Ahead Of The Curve

Rounded shapes and strong shades update the 1980s aesthetic in Jen Talbot’s design for this Chicago home – mining the past has created the style of the future

- Jo Leevers

Designer Jen Talbot’s reinvention of this modern house is proof that the 1980s is a surprisingly rich source of inspiration.

However, Jen points out, in looking back on the design process, selectivity was key. ‘The client and I were both teenagers in the 1980s, so we still had vivid memories of neon, pink squiggles and triangles. Not to mention big hair and too much eyeliner…’ But by keeping a tight focus, Jen has dipped into the decade of excess and picked out its greatest, most elegant hits. ‘I was very conscious of keeping things sophisticated,’ she says. ‘That way, the rooms will still feel relevant in the future.’

Getting into the right 1980s groove, Jen says, ‘was a fantastic challenge. It pushed me into seeing things in a different light and putting pieces together in fresh ways.’ Her client was Carrie Meghie, her husband Terry and their two sons. Carrie is co-president of Becker Ventures, which oversees high-profile luxury property developments, so the design bar was already set pretty high. ‘Carrie has incredible taste, but she also gave me free rein. And that’s definitely when and how I work best.’