldn’t bring herself to sell since she had gut rehabbed every inch of the space. Instead, she chose to share the fruits of her blood, sweat, tears and expenditures with Chicago visitors. You can experience the magic for yourself on your next Chicago visit.

Name: Sam Rosen and Linsey Burritt Location: Noble Square — Chicago, Illinois Size: 3,000 square feet Years lived in: 5 years; Rented Linsey and Sam met in 2008. In 2009, Linsey realized her new friend Sam was the best friend she ever made so she asked him to dinner on graph paper. At the end of 2014, Sam asked Linsey, on an index card (her favorite) if she would marry him. This June they wed at the Garfield Park Conservatory (they love plants).

Name: Lauren Baker Location: Ravenswood; Chicago, Illinois Size: 927 square feet Years lived in: 10 months, owned From the moment Lauren opened the door, I knew this was going to be a fun tour. Lauren greeted me like an old friend, and her personal warmth and natural ease are evident throughout her home, as much of it is designed with one-of-a-kind pieces acquired through her relationships with local businesses and artisans.

Name: Gabriel Fontes de Faria & Grant Gochnauer Location: Wicker Park; Chicago, IL Size: 4,000 square feet Years lived in: 4 years; owned If I had to summarize Gabriel and Grant’s home in two words, I would pick “beauty” and “restraint.” The couple’s townhouse is elegant and pared down, and each element seems considered and loved.

Name: Allison Reijmer Location: Wicker Park, Chicago Size: 700 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; Rented Within a few minutes of entering Allison’s apartment, I was struck by three fantastic elements: 1) Lofted ceiling! 2) Gorgeous fresh flowers! and 3) The outstanding Bloody Mary I was offered within 5 minutes of meeting her! That’s like the Triple Crown of House Tour welcomes and a great first impression that perfectly matched Allison’s warm and stylish home.

Name: Luke and Claire Staszak Location: Logan Square; Chicago, Illinois Size: 2 bedroom + office Years lived in: 2 years; Rented Luke and Claire are two incredibly warm and inspiring individuals. Spending time with them in their beautiful greystone included stories of their experiences living in New Zealand together, details on their impressive DIY projects, discussions about the music playing on their record player, and lots of laughter.

Name: Katie, Vincent & Baby Roman Fuentes Location: River West; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,400 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years If you ever wanted to know how to live with a newborn baby boy and still have your home exude sophistication and charm, look no further than Katie and Vincent’s apartment in the River West neighborhood of Chicago.

Name: Charles Hafner Location: Bowmanville — Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,700 square feet Years lived in: 9 years; Owned Most people’s apartments are decorated in a way that is personal to them, but Charles Hafner brings this idea to another level. Different rooms in his big yet cozy Chicago apartment are dedicated to different members of his family.

Name: Marta Sasinowska and Mike Nourse Location: Pilsen neighborhood — Chicago, Ilinois Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 5 years; Rented Marta and Mike like to call their apartment “the tree house,” because of the lofted spaces, the hammock, and the light streaming in through different corners as if through the branches of trees.

Name: Maggie and Howard Location: Logan Square — Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,800 square feet Years lived in: 4 years; Owned When Maggie, Howard, and their gorgeous boys moved into their Logan Square house, it had just sat empty through a frigid Chicago winter.

Name: Kate Levinson and Mike Muschong and Snacks the cat Location: West Town — Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Rented White walls and floors set the scene for Mike and Kate’s vibrant, patterned, curious, and classy home. Kate is no stranger to the interest of personalized space—her mother, Stephanie Wohlner, is a successful interior designer, and Kate is a location scout extraordinaire.

Name: Liz Klafeta, founder of BANGTEL Location: Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 9 years owned Often you hear people use words such as “daunting” or “time consuming” while referring to renovations. “Fun” and “having a blast” don’t come to mind. However, these are the exact words you’ll hear Liz use while describing the renovation process of this space.

Name: Kristen Basilo and Robby the cat Location: River West, Chicago, Illinois Size: 825 square feet Years lived in: 4 years; owned Kristen Basilo is the owner of Gather Home + Lifestyle and she says that she’s guilty of bringing her favorite items home with her. Most people’s homes would be hopelessly cluttered if they had access to so many beautiful things, but not Kristen. She’s mastered the art of living minimally.

Project by: Casey Location: Chicago, Illinois My husband and I purchased a condo in Chicago nine months ago, and we’ve slowly been working to transform every inch of the 1,200 square foot space. Determined to broaden my DIY skills and try out some new power tools. I vowed to makeover our guest room all by myself. I started by DIY’ing a wood wall treatment to create an accent behind the bed.

Name: Anna Curtis Location: Chicago, Illinois Size: 350 square feet Years lived in: 7 months; rented Small space living isn’t for everyone, but when Anna returned from a trip to Berlin, she was ready to come back to a familiar well-loved Chicago neighborhood. She jumped on this tiny 350 square foot studio. Immediately after setting foot inside, Anna agreed to take on the previous renter’s lease along with all of his much-too-large-for-a-studio furniture.

Name: Meg Gustafson Location: Uptown — Chicago, Illinois Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 3 months; rented For a short few months, Meg has lived in this familiar space—a high rise in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood, on Lake Shore Drive. The building was built in 1959 and Meg’s grandma lived in this exact unit for years. In 1978, Meg’s parents took over and began renting it out.

Name: Andy Koch and Danielle Boachie, and cats Zeus and Miss Fluffy Location: Hyde Park, Chicago, Illinois Size: 325 square feet Years lived in: 8 months; rented For such a small space, Andy and Danielle have their limited square footage very well divided into areas with different purposes.

Name: Sarah Montgomery Location: Chicago, Ilinois Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 1 year rented Sarah is proud of her entire 800 square feet, tucked away in a Ukrainian Village coach house, and rightfully so. She has brought art and whimsy into each of her rooms with a true DIY and frugal spirit, all while leaning on her past experience as a window display designer at Anthropologie and her current gig as a product designer at Eastern Accents.

Name: Travis Location: Lakeview — Chicago, Illinois Size: 1000 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, rented Travis grew up in Louisiana and Texas, but has been living in Chicago for a medical residency for the last couple years. He made sure to bring his southern roots with him in the form of decor. Travis’s apartment has a sort of dark & gothic feel to it. He attributes this to all the “dead things” around the apartment. He has taxidermy, bones and shells in every room.

Name: Dave and Mollie Code Location: West Loop — Chicago, Illinois Size: 2,300 square feet Years lived in: 1 years Tall ceilings, brick walls, sleek surfaces—this raw, industrial-style space is the home of Dave and Mollie Code. They run Studio Code together, a development firm based in Chicago with the goal of restoring the historic elements of homes while also creating functioning spaces.

From the moment you step inside, you are greeted with the open, honest expression of a couple who fills their home with good vibes, delicious food, and lots of great memories.

Name: Nick Fanelle and Spiro Georgi Location: Edgewater— Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: Rented 2 years You might remember Nick and Spiro’s previous Apartment Therapy house tour where they showcased their fabulous farmhouse style, perfectly situated right in the city of Chicago. At the time they were transforming their Vermont-inspired style from one that was more traditional to a more contemporary version.

Name: J. & Stephanie Stack, & Baby Leo Location: Pilsen — Chicago, Illinois Size: 5,000 square feet Years lived in: 1-1/2 years; Owned Calm, cool and collected…these are the feelings you get as you step through the front door of J and Stephanie’s home. I am sure, however, the couple probably wasn’t feeling calm cool or collected during the 15 month process that they embarked on to rebuild a home from the ground up.