When James Dolenc and Tom Riker, co-founders of Chicago -based studio James Thomas Interiors , were approached for a project in 2023 by a prominent Chicago-based couple, they were given one rule: It can’t look like everyone else’s home. The home is the sole maisonette in a Lucien Lagrange -designed complex in the city’s tony Gold Coast neighborhood, where the leafy, tree-lined streets are comprised of a mixture of grand mansions, historic row houses, and high-rise apartments. The couple, who maintain multiple homes, sought to replace the apartment’s luxurious but ordinary existing interiors with something totally unique, using their contemporary art collection as the driving force.
The wife, part of a generational real estate development business, is familiar with luxury design, and as someone who has seen it all, tapped the design duo to push the envelope. The residence, which has the only private courtyard in the building, has five bedrooms, though three of them are used as a gym, an office, and a playroom for their grandchildren. RELATED: This $11.
5 Million Gilt-Trimmed Paris Apartment Is a Short Walk From the Eiffel Tower “She came in with a very strong vision, which was intoxicating for us as designers,” James Dolenc tells Robb Report . “She wanted pieces that had relevance to the existing architecture that are high-quality and can support and elevate the artwork. It was very important for her that the furniture wasn’t a backdrop but a supporting cast mem.