March 21, 2025

Architectural Digest: Tour A Chicago Home Where New York Cool Meets California Calm

Staszak and Gubin were fortunate to have a client who shares their love of the hunt. “She lit up when we would look at vintage items,” the designer says of the homeowner, who tasked her with converting a 5,400-square-foot house built in 2003 into something more in keeping with a classic Chicago greystone. “These pieces would often become the starting point or inspiration for a room.” An old French cataloging bureau dictated the palette and mix of materials in the formal living room, where a pair of leather-clad Nielaus and Jeki Mobler chairs sit with a live-edge walnut cocktail table. In the primary bathroom, vintage Barovier Rostrato sconces inspired the aqua-green veining in the Calacatta turquoise Antico marble that adorns the walls and vanity.

Take the wallpaper in the dining room, a contemporary print by Calico that reads more historical thanks to its juxtaposition against a stately oak refectory table and an antique French store counter turned credenza. A palette of earthy browns, olives, and burnt reds—and materials taken from the natural world—ground the spaces, a series of airy rooms that get lots of natural light thanks to the house’s unusual (for Chicago) horizontal rather than vertical footprint on a double-wide lot. “There’s probably more wood than we ever use,” says Staszak, also noting the mix of stone tiles, hand-dyed linens, and brass finishes, “but that’s where the California energy comes in.” Adds Gubin, “There’s an organic quality to the rooms, which makes it very comfortable.