Living room furniture can be easily rearranged to accommodate entertaining. The ten-foot sofa might be the only thing that’s not going anywhere—the upholsterer had to finish it up in the condo because it didn’t fit in the freight elevator in one piece. See more photos in the gallery below.
“They didn’t want a home that looks like a showroom,” says Sasha Adler of the owners of a 4,700-square-foot condo in a Gold Coast high-rise. Good thing. Adler and Lauren Buxbaum, design directors at Nate Berkus Associates, create spaces that never feel locked into a single style.
Right after purchasing the condo, the young couple hired the design duo to come up with new wall colors and window treatments, to redo a bathroom, and to select furniture. Adler says it was exciting to share their design influences with the homeowners.
She and Buxbaum are known for juxtaposing vintage pieces and antiques—often charmingly aged pieces with cracked leather or chipping paint (“They’re ‘trust-us’ moments,” jokes Adler)—with furniture of their own design, much of it influenced by mid-
century French and Italian styles. The combination perfectly fits these clients—ardent travelers who had few requests other than that their eclectic art collection be integrated into the design.
In the many-windowed living room, Adler and Buxbaum’s pieces include a ten-foot sofa influenced by Milo Baughman’s classic Tuxedo sofa, a coffee table made from reclaimed Italian limestone, and a goatskin drum table with a green lacquer finish. Nearby are two Louis XVI chairs with original leather upholstery and a 1950s lamp by Jacques Adnet clad in hand-stitched Hermès leather. To top it off, the designers carefully edited the couple’s collection of art objects from their travels and arranged them in a 19th-century Napoleon III cabinet. “It’s an assembly of pieces from different countries, all different points in time—yet it feels very current,” says Adler.
For all the artful elegance of the condo’s furnishings, the home remains child-friendly (the couple has a two-year-old son). In the family room, Milo Baughman chairs were upholstered in a sturdy outdoor fabric, and Adler and Buxbaum’s fractured-resin coffee table has no sharp corners. “A kid could stand on top of it! It’s indestructible,” Adler says.
Following the custom at Nate Berkus Associates, all furnishings chosen by Adler and Buxbaum sat in a warehouse until other work on the condo, including the bathroom renovation, was finished. Then the family left home while the installation took place. “It’s something we picked up by Nate’s being on Oprah, where people want that television feel,” Adler says. “The room is done—raise the curtain!” A layered oasis awaits.
Photography: Bob Coscarelli
Styling: Cynthia McCullough
Related:
Details
1. A lamp with a base of recycled cobalt glass, one of a pair found at Swank Lighting, anchors an arrangement of books and art objects. The table can be called into service for dining when the homeowners entertain a large party. 2. An antique mirror and a glittering chandelier are opulent touches in the marble-floored master bath. 3. Centuries of progress: A 1970s tufted-leather daybed, a Napoleon III cabinet, and an 18th-century chair with intricately carved lion-head armrests make a compatible grouping. See more photos in the gallery below.
Photography: Bob Coscarelli
Styling: Cynthia McCullough
Related:
Buy Guide
ABOUT OUR SOURCES: We attempt to provide as much information as possible about the products and professionals involved in designing the homes we show in our pages. Items not sourced here are probably not available for sale. Send questions to chicagohome@chicagomag.com. And check out Design Sources, our comprehensive list of hundreds of local home design pros, shops, and showrooms.
Interior Design: Sasha Adler and Lauren Buxbaum, Nate Berkus Associates, 406 N. Wood St., 312-492-0660, nateberkus.com. Living room: Sofa, Nate Berkus Associates; fabric, Jermyn Solid Flannel in Fog Grey, Schumacher, Merchandise Mart, 312-527-4650. Coffee table, Nate Berkus Associates; fabricated by Paris Ceramics, Merchandise Mart, 312-467-9830, parisceramics.com. Ottoman, Nate Berkus Associates; Keleen leather, Persuede Me, Jungle Jane, 2315 Enterprise Dr., Westchester, 708-409-9800, keleenleathers.com. Worktable, Rose Uniacke, bespokefurniturecompany.co.uk. Cobalt lamps, Swank Lighting, swanklighting.com. Dining room: Table, 19th-century Belgian salvaged white oak table. Chairs, Joseph-André Motte, c. 1950. Fabric, Maestro, Lelievre, lelievre.eu. Chandelier, gilt bronze Baccarat crystal, early 20th century. Assorted ceramics, Michael Del Piero Good Design, 1914 N. Damen Ave., 773-772-3000, michaeldelpiero.com. Family room: Sectional, Nate Berkus Associates; fabric, Rogers and Goffigon, Merchandise Mart, 312-644-0717, cowtanandtout.com. Coffee table, Amber Ice Crackled Resin Table, Nate Berkus Associates. Built-ins, refinished in Farrow & Ball high-gloss paint (#31, Railings). Bedroom: Bed, Nate Berkus Associates; fabric, Sonnet, Duckweed, Rogers and Goffigon. Chaise longue, early 18th-century carved and painted Louis XVI daybed; fabric, Linley, tangerine, Old World Weavers. Coffee table, bronze base by Ron Seff, c. 1980. Bathroom mirror, carved and gilded 19th-century French mercury glass. Bathtub, custom deck in Calcutta Gold marble.
Bring It Home: Bloomingdale’s Home, 600 N. Wabash Ave., 312-324-7500, bloomingdales.com. Buckingham Interiors + Design, 1820 W. Grand Ave., 312-243-9975, buckinghamid.com. Ethan Allen, 1700 N. Halsted St., 312-573-2500, ethanallen.com. Grange Furniture, Merchandise Mart, 312-527-1919, grange.fr. Jonathan Adler, 676 N. Wabash Ave., 312-274-9920, jonathanadler.com. Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, 1555 N. Halsted St., 312-397-3135, mgbwhome.com. Pottery Barn, 1000 W. North Ave., 312-944-0467, potterybarn.com. Room & Board, 55 E. Ohio St., 312-222-0970, roomandboard.com. Swank Lighting, swanklighting.com. West Elm, 1000 W. North Ave., 312-867-1770, westelm.com. Z Gallerie, 983 W. North Ave., 312-475-9809, zgallerie.com.
Related: