A Cool and Sophisticated Chicago Home
When Jenny Luedke and Ari Officer needed some guidance for the redesign of their Chicago home, Homepolish's Guinevere Johnson was the perfect design collaborator, infusing the home with a palpable sense of hygge.
Photos by Dustin Halleck.
A Cool and Sophisticated Chicago Home
Guinevere has personally been looking forward to using this Serge Mouille chandelier, and this project was just the opportunity. She says, "I've always wanted to use this fixture as I adore Serge Mouille, and when I took a last look at the finished room I knew it was the one piece we were missing."
Photos by Dustin Halleck.
A Cool and Sophisticated Chicago Home
The marble coffee table is vintage Knoll and was originally in a Chicago office building, a lucky find. Jenny also loves the African mask she found at Alapash, a local home goods store in their area.
Photos by Dustin Halleck.
A Cool and Sophisticated Chicago Home
We are absolutely obsessed with the gorgeous built-in shelving in the living room.
Photos by Dustin Halleck.
A Cool and Sophisticated Chicago Home
In the dining area, another striking light fixture makes a statement, this one by Hubbarton Forge of Vermont. Guinevere found it while she was on an academic trip to the San Francisco Design Center.
Photos by Dustin Halleck.
A Cool and Sophisticated Chicago Home
The chairs were a family heirloom piece, simply repurposed. As Guinevere says, "Ari had these heirloom dining chairs with red and gold brocade upholstery. They were pretty intense but I wanted to use them because I feel it's important to incorporate family history and antique items whenever possible. I chose green because it incorporated the earthy elements of hide and baskets in the living room without being too obvious. I knew that a velvet or mohair would look stunning against the rich wood." She was obviously right.
Photos by Dustin Halleck.
A Cool and Sophisticated Chicago Home
Ever since using neon for a commercial client, Guinevere has been obsessed. She convinced Jenny and Ari to do one as well, and they chose a unique Gauguin quote which translates as "I close the eyes to see." A rather clever choice to appoint the dining area.
Photos by Dustin Halleck.
A Cool and Sophisticated Chicago Home
Guinevere's favorite piece is this stunning Noir console table. Those jagged edges... we are absolutely in love.
Photos by Dustin Halleck.
A Cool and Sophisticated Chicago Home
The marble slab lamp is also a show-stopper.
Photos by Dustin Halleck.
Who
Jenny Luedke and Ari Officer, ER nurse and commodities trader
Designer
Where
Time
For an aspiring interior designer in Lincoln Park, Homepolish's Guinevere Johnson was just the design collaborator to bring her home to the next level.
Photos by Dustin Halleck.
Interior design, like all things, goes through trends and cycles. There are styles and concepts that come into prominence and affect the way we live. In the last couple months at Homepolish, we have seen a word on the rise, and that word is hygge. A funny little Danish word (pronounced “hue-gah”), it refers to “the art of creating intimacy…” sounds like the sort of concept we can totally get on board with at Homepolish. In Chicago, Jenny Luedke and her fiancé Ari Officer were looking to accomplish just that sense of hygge in their home.
With that, they were introduced to Homepolish designer (and queen of calm, collected hygge) Guinevere Johnson. Since she’s currently interning for the mega-design firm Holly Hunt, Jenny had a good idea of where to start, but she wanted a design collaborator to aid her along the way. When Guinevere first walked into the home, there were plenty of beautiful plants and the built-in shelving was full of personal treasures, but the rest of the space was bare. Between the three of them, they decided to take the classic Chicago midcentury vibe and marry it with a Californian coastal feel.
To maintain the light airiness of the space, a soft gray coated the walls, perfect for allowing the sunlight from the floor-to-ceiling windows to shine throughout. A pair of sofas in the exact same shade complement the space, facing each other for intimate conversations. From there, the furnishings do the talking. From the Serge Mouille chandelier to the lush velvet-upholstered chairs to the jagged side table, each corner is perfectly polished. A neon sign in the dining area reads the words of impressionist artist Gauguin: “Je ferme les yeux pour voir.” Translated, it means “I close the eyes to see.” Perhaps the best phrase to communicate the palpable comfort of the home.
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Guinevere and I saw eye-to-eye on the design of the home, and she helped to open my eyes to new possibilities. She actually encouraged and inspired me to start persuing my own career in interior design.
- Jenny Luedke, Homepolish client
