It’s fitting that when setting down roots in Chicago, United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz looked toward the sky: In February, the embattled boss transitioned from rental digs to a permanent pad after purchasing Oprah Winfrey’s old 57th-floor Streeterville condo for $3.55 million, although he and his wife continued to claim primary residence in Florida, where their youngest child was still in school.
The 3,380-square-foot, three-bedroom condo provides a local respite (much needed as of late). Munoz scooped up the property from Centaur Interiors, a River North design-build firm that had replaced Oprah’s early-’90s French country style with a modern interpretation of art deco. Let’s peek inside.
The kitchen hits both notes, with Old World–inspired molding and a sleek induction cooktop, which is “literally flush into the counter,” says Centaur’s design director, Jennifer Aubry. “It becomes counter surface you can set things on.”
Skokie-based wallcovering maker Maya Romanoff created the wood veneer in the powder room. A glossy black mirror and crystal accents provide some glitz, though Munoz’s wife has since replaced the vanity and sconces to dial down the drama.
Shimmery textures—a silk fabric from the French company Casamance hovers above foil-backed glass tile—lend a glamorous Gatsby-ish feel to the bar in the library-slash-office. (Insert your own joke about Munoz needing a drink or two these days.)
The tub in the master bathroom is anchored by a showstopping piece of black-and-white veined marble. “We found the stone a couple of projects ago, put it on hold, and ended up designing the whole bathroom with it in mind,” says Centaur principal Michael Miller.
Centaur and Dallas-based Samuel Lynne Galleries “designed the space to accept art,” Aubry says. The living room, for example, is equipped with built-in spotlights above the artwork. Munoz is working on personalizing the space with his own pieces.