Jodi & Ryan’s Immaculate Whimsy

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Names: Jodi & Ryan with children Uma, 3¾ and Peregrine, 1½
Pets: Avril the dog, 9 and Senior the cat, 10
Professions: Jodi is Vice President of Zulama an eLearning company and Ryan is a stay at home dad, food blogger and underground charcuterie producer
Location: Rogers Park — Chicago, Illinois
Size: 2,000 square feet — 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 1 sun room, built in 1916
Years lived in: 3½ years owned (this is their 3rd home together)

Ryan and Jodi’s home is an art and design lover’s dream, accented with sleek sofas, inspired prints and vintage discoveries all while being organized to a “T”. Their supreme systematic skills are mixed with a lighthearted sensibility that create a playful, kid-friendly terrain fit for adults.

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Dining room (Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

One aspect of their home that stands out is a vast collection of artwork, constantly in rotation. The high quality and depth of their collection is no surprise; Jodi and Ryan were the proprietors of the now closed NavtaShulz Gallery in Chicago’s West Loop. Three and a half years ago, the couple sold the live/work building where the gallery was housed and moved to a Rogers Park condo. They designed this home not only for themselves but for children, and made a conscious effort to not sacrifice their design aesthetic for a Fisher Price landscape. Cheerful artwork and modern furniture live in harmony with dollhouses (modern architecture, of course), pink guitars and stuffed animals, which seamlessly integrate into their decor creating an environment that fosters delight in adults as well as 3¾ and 1½ year-old dreamers.

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Apartment Therapy Survey:

Our Style: Vintage Condo meets Mid-century Modern

Inspiration: Dwell, those Flexform Ads, one of our favorite books Ancient and Modern, Vintage Stores, (Edgewater Antique Market, Broadway Antique Market, Scout), our friend Maura Koutoujian, (several of her prints are in our house), James Westwater’s home in Beacon, New York, (which was featured on the December/January cover of Readymade Magazine).

Favorite Element: Chalkboard Wall, vintage subway tile in the bathroom (in fact, the whole master bathroom), formal dining room, kitchen seat and counters.

Biggest Challenge: Picking paint. Ryan wanted to paint the whole place white, Jodi wanted color — we compromised.

What Friends Say: “This place is huge.” They like our art. They ask how we keep the place to clean with kids.

Biggest Embarrassment: When we first moved in the previous owner had installed a super vintage kitchen—cool, except the kitchen counters were atomic blue translucent plastic. We’re not sure where she got the stuff from, but they were hideous and shattered everywhere when we removed them. Also, for the first 3 years we lived here, we couldn’t shut most of the doors all of the way, including the guest bathroom and the guest bedroom. Our apologies to all the friends and family we have seen naked.

Proudest DIY: The kitchen seat and the counters, the cat door and kitty litter box on the porch.

Biggest Indulgence: Having kids and installing proper kitchen ventilation.

Best Advice: Edit, edit, edit. Clutter is the devil. Spend as much money as you do on furniture on original art — or more because the art will usually outlast the furniture. Select your furniture wisely and resist impulse buying, especially on vintage finds.

Dream Sources: Flexform, Luminaire, Herman Miller

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Resources of Note:

ENTRY

LIVING ROOM

DINING ROOM

KITCHEN

HALLWAY ARTWORK

GUEST ROOM

Mark Arctander

GUEST BATHROOM

MASTER BEDROOM

Las Manos Gallery

UMA’S BEDROOM

PEREGRINE’S BEDROOM

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Thanks, Jodi & Ryan!

Images: Smith Schwartz

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