Couple Put a Personal Stamp on Their Chicago Condo
Antique pieces mix with modern and handmade furniture for a warm, lived-in look. A leafy porch is a bonus
When Luis Lara and Nate Glencer moved into their condo in Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood in 2016, the rooms had recently been painted a pleasing light gray. Structural work had also modernized the condo before they bought it, so the heavy lifting was done, except for the kitchen. The couple had spent about seven months looking for a place to buy when they came across the 1920s-era, six-unit building. “We were looking for a mix of old character and a more modern floor plan,” Lara says.
Lara, seen here at left, is originally from Cuba and moved to Chicago in 2004. He works in digital marketing and loves design, and he was instrumental in modernizing the condo’s interior look, including the kitchen. “I’m not very patient. I wanted to do everything,” he says. “We knew we had to do the kitchen and bathrooms and got to live with the kitchen for two years, so we knew what we liked and didn’t like.”
Glencer works in data and was hands-on during much of the renovation work. He makes furniture, and one of his projects in progress is a new dining table. “I commissioned him to make a dining table,” Lara says. “He’s good at math and visualizing. When we first started dating, he said he’d make a bed.” With some online help, Glencer did just that, creating the bed that’s now in the guest room.
Glencer works in data and was hands-on during much of the renovation work. He makes furniture, and one of his projects in progress is a new dining table. “I commissioned him to make a dining table,” Lara says. “He’s good at math and visualizing. When we first started dating, he said he’d make a bed.” With some online help, Glencer did just that, creating the bed that’s now in the guest room.
The leather sofa in the living room was part of Lara’s plan to make the space warm and inviting. And as a bonus, it’s durable enough for the couple’s Bernedoodle, Squash, who has added to its lived-in feel. “She’s made it better,” Lara says. The botanical prints are from an antique store, all framed identically for a symmetrical, collected look.
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Before: The dining room featured a curved wall of windows, with the frames painted dark and the trim painted white. The walls were gray and the ceiling molding and baseboards a glossy white. It was a good foundation that the couple felt just needed some tweaking.
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After: The owners removed the sconces, had recessed lighting installed and put a chandelier over the dining table. They painted the dining room walls the same white, Starch by Behr, used in the living room. The formerly white window sills are now Chelsea Gray by Benjamin Moore, also seen in the living room.
They purchased the zinc-topped dining table and bench imported from India at Nadeau in Chicago. There was no electrical in the space so they had the room wired and chose a linear-style chandelier for a midcentury modern touch.
After: The new paneling over the fireplace was made by Glencer and painted Chelsea Gray by Benjamin Moore. “We wanted a little character, since the fireplace is the focal point of the living room,” Lara says. “It was very inexpensive and added a ton of interest to the room.”
He says they also wanted the room to be more warm and inviting, so they mixed midcentury-style Joybird chairs with the leather sofa. The coffee table has a top from an old factory in Wisconsin and a bottom of repurposed metal, pulling in some color from the blue rug. “We tried to do a mix of things, so we have antique pieces and modern pieces, high-end and low-end,” Lara says.
He says they also wanted the room to be more warm and inviting, so they mixed midcentury-style Joybird chairs with the leather sofa. The coffee table has a top from an old factory in Wisconsin and a bottom of repurposed metal, pulling in some color from the blue rug. “We tried to do a mix of things, so we have antique pieces and modern pieces, high-end and low-end,” Lara says.
Before: The kitchen before the remodel was functional but needed updating. The couple kept the rug, an antique that Glencer bought at New Mexico’s Crownpoint Rug Auction, a monthly event that features handmade Navajo rugs.
After: They wanted the kitchen to feel more open, lighter and brighter, and they did a lot of design research on Houzz for the remodel. “We wanted to do a mix of spending money on some things, less on other things,” Lara says.
The couple turned to Scherr’s Cabinet & Doors for cabinet fronts and pullout drawers in sleek white oak with modern lines. “We wanted to make the kitchen more functional. Having the drawers has given us more space, and we even have some empty drawers now,” Lara says. They were able to save money by using budget-friendly cabinet boxes and staining the fronts themselves.
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The couple turned to Scherr’s Cabinet & Doors for cabinet fronts and pullout drawers in sleek white oak with modern lines. “We wanted to make the kitchen more functional. Having the drawers has given us more space, and we even have some empty drawers now,” Lara says. They were able to save money by using budget-friendly cabinet boxes and staining the fronts themselves.
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The couple decided to replace the upper cabinets with floating shelves, which Glencer built of white oak. They wanted the shelves to be a bit deeper to display some of the mugs and other items they’ve collected over the years, along with houseplants, “to warm up the space a bit so it’s not just all ceramics,” Lara says.
All of the stainless steel appliances and fixtures are new.
Should You Use Open Shelves in the Kitchen?
All of the stainless steel appliances and fixtures are new.
Should You Use Open Shelves in the Kitchen?
The couple considered using quartz that looked like concrete for the countertops, but after reading reviews and comments in the Houzz Discussions section, they decided against it. Lara also really liked quartzite but didn’t like the veining in the samples offered by their vendor, so they ended up with a lightly veined quartz.
They considered backsplash tile but decided to extend the quartz three-quarters of the way up the wall and paint the rest. “We wanted to add depth, interest and contrast, so we used Benjamin Moore’s Beau Green, which adds a lot of interest to the kitchen and is a good choice with wood,” Lara says.
The master bedroom is a mix of earthy colors and textures, combining crisp white with deep tones of the Southwest. The room’s design began with the California king bed. “It’s one of the rooms where we went for eclectic and midcentury, but wanted a lighter feel than the living room,” Lara says.
The door leaning against the wall is an antique. The rug is from a local store called Alapash, which sells textiles, art, plants and other home decor.
The door leaning against the wall is an antique. The rug is from a local store called Alapash, which sells textiles, art, plants and other home decor.
Across from the bed is a curated mix of old and new pieces. The credenza is from a neighborhood shop called District, which carries restored midcentury furniture. The framed art above it is from Alapash.
The couple painted the master bedroom themselves, using Benjamin Moore’s Snowfall White for the walls and White Wisp for the trim. The French doors lead to a back porch.
After: Their goal for the porch was, in Lara’s words, “somewhere comfortable to hang out.” That was accomplished by dividing the space into a seating area with an outdoor sectional and a dining area with a long wooden table. They also like swapping furnishings out to keep things interesting.
“Over the years we’ve kept the same furniture and changed out the pillows. Last year was a lot of black and white and this year a more pastel look,” Lara says.
“Over the years we’ve kept the same furniture and changed out the pillows. Last year was a lot of black and white and this year a more pastel look,” Lara says.
Durable cushions on the sectional let Squash enjoy the porch too.
The homeowners enhanced the lush feel of the porch by adding even more plants.
Although the table in the porch dining area wasn’t meant for the outdoors, Glencer sanded it and put a weather-resistant finish on it to protect it from the elements. “What we wanted with that area was to have it softened against the brick. It’s like living in your own little garden back there,” Lara says.
This colorful spot features an original brick wall with an interesting pattern — the exterior of the old kitchen, Lara says. There used to be a window, and when the interior space became the master bedroom, French doors were added.
The guest bedroom is “the room we bought the least for,” Lara says, and the only room they didn’t repaint. The bed built by Glencer had been in the couple’s bedroom in their previous rental apartment. It wound up being too small for the new master so it ended up here. The chair next to it is an antique. The paddles on the wall are from Nadeau.
Glencer built the nightstand by adding metal hairpin legs to an old horse tack trunk.
The bench under the window is from Nadeau and came from the couple’s former apartment. The rug is from Russia and was given to Glencer by his aunt.
Also in the guest room is this console, which the couple used behind the sofa in their rental. It was too small for the new living room but works perfectly as a cabinet here. On top it holds houseplants and a Tiffany lamp from Glencer’s family. The starburst mirror is from Nadeau.
Here’s the view from the guest bedroom into the brick-lined hallway. The shelf on the hall wall was built by Glencer, who used a reclaimed-wood beam from the Rebuilding Exchange, a nonprofit group in Chicago that sells donated building materials.
The couple love the original brick of the hallway wall, which runs from the front of the condo to the back and is visible as soon as you enter the unit. They found the doors at Nadeau and are still deciding where to use them.
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See other home tours
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Condo at a Glance
Who lives here: Luis Lara and Nate Glencer and their Bernedoodle, Squash
Location: Ravenswood neighborhood of Chicago
Size: About 1,600 square feet (149 square meters); two bedrooms, two bathrooms
Many buyers would feel lucky to find a place so move-in ready. But the homeowners felt there were improvements to be made and wanted to personalize the interior. Their most recent update includes renovating the kitchen. The couple hired general contractor Lorenzo Rodriguez and handled the demolition themselves. They stained the yellowing oak floors throughout the condo a darker color and had most of the rooms repainted.
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