Yearning to live in the city after raising their children in Highland Park, a couple with an empty nest searched far and wide for a new home in the city before zeroing in on a 51st floor unit at the Park Hyatt Residences just steps from the Magnificent Mile. “We both fell in love,” the wife says, noting that in addition to the perfect location, “It’s spacious, airy and the views are just stunning.”
Pointing to their undefinable yet undeniable chemistry and long time working relationship, the couple asked interior designer Michael Abrams, who had done their former abode, to reimagine the space.
Inspired by their dedication to perfection, he and design director, Gina Valenti, touched nearly every surface during the almost 15-month project, treating most walls, incorporating hand-scraped wide plank white oak flooring, and completely revamping the bathrooms – just a few of their many changes. “They have a taste for the finer things, and never said ‘no,’” Abrams recalls. “We had a lot of freedom, trust and respect.”
The transformation is immediately visible in the front foyer, which is adorned with hand-painted eglomise wall panels by Simes Studios. “(The wife) likes a little bling, a little glitz, a little shine,” the designer says, pointing to the branch-like brass and rock crystal chandelier that illuminates the space.
More subtle but no less impactful, Simes Studios likewise slathered the walls in the formal living and family rooms with a light, plaster-like finish that softly reflects the abundant natural daylight. A six-figure investment, a large wool and silk rug with a watery pattern anchors separate areas for living, dining, and playing piano, each zone defined by a coffered ceiling that is further defined by a silver-leaf wallcovering. “It adds that next layer of luxury,” Abrams notes. “Everything has been thought through.”
Indeed, cork clads the beamed ceiling in the adjacent wood-paneled study, where a painterly rug with an abstracted monkey pattern adds a subtle moment of levity that lives easily with the sophisticated mix of furnishings.
And from the right angle, one can see the reflection of the lake in the lacquered white ceiling of the wife’s bedroom. There, tailored floor-to-ceiling draperies complement a textural, hand-painted wallcovering in a soft neutral hue. The walls in the husband’s bedroom, by contrast, are covered in an olive green felt that establishes a moody backdrop for a contemporary woven bed flanked by sculptural black side tables. “It’s completely immersive, handsome, and very tailored,” Abrams says.
In perhaps the most dramatic change, Abrams completely reimagined the bathrooms throughout. Antique mirror surrounds a trio of mirrors on the vanity wall in the primary bathroom, reflecting the stone tile with a floral motif that defines the soaking tub and spacious walk-in shower on the opposite wall. In the powder room, walnut wall paneling warms the cool, veiny marble. “We really wanted it to be a little jewel box, and I think it was successful,” he says.
After the culmination of the 15-month project, Abrams was naturally excited to present the space to his clients, who sipped champagne as they admired the transformation. And their appreciation for the custom-tailored space has only grown. “It’s tranquil and serene inside and so vibrant outside,” the wife says, noting that living in the buzzy, highly walkable neighborhood makes her feel younger and “more alive. It’s like being on top of the world.”
Photography by Ryan McDonald.
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