Houzz Tour: A Comedian’s Stylish Townhouse Has Everyone Smiling
This vibrant Chicago home was inspired by a movie director’s eclectic sets and a flair for the dramatic
When a stand-up comedian and her husband bought an Italianate townhouse in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, their idea was to retain the structure’s original character while inserting their own personalities. Fans of Wes Anderson movies, in particular The Royal Tenenbaums, the couple enlisted help from designer Summer Thornton to achieve a similarly bold and eclectic look.
“Early on in the design process we talked about that movie as a point of reference, and it just stuck,” Thornton says. “But we wanted to do something a bit more glamorous. We loved the idea of including some quirkiness, eccentricity and hyper-saturated color combinations.” Working on the home was a lot of fun, she adds. “When your clients request a pink foyer, you can tell it’s going to be a good time.”
“Early on in the design process we talked about that movie as a point of reference, and it just stuck,” Thornton says. “But we wanted to do something a bit more glamorous. We loved the idea of including some quirkiness, eccentricity and hyper-saturated color combinations.” Working on the home was a lot of fun, she adds. “When your clients request a pink foyer, you can tell it’s going to be a good time.”
The foyer’s array of colors, styles and decor, from vintage to traditional to contemporary, establishes the home’s vibrant personality from the get-go.
The dining room is all about the unexpected, from the magenta shades on traditional sconces to the Louis XVI dining chairs with mismatched patterns. Because the house was in such disrepair, “we literally tore off the entire back of the house except for the facade,” Thornton says. “We saved a few vintage things, like some chandeliers, and replicated some molding. But the entire house was built from scratch, excluding the historic front facade.”
In the living room, a pink velvet sofa pops against dark teal walls with traditional millwork. The Lucite coffee table adds a modern touch and offsets the traditional heavy mantel. Animal prints, plush accent pillows and a soft area rug make the room anything but stuffy.
“With Wes Anderson films, there’s something about the palette that always stands out — his films never look like a typical film — so we wanted this home to have a palette that similarly was unexpected and atypical of most homes,” Thornton says. This colorful ottoman in the family room reflects that idea. Draperies with a bold graphic pattern dress one wall and tie together the other green accents in the room.
“Anderson’s films always nod to vintage fashion and styling,” Thornton says. “So we wove in lots of vintage pieces to give the home a curated feel that isn’t too current or trendy.”
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“Anderson’s films always nod to vintage fashion and styling,” Thornton says. “So we wove in lots of vintage pieces to give the home a curated feel that isn’t too current or trendy.”
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Thornton and her clients wanted the kitchen to feel as if it had “been there since the house was built in the 1890s,” the designer says. She designed the built-in buffet with arches that replicate the original millwork and stained it walnut. For the cabinets, she used a dark warm hazelnut color common in old homes.
A white kitchen island with a built-in wine refrigerator keeps the space bright. Antique chandeliers and Thonet stools add to the vintage vibe.
A white kitchen island with a built-in wine refrigerator keeps the space bright. Antique chandeliers and Thonet stools add to the vintage vibe.
Thornton added vintage lighting and a La Cornue French range for a more classic feel. The hood was custom-fabricated by Bladon Connor, a partner at Aaron Bladon. White subway tile on the walls also adds a fresh aspect to the kitchen.
In the master bedroom, walls painted in green stripes are interrupted by floor-to-ceiling windows with dark floral draperies. A cheetah-print rug provides the perfect base for the green upholstered bed and blue velvet chaise. The bed is flanked by two coral lacquered tables that are mirrored across the room by a set of coral chairs.
Thornton created a different world in the master bath, which features metallic-backed floral wallpaper, traditional moldings and a graphic-patterned floor.
The wife asked for a daring bathroom where she could escape for a long soak. The claw-foot tub and bold layering of patterns make for a Hollywood-glam space in which to escape. “The all-white bathroom, while nice, has been done,” Thornton says. “For me, this bath is a great example of taking traditional design and giving it a twist.”
The master bedroom’s walk-in closet is enlivened by blush-colored cabinets, wall-to-wall cheetah print carpet and graphic pink wallpaper. “It’s a little slice of heaven on even the worst mornings,” Thornton says.
The daughter’s pink and green bedroom features a tulip wallpaper and draperies with striped Roman shades. “I’m a maximalist,” Thornton says. “Pattern and pattern excites me.” The daybed offers plenty of space for tea parties, while open shelving holds books, toys and treasures.
The son’s bedroom features Scalamandré wallpaper in a playful zebra pattern. “The wallpaper is straight from The Royal Tenenbaums and is our one literal reference to the movie,” Thornton says. A rich chocolate floor covering with a bold graphic pattern, a coral window shade and eclectic vintage furnishings provide a layering of style and comfort in the room. For Thornton, wallpaper “has a way of creating a mood that’s more complex than paint, and it was really crucial in this project in creating a quirky, fun vibe.”
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See more colorful homes
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their two children
Location: Chicago
Size: 4,500 square feet (418 square meters); four bedrooms, four bathrooms
Designer: Summer Thornton of Summer Thornton Design
Coral pink walls, a Persian rug, a striped staircase runner and an art-filled gallery wall boldly greet visitors in the home’s spacious foyer. “The wife is super laid-back and trusting — she doesn’t take herself or design too seriously —which allowed us to have a lot of fun and create a space that is cool and daring, just like her,” Thornton says.
Wall paint: Cinco de Mayo, Benjamin Moore