Apartment In House Tours

Name: Aaron and Rob + pets, Jan and Ira Katz & Simon Le BoneLocation: Gold Coast — Chicago, ILSize: 700 square feetYears lived in: 3 — owned I met Aaron through a mutual friend a couple of months ago and when he mentioned that he lives in the Astor Tower condominiums, I’m afraid I overreacted. I LOVE Bertrand Goldberg’s buildings and so of course I started pestering Aaron about a house tour. After a bit of cajoling, he agreed.

Name: Mary Visconti and Tom CaldwellLocation: the Loop — Chicago, IllinoisSize: 2,000 square feetYears lived in: 4 — Owned As a lifelong Chicagoan, I’ve often been curious about the Manhattan Building, the 1891 landmark that’s the city’s oldest surviving steel frame building. Designed by William Le Baron Jenney, the 16-story historic skyscraper features gorgeous bay windows and a prime view of the Harold Washington Library.

Name: Evan Harrison, Greg Gasawski & their schnauzer BugLocation: Downtown — Los Angeles, CaliforniaSize: 850 square feetYears lived in: 2 — rent Evan (who is currently seeking new work with a designer or showroom) and Greg (a law student at Southwestern Law) submitted their home to the Small Cool Contest on Apartment Therapy earlier this year.

Name: Douglas McClellan and Matthew LeeLocation: Lakeview — Chicago, IllinoisSize: 900 square feetYears lived in: 2 months — rented When Douglas and Matthew were looking for their first apartment together, they knew it had to be amazing. As design fanatics, they wanted a home that had enough architectural appeal without sacrificing size or location.

Name: Sarah, Jon and Mega the CatLocation: Noble Square — Chicago, IllinoisSize: 950 square feetYears lived in: 5 — rented Sarah & Jon hit the jackpot when they rented this gem 5 years ago. They’ve been lucky enough to have a great landlord that has allowed them to build a bedroom in their basement as well as make a few slight modifications to their space. This couple thoroughly believes in investing time and love into a space, and it shows!

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.

Name: Dave AlbinLocation: Logan Square — Chicago, IllinoisSize: just under 5,000 square feet — 4 floors, but only 2 bedroom & 3 bathsYears lived in: 15 — own Dave basically lives in the urban home of my dreams. Having turned a vintage two-flat into a single dwelling, Dave tricked out his home with every bell and whistle imaginable.

Name: Jen & Omar; 2 cats, Dillon & WillLocation: Grandview — Columbus, OhioSize: 650 square feetYears lived in: 3 months — rented It’s hard to believe, but a few short months ago, this apartment in the Columbus suburb of Grandview was a bachelor pad.

Name: Tim LallyLocation: North Center — Chicago, IllinoisSize: 1,250 square feetYears lived in: 15 years — owned Knowing that Tim is a landscape designer, I had a hunch he would have beautiful outdoor spaces. And, of course, I was correct. What I didn’t know is that inside his home would be just as beautiful and tasteful as outside. Tim’s apartment has the typical layout of a classic Chicago two-flat.

Name: WillLocation: Cabbagetown, Toronto, OntarioSize: 1,300 sq. feetYears lived in: owned for three years Six years ago, Will arrived in Canada from the U.K. with a few suitcases of clothing. Since then, Will has built up his ideal home with personal objects and furniture that combine elements of his homeland and adopted city. His self-described style: “landed gentry with a North American twist.

Name: Julie & Richard RoseLocation: Pawtucket, Rhode IslandSize: 1,300 square feetYears lived in: 5½ Richard & Julie’s loft in a former Pawtucket, Rhode Island mill achieves the kind of tasteful sophistication that many of us can only aspire to and though each element is carefully selected and styled, the space never loses the warmth of a home or the personality of its owners.

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.

Name: Jim WilliamsLocation: Andersonville, ChicagoSize: 1,000 square feetYears lived in: 2 Garden apartments in Chicago can often be dark, cavernous spaces. They are — after all — a few steps below street level. By keeping his wall colors and furniture in light earth tones, Jim has managed to make this garden apartment seem bright and open.

Name: Nick, Bryan & Otto, aka Blend StudiosLocation: Milwaukee, WisconsinSize: 1,350 square feetYears lived in: 1 When you consider how much time we spend at work – it makes sense that we want to love our work space. If you’re lucky enough to be entrepreneur and in charge of your own studio, that’s exactly what you can do.

Name: Joe LocherLocation: MilwaukeeSize: Two spaces, 3,000 sq ft eachYears lived/worked in: 1 year What do you get when you take three creative artists, an old cream city brick hardware company building, abandoned industrial hardware, redwood forest scrap wood and passion for design? You get an amazing work-live space that inspires more of the creativity that built it.

Name: Brad & Kendra — Small Cool 2009 Little Division WinnersLocation: South End, BostonSize: 820 square feetYears lived in: 5 years — owned Our memory of Brad & Kendra’s Small Cool entry last year was summed up in one word: WOW. Rarely does such a small space pack such a punch. Soaring ceilings, acres of custom-painted moldings, patterns and textures galore, delightfully aged wood floors, and layered lighting design create an epic impression upon entering.

Name: John GuthrieLocation: Jamaica Plain, MassachusettsSize: 1,350 square feetYears lived in: 13 years — rented Apartment Therapy first introduced you to the beautiful artwork of John Guthrie in 2008. Since that time, I’ve been so drawn to John’s work that I was more than delighted when mutual friends connected us for an Apartment Therapy House Tour. I thought that if John’s home bears any resemblance to his artwork, we’d all be in for a treat.

Name: Lauren Location: Upper West Side, Manhattan Size: 800 square feet studio rental converted to a temporary one-bedroom Years lived in: Less than a year After a couple of years of ‘roommating’ in New York City, Lauren leaped out on her own and rented a studio apartment. Fortunately, it was large enough to put up some temporary walls and create a generous looking one-bedroom. Within a couple of months, it looked like it had been lived in for years! Lauren is a talented designer.

Name: Jay & MelissaLocation: Manchester, New HampshireSize: 1,250 square feetYears lived in: Owned – 6 yearsWho else lives there: Dogs Brady and Cali and Cats Mama, Tony, and Pepper Jay and Melissa made an offer on this two family on Manchester’s South side six years ago only to find out through Melissa’s mom that the home had been built by her grandfather in 1950.

Name: Johnny & Stacie SlocumLocation: St. Paul, MinnesotaSize: 1300 square feetYears lived in: 2.5 You may remember Johnny and Stacie’s loft from a house call that we published in January. We were thrilled when they agreed to share some more photos of their converted warehouse space with us. It simply is a home that makes us happy – cheerful, sunny and special – we’re glad to take a longer look.

Name: Emily & NateLocation: Jamaica Plain, MassachusettsSize: 700 square feetYears lived in: 1½ years – rented As an avid fan, Emily (a graphic designer) knows her Apartment Therapy stuff. Within minutes of walking through her door, Emily tells me that she’s pretty sure that the layout of her place is exactly the same as another house tour I recently posted. And funny enough, this other tour was also home to a Nate.

(Welcome to Ann & Dabney from St. Louis, a tag team of bloggers trying out for a place as Apartment Therapy House Tour Contributors. Enjoy their work!)Name: Ann & Dabney Location: St. Louis, MissouriSize: 3700 square feet (including home & workspace)Years lived in: 6 months When we were looking to move to Saint Louis, we looked at a lot of houses in the city, but it was in an old butcher shop turned hardware store turned office that we found our perfect renovation project.

(Welcome to Smith from Chicago, one of the bloggers trying out for a place on the Apartment Therapy editorial team as a House Tour Contributor. Enjoy her work – comments welcome!

Name: George and Sara AyeLocation: Logan Square, ChicagoSize: 1300 square feetYears lived in: 1.5 George and Sara are a very creative Chicago couple. He is a creative director and she is a design researcher. In addition to their full-time work, they teach design innovation at the School of the Art Institute, and run a small travel apparel company called Hubwear. Whew! We love it when people are passionate about design.

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.

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!