Interior Designer: Lucas Goldbach and Mike Shively, En Masse Design and Architecture
Studio Location: Chicago, Illinois
Client review: The client was a longtime admirer of En Masse. They did a major life shift, moving from a single-family home into this 800-square-foot condo in Chicago’s landmark 1960s Marina City complex — also known as the “Corn Cob Towers.” They wanted a home that was stylish, urban and tailored to where they are in life.
Design Aims: “The interiors were inspired by the building’s era, but we wanted them to feel relevant to today,” explains Goldbach. “We decided on a 1960s and 70s underlying vibe without relying on the ubiquitous midcentury pieces and colorways. We called it updated nostalgia.”
From the Designer: “The architecture was such a driving force. The building is petal-shaped, so it’s a funny space to lay out. There were some important features we wanted to highlight, such as the curved detail of the living room’s wall, where we used walnut slats and ran them along the room and into the kitchen, which instills that 1970s atmosphere.
The palette of the apartment was led by the Paul Smith fabric from Maharam on the bed’s headboard. That’s where the browns, grays, rusts and golds come from. The living room’s rug by Giulia Ferraris was also a foundational piece. We pulled the blue for the Italian vintage chair and plum leather on the DWR chair from that.
The client wanted to maintain their love of entertaining, so we created spaces to accomplish that. We dedicated one of the terraces to a large dining space with vintage Eames chairs surrounding a Crate & Barrel table. Inside, there was no spot for a true eat-in space, but the vintage coffee table in the living room raises and lowers so it can be used as a dining table. We love using vintage pieces, layering them with personal items and then selectively bringing in new things to tell the whole story. The goal was to not have anything match, instead creating a collected, layered interior.
With our clients, we like to decide on what cocktail would represent the space. This one is an Aperol spritz. There’s something in the vibe and attitude of an Aperol spritz that I see here.”
Photography by Jeffrey Johnson
Styling by Cate Ragan
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