Lake shore Drive Mid Century

“This place has been a laboratory for me as I’ve developed as a designer. It’s allowed me to edify my evolving point of view and focus on a space as my own client without having a filter of someone else to run it through.”

The original construction of Stephan and Art’s eighth floor residence in Chicago was, by all measures, super solid. Thoughtfully laid out, with wall-to-wall windows, lots of closet space, concrete slab floors, ceilings, and walls, the original floorplan from 1964 had great bones.

Its major selling point, however, was the view. The view to the North and East revealed the park with Lake Michigan peeking in. The view to the West framed incredible sunsets. Perched right above the tree line, Stephan & Art had the perfect backdrop for their collection of furnishings and art, as well as a living capsule for Stephan’s design practice.

After purchasing the home in 2000, while based in Chicago, Stephan installed wood floors, repainted everything and set about updating the kitchens and baths. In 2012 Stephan relocated his design studio to Los Angeles and in 2019 he undertook an overhaul of the interior to showcase the furnishings and art he had collected in his travels which had become the foundation for the opening of his storefront in West Hollywood.

The interior palette was changed by bleaching and wire brushing the oak floors and a fresh coat of paint in the living spaces, then installing wall-to-wall seagrass and faux bois wallpaper in the bedroom and study. Adding bright punches of yellow on the doors in both.

Each change was a thoughtful update, bringing the place back to where it needed to be–reflecting what he had been thinking about as a designer at that moment.

Some of the pieces from their collection showcased in this home are:

• a multi-colored David Best console from the 1980’s 
• a 1980’s Constructivist wood-and-glass desk from Italy
• a group of multimedia collages by the Belgian artist Guy LeClerq 
• an unusual 1970’s Brutalist wenge bar cabinet that Stephan discovered in Antwerp
• an architectural relief collage by the Belgian artist Renaat Ramon
• pillows covered in handwoven vintage textiles from Finland and Japan
• some of Stephan’s own artwork (!)

Part retreat, part living gallery, this is Stephan & Art’s home away from home, laboratory, and anchor point on the shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago.