What do you do with white walls, brick, and cold concrete? Add lots of color! Holly Conrad’s studio loft in the heart of Chicago is refreshing and full of vibrant colors. She’s owned this current unit for four years, but she’s been in the building longer: She rented another unit in the building for six years prior.

It’s evident from the moment you enter that travel is important to Holly. It’s reflected in artwork, accessories, and even in the colors she’s chosen as accents around the large open space. And though she’s a fan of a good shopping buys from popular places like CB2 and Target, her apartment is packed more with lots of family history, found pieces, and fantastic artwork, including many pieces from Gray Malin. There’s an antique bottled beer mirror found from an antique store on New York’s Upper East Side. Vintage bird prints from her grandparents. The small prints she had framed are a collection of Chicago photos and her travels to India. Everywhere you look in Holly’s apartment is a personal piece of her history, all of which is woven together in a stylish, vibrant home.

My Style: Modern eclectic.

Inspiration: Travel/family history/ books and color.

Favorite Element: I don’t have one particular element that stands out, I just love the overall feel of my home. It’s inviting, cozy, unique, and comfortable. I have a lot of family heirlooms I have mixed with new pieces so a lot of my furniture and art has a story. Also, the open layout is perfect for entertaining and can accommodate a lot of people without feeling too cramped.

Biggest Challenge: Keeping it light since I only have windows at one end of the unit—lots of lamps in the bedroom!

What Friends Say: “Holly mixes old and new flawlessly and her condo is very much a reflection of her personality and style.” I recently had a friend visit who hasn’t seen this condo yet but has been in a few of my homes over the years and her first comment when she walked in was: “Wow, this is such a Holly apartment.”

Biggest Embarrassment: Old track lighting and the heat spots on my grandparents’ beautiful Baker dining table! There just never seems to be a good time to be without a dining room table to get it restored.

Proudest DIY: My gallery walls that I used old family pieces and new pieces to create. They are not measured to perfection but that is what I love about them!

Biggest Indulgence: Having a family wing chair recovered by Kylie Egg of Recovered Interior Inc—she is a genius!

Best Advice: Take your time to be sure your space is a reflection of you—I still have small projects I would like to do but Rome wasn’t built in a day. I also source most of my art when I am traveling so every piece has a memory attached to it. I take a lot of pride in my home and want others to feel comfortable and welcome the minute they walk through the door.

Dream Sources: Jayson Home/ CB2/ Vintage Stores

PAINT & COLORS
Benjamin Moore — Super White
Kitchen Cabinets — Benjamin Moore Stormy Monday
Accent walls — Benjamin Moore Bermuda Blue
Custom color for bathroom vanity — Sherwin Williams Green Leaf

ENTRY
Light fixture — World Market
Coney Island Print — CB2 (First thing I purchased for my loft when I moved from NYC in 2009 because I had so much wall space!)
Entry Table — Family heirloom dating back to 1824
Trunk — Family heirloom
Aquirre 1 light Armed Sconces — AllModern
Sawyer Hand Tufted Area Rug (Runner) — AllModern
Make Art Not War Print — Tate Modern Liverpool Shop

LIVING ROOM
Club 3 Seater Sofa in Teal — CB2 (Color no longer available)
18″ Glitterati Gold Pillow — CB2
36″ x 16″ Glitterati Gold Pillow — CB2
Avec Club Chair with Brass Legs — CB2– (color no longer available)
Spindle Coffee Table — West Elm (No longer available)
Ambre Glass Side Table Lamps — West Elm (No longer available)
Ellis Tripod Floor Lamp in Brass — Target
Wing Back Chair (family) with ottoman (from Etsy) — Recovered by Kylie Egg
Obadiah Hand Woven Wool Gray Area Rug — All Modern
Prints over sofa — Painting on canvas 142 of 228- Portrait of Bollywood Actors; CB2 (no longer available)
Carlson ii Narrow Storage Towers — CB2 (connected four to make a built-in look for my book collection)
Herman Miller Vintage Eames Chairs —District Chicago; they are from the Leo Burnett offices here in Chicago
Alba Credenza — CB2
Vintage Lighted Globe — Etsy

DINING ROOM
Baker Dining Table — (Family piece); chairs recovered by Kylie Egg
Warner Table Lamp — CB2
Erin Console Table — AllModern (Was so cheap and had to assemble myself but SO worth it!)
Tall Butler Tray Stand — West Elm
Modern Rug Novogratz by Momeni — AllModern
Gallery Wall — Vintage Mirror (family heirloom) Antique Bottled Beers Mirror from an Antique Store on the Upper East Side in NYC, Vintage Bird Prints (from my grandparents), small prints from FrameBridge—collection of Chicago photos and my travels to India.

KITCHEN
Stools Set of two Carlisle Backless Metal Barstools — Target
3′ FORD Marquee Sign — Etsy

BEDROOM
Mid-Century Queen Bed in White — West Elm
Peekaboo 38″ Console Table — CB2
City Slicker Pink Lacquer Table — CB2, color no longer availableLlama Figural Lamp with Pom Pom Trim — Target
Gold Metallic Ceramic Lamp — Target
Mid-Century Modern Dresser — Chic Antique Chicago ( no longer open)
Vintage Yellow Mirror Pop Art Germany 1970s — Etsy
Heart Balloons Print — Gray Malin
Sheep 1-Far Far Away Series — Gray Malin
Parsons Floor Mirror — West Elm
Rug — CB2
Bedding — Anthropologie Shams/ Brooklinen Sheets and Duvet Cover/ Throw Pillow from Target

BATHROOM
Nickel Towel Bars — CB2
Linum Textiles Herringbone Towel Set — GILT
Oak Street Beach Chicago Print — Gray Malin
Positano Diptych Prints — Gray Malin
David Hockney “A Bigger Splash” Print — Tate Modern
Acrylic Storage Shelf — CB2

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