Heart of Gold

The latest iteration of a Victorian-turned-postmodern townhouse in Chicago embraces its quirky history.

- By Summer Thornton. Photography by Josh Thornton

LOUNGE

An over-the-top space for late-night lounging. When you sit here, you look as if you've just returned from a month in Greece. Wallcoverings: Angle, Bradley USA (ceiling); Area International (walls). Art: John Salibello. Banquette fabric: Ombre Maze, Lee Jofa. Pillow fabrics (on banquette): Schumacher (caramel); Osborne & Little (dusty pink); Holland & Sherry (brown tweed); Pierre Frey (textured cream). Sofa: custom, Eli Wyn Upholstery, in Osborne & Little fabric with Holly Hunt pillows. Side table: Max-Beam, All Modern. Rug: Anthropologie.

WHEN THIS VICTORIAN-ERA townhouse in Chicago was gutted and renovated several decades ago, the traditional Victorian references were stripped away. A modern artist movement, led by Sol Kogen and Edgar Miller, was shaping the look of homes in the artistic neighborhood, leading to a quirky postmodern makeover of the architecture. While many people would try to fix the house and groom it back to a well-mannered Victorian, I did the opposite. We embraced all the shortcomings because I found them to be fabulous. I fell in love with the oddities; they give the house soul.

We kept many of the alterations: asymmetrical curved walls, adobe mantel-less fireplaces, a Piet Mondrian style window. The architecture on display is illogical, outlandish, and exaggerated. It's not classic or traditional, but it is wildly fun, and that fit the creative homeowners' personalities to a T. They're the life of the party and charmingly off-kilter.