WHY THIS HOUSE? “I wanted to be in Lincoln Park, and the structure and layout were awesome. But everything was yellow and country fresh. It didn’t reflect me at all. I figured I could change that.”
THE RENOVATION “At the time, I was touring constantly with Fall Out Boy, so I hired [designer] Lisa Ewing. My fiancée, Marie, helped, and we ripped out everything and redid it. I’d come back every three months and I’d freak. It was like, What did I get myself into? But it ended up being awesome. I have all these cool things I’ve collected over the years, and Lisa and Marie figured out how to fit everything in. And it has a vibe that feels so separated from the city. It’s like my own weird but beautiful giant cave where I can work on music.”
FAVORITE ROOMS “Even though I feel like we all need sunlight to be happy, I always end up in the cavelike rooms. They calm my anxiety and stress by separating me from society almost entirely. My media room, where I keep my records, has this cool, weird forest wallpaper that makes me feel engulfed. I always go down there to play music and video games. My bedroom feels really dark and cavernous and is so relaxing and comforting. I have a big collection of Star Wars figures there from the original films, before I was even born, and Lisa and I found Space Invaders decals for the walls. And other things, like these feather sconces she made and this fake-fur chinchilla cover, give it a weird, moody rock ’n’ roll vibe, kind of like that ’60s-opium-den look at the Gramercy Park Hotel. But I also love my living room. We use it a lot and specifically didn’t put a TV in there so we can put ourselves in situations where all we do is talk.”
FUTURE PLANS “I’ve had this place for almost six years, but I might end up buying the place I’m renting in New York after Marie and I get married next year. But Chicago will always be my home base.”
Photograph: Bob Coscarelli; Hair and Makeup: Martina Sykes