designchicagomag.com designchicagomag.com THE MART DESIGN CHICAGO 39 38 DESIGN CHICAGO THE MART SEARL LAMASTER HOWE HARMONIZES VINTAGE CHARM AND CONTEMPORARY FUNCTION IN A REFINED YET RELAXED FUSION OF MIDCENTURY MODERN AND PARISIAN STYLE. W R I T T E N B Y D A N I N E A L A T I P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y A I M E E M A Z Z E N G A ACT BALANCING In the living room the iconic Ward Bennett Scissor Chair, reupholstered in a bold red Knoll upholstery provided by Kravet , pops against the backdrop of a white wall, painted in Benjamin Moore’s Chantilly Lace. The foyer pulls double duty as guests’ first impression of the space as well as a space to remove one’s shoes. Barry Dixon’s Lorrain mural wallpaper in greige from Fabricut creates immediate visual impact, while maintaining a neutral color palette. The slender bench with attached side table provides seating upon entry. ow does an interior designer know when to restore a space to maintain its original design intent or when to update it? The answer is simple: form follows function. If vintage design details work, keep them; when they don’t, modern updates make interiors functional for the 21st century. When Chicago-based architecture firm Searl Lamaster Howe (SLH) was tasked with redesigning a vintage condo in the Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago, the design team considered what retro elements to preserve and what needed refreshing. The young homeowners, a recently married couple who had never lived together before, each brought a distinct aesthetic—midcentury modern for one, Parisian eclecticism for the other—and they wanted a cohesive home that reflected both. “The project was an exercise in blending, starting with modern updates to a vintage condo, melding two design styles, and sourcing from retail to custom pieces,” explains SLH interior designer Bethany Grachan. “The clients knew what they individually liked, but they leaned on us to figure out how exactly that would come together.” The solution was a residence as relaxed as it is refined. “We proposed enhancements through lighting and fixtures to brighten the space, as well as through furniture and layouts to H provide a home that was more functional to them,” Grachan adds. Maximizing light became a primary goal, as tan walls and outdated fixtures left the condo feeling dim. Designers painted the walls Benjamin Moore’s bright white Chantilly Lace and stained the hardwood floors in a warm, even tone to enhance the vertical surfaces. Updated lighting was selected to reflect off the white walls and distribute illumination throughout the condo. “We had a vivid vision of how the space could look as you entered through the front door. Starting in the foyer specifically, the pastoral scene mural wallcovering set the tone for a strong first impression without being cluttered or overdone,” Grachan says of Barry Dixon’s Lorrain wallcovering. “Reapplying the foyer’s existing, well-detailed millwork trim in a fresh cotton white paint over the lightly toned wallcovering allowed us to honor and complement the building’s vintage past. The overall subtle foyer color palette was meant to contrast with the rooms beyond, providing a nice balance.” A neutral palette and restrained materials draw the eye inward to the Ward Bennett Scissor chair reupholstered in bright-red Knoll fabric just beyond the foyer. “We aimed for the right mix of vintage and old-meets-modern and new, and let jewel tones mingle with light and bright hues,” Grachan says. “Unexpected and grounding accent pieces from shops like Jayson Home and Anthropologie,