Jarod and Tim’s gorgeous condo — located on a quiet Chicago side street lined with elegant gray and brownstones — is relaxed, stylish, and filled with incredibly fun details. Their home reflects a love of good design, an appreciation for quality, a willingness to go bold, and a sense of fun. In other words, there’s a lot to love.

Walking into Jarod and Tim’s living room feels rather like when you glance out of your plane window once your above the clouds: a happy sigh of contentment at how lovely and peaceful everything feels. Filtered light pours in through their large front windows and the room is softened by a mix of natural materials, white and blues, Carrara marble, and layered textiles. The relaxed feel extends throughout their home and is a testament to being intentional when decorating. Every room feels well thought out; not stiff or overly designed, but it is apparent they had a vision for each room. Nothing feels haphazard or like an afterthought — and that type of care creates a home that looks beautiful and feels personal.

Our Style: This is hard to lock down since it seems to change often. Most definitely eclectic, modern and a little quirky. We have an affinity for natural materials, clean lines and neutrals with color added here and there, and a good tchotchke thrown in. We also love the “the hunt” for a cool item in our travels, wandering through vintage stores or even in our parents’ basements/attics so vintage is also part of that mix (e.g. the Morris chair that went from my grandma’s basement to my mom’s to my apartment — with new upholstery — or the bedside table from Tim’s mom that we repainted).

Inspiration: Tim is a former art teacher and I originally studied fine art and graphic design before moving into advertising sales and operations, so I think inspiration comes naturally for both of us. We still find a lot of inspiration in our travels, in big open-air markets and small independent shops that we go off the beaten path to find. Danish Hygge, the great outdoors and well-curated home stores, boutique hotels and art studio spaces are also sources of inspiration.

Favorite Element: The natural light and big open windows. We are lucky to have an apartment that faces southwest with tall windows in every room. We keep the windows open in summer (up until the heat is unbearable) before turning on the AC and limit the window coverings to simple blinds or a sheer curtain (with a cleverly hidden blackout blind in the bedroom).

Biggest Challenge: Our kitchen and the layout. Everyone always gravitates to the back area of our apartment. We go back and forth weekly with the idea of reconfiguring it. We would prefer an open, airy space with a giant island where the wall that houses the stove/fridge currently sits. When we replaced our brave little toaster (the old, old stove) we found out the gas supply line to our upstairs neighbors’ kitchen is in that same wall so it would need to be moved. Not happening. Until we decide how we can make it seem more open, the weird purplish/gray linoleum counters remain and the painted cabinets live on. Could be worse though, right?

What Friends Say: “When are you having us over?,” “Is it always this clean?” or, “so which one of you is the designer?”

Biggest Embarrassment: In our bedroom, we initially painted the wrong wall for an accent in the really dark navy only to realize it threw the entire room off…so we primed and painted it back to the original color and painted the opposite wall all within a few hours. We did this while Tim’s siblings were visiting, playing board games in the next room. We also installed a new dishwasher ourselves and thought we were missing important pieces for the hookup; we went to three different hardware stores looking for those parts only to realize a few hours later after it was installed that the parts were INSIDE the dishwasher. Whoops.

Proudest DIY: The fireplace mantel and surround. The original mantel was this colonial style you see in big-box builds and the surround was hunter green marble — the early ’90s called and wanted it back. Not terrible, but dated and not our style. The Carrara marble came from a convent at a catholic school where Tim worked. We were able to “save” these huge slabs that were once shower stall/walls before the convent was torn down last summer. We measured and took two slabs to a stone cutter to get them cut to size and they polished them up for us. We then sketched a ton of ideas for the mantelpiece/legs and decided on the look while in the lumber aisles of Home Depot. The only hiccup along the way was when Tim used window sealant rather than caulk to fill nail holes and gaps…by mistake. When it was time to sand and prime, we realized this and he spent the next several hours peeling as much off as he could. Another whoops!

Biggest Indulgence: Having the “dad chair” and Morris Chair that once belonged to my grandma professionally reupholstered. Also a huge collection of pillows and pillow covers.

Best Advice: Your home is always evolving so never settle on something (just to fill your space) until you are truly happy. That and make your bed, every day.

Dream Sources: Rejuvenation for new, modern and classic products and amazing old finds and Schoolhouse Electric: best lighting outside of my budget (both out of Portland… see a trend?) AD, Apt Therapy, Instagram, Pinterest, the interwebs in general.

PAINT & COLORS
Front Bedroom — Sherwin Williams – Software
Living Room — Benjamin Moore – Gray Owl
Entry — Sherwin Williams – Samovar Silver + Devine Color Peel and stick wallpaper
Kitchen/Dining Room — Sherwin Williams – Samovar Silver
Office — Sherwin Williams – Refuge
Master Bedroom — Benjamin Moore – Gray Owl

ENTRY
Vintage Desk — Moms basement
Square mirror – IKEA STAVE
Red Lamp – West Elm
Drum table – West Elm

LIVING ROOM
Sofa – Rowe (Dorset)
Chair(s) – West Elm (Sloan)
Credenza – CB2 (Alba)
Drum table – West Elm
Wood stump “table” – Jarod’s Step dad made this for us after seeing the price tag in a home store.
Area Rug – Circle Rug CB2 (discontinued)
Bertoia side chair – Tim’s brother (Needs some TLC)

DINING ROOM
Dining Table – Home Decorators Collection (Edmund)
Dining Chairs – Crate and Barrel (Delta)
Side table “Bar Cart” – Target (DIY – repurposed console table, hardware from houseofantiquehardware.com)

KITCHEN
Pendant Light – Home Depot

GUEST BEDROOM
Canopy Bed — Room & Board (architecture bed)
Morris Chair – Jarod’s Grandmother
Side Table – Tim’s Mother
Lamp – Gifted from an old coworker’s desk.
Paint by Numbers – Various flea markets, antique stores and ebay.

MASTER BEDROOM
Headboard and Bedframe — West Elm
Nightstand(s) – Overstock (Vilas)
Drawer Pulls from Anthropology
Wall mounted Lights – IKEA
Dresser – An Orange Moon (Vintage – Repainted white)
Floor Lamp – Crate and Barrel (Tribeca)
Mirror – Unique Thrift ($5! I think this is the top of an old dresser)
Stendig Bentwood Armchair – Found!

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