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Lake Shore Drive Reboot
Stephan recently updated the mid-century condo on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago where he and his partner have lived for over twenty years. He wanted the interior of the apartment, which has been evolving over the years, to showcase their growing collection of art, accessories and unique furnishings. The 1,400 s.f. two-bedroom, eighth-floor apartment offers a lovely view of the treetops, beyond which extends an urban landscape and the shores of Lake Michigan.
The work included stripping and bleaching formerly dark stained wood floors, refreshing the paint in the common areas and adding a faux grain wallpaper in the bedrooms, all to serve as a background to their collections. Stephan added color to the space with bright punches of yellow on the doors.
Re-finished Floors
Punches of Yellow
With an education in graphic design, painting and figure drawing as well as interior design, Stephan possesses a keen and well-trained eye for art and objects. He travels extensively, purchasing unique items that speak to his sensibilities. To make his apartment a showcase for the museum-quality pieces, Stephan designed a collected look with a mix of items from different cultures, eras and aesthetics that magically work together.
In the living room, an antique Khotan rug in pale green with accents of persimmon, yellow and brown lays the foundation for the room's color palette. The artwork on the walls includes some of Stephan's own as well as an architectural relief collage by the Belgian artist Renaat Ramon.
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A multi-colored postmodern console designed by David Best, known for his Burning Man sculptures, makes a bold statement, a piece so captivating that it inspired Stephan to begin the process of re-designing the entire apartment.
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A striking 1980's Constructivist wood-and-glass desk from Italy is placed by the window.
The dining room features a group of multimedia collages by the French artist Guy LeClerq and an unusual Brutalist wenge bar cabinet that Stephan discovered in Antwerp. Stephan is also an avid collector of the works of Didier Toulemonde, a French ceramicist known for his zoomorphic glazed pitchers, several of which are on display. According to Stephan, "His pieces have so much personality and integrity I could not help but make a home for them."
Multimedia collages
by the French artist Guy LeClerq
Zoomorphic glazed pitchers
by Didier Toulemonde
While a bleached White Oak floor runs throughout the common areas, a durable seagrass is used in the master bedroom and study.
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In the bedroom, Stephan threw a vintage Mongolian rug with an abstract design on top of the neutral seagrass for a burst of color.
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Adorning the dresser are two Ichiban vases in chrome yellow, a vibrant color that is also used on the bedroom door.
The walls in both the Bedroom and Study, originally painted in dark colors, are covered with a realistic-looking faux-bois textured wallpaper from Nobilis.
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Decorative pillows covered in handwoven vintage textiles from Finland and Japan are scattered throughout the apartment, accentuating the mix of cultures that populates the apartment.
Stephan regularly purchases and curates collections of one-of-a-kind furniture and objet d'art for his clients, and recently opened Stephan Jones | Shop where many of the items can be seen and purchased. His expertise, knowledge and keen eye are on full display in this Chicago apartment. Part retreat and part living gallery where extraordinary, one-of-a-kind decor abounds, it's a thrilling space to inhabit.
