There’s an undeniable grain of truth in the adage that opposites attract, but it does beg the question: How do they live together happily? Interior designer, Gil Melott, set out to answer that question – at least from a design perspective – when a newly cohabitated couple asked him to design their new digs in a prewar Italian Renaissance midrise overlooking Belmont Harbor in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood.
“The wife loves primary colors and listens to rock and roll and hip hop, while the husband prefers neutral hues and enjoys symphonies,” Melott says. “I knew merging their styles would be a fun challenge.”
New teak wall paneling distinguishes the front foyer, for example, creating a handsome backdrop for an abstract artwork hanging over a rustic wooden African stool. Painted in an olive hue that the wife adores, the ceiling is far from an afterthought. “You’re entering something that is a little different than the rest of the building, and we wanted to get it a little stature,” Melott says.
The teak paneling makes the crisp white walls in the main areas seem all the brighter by contrast and the effect is even more pronounced when the morning sunlight floods the space, for which Melott and his team selected a lively mix of rarified and iconic furnishings from different eras. While neutral hues predominate, bold pops of red and orange, energize the palette in a way the wife appreciates.
Much is made of the challenges when working with older buildings, but opportunities also abound. For example, Melott was astonished when he stripped away the fireplace mantel’s black paint to reveal an original French Lutetian limestone that was likely brought over from Europe by the building’s developer, Edith Rockefeller McCormick, who lived there through the early 1930s. “It was like a Eureka moment,” Melott says, noting the fact that the husband’s brother refinished it makes it even more special.
A pair of birch midcentury cabinets flank the ornate mantel, exemplifying the blend of influences Melott wove throughout the two-bedroom unit. Illuminated by a 1970s-era chrome and glass floor lamp, a curvaceous white mohair sofa and a red barrel-back swivel chair add a sense of sophisticated comfort. “Achieving the right balance between masculine and feminine was crucial,” Melott says, pointing to the parchment-covered cocktail table’s subtle curve.
Walking the line between modern and contemporary, with a seamless blend of masculine and feminine influences, the revitalized vintage unit has served as an ideal spot for the couple to embark on their next chapter in life together. “The result is layered and harmonious,” Melott says. “Seeing them enjoying it has been very rewarding.”
Photography by Anthony Tahlier.
Like what you see? Get it first with a subscription to aspire design and home magazine.