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Houzz Tour: A Designer Puts Her Personal Stamp on a Chicago Apartment
Al Capone may once have run the joint, but this top-floor flat had lost its character – until an interior designer moved in
Melissa Benham, an interior designer and a principal at Studio Gild, moved around the world for many years. The Michigan native made stops in London, Washington, DC, and New York City, but when she moved to Chicago, it was with the intention of settling down.
Perhaps it’s appropriate that she chose a building that had a long-established history in which to make a more permanent home for herself. ‘This building was built in 1898, and it has a lot of stories,’ Benham says. Louis Sullivan, an architect known as the father of the skyscraper and a noted mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright, lived across the street, and Al Capone, one of Chicago’s most notorious Prohibition-era gangsters, used this building as a speakeasy, she says. ‘When it was built, it was a getaway for families who wanted to escape the dirt and stench of turn-of-the-century downtown Chicago, and later, during World War I, it served as a hospital.’
The building’s more recent history was not so poetic. A 1980s renovation had stripped it of much of its character. Benham’s top-floor flat had been occupied by the same man for the previous 20 years, and he did little to alter the newer, hollow-core doors, shag carpet and mirrored sliding closet doors. Here’s how Benham brought some charm back to the apartment and made it her own.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here Interior designer Melissa Benham
Location Chicago
Size 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom
Perhaps it’s appropriate that she chose a building that had a long-established history in which to make a more permanent home for herself. ‘This building was built in 1898, and it has a lot of stories,’ Benham says. Louis Sullivan, an architect known as the father of the skyscraper and a noted mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright, lived across the street, and Al Capone, one of Chicago’s most notorious Prohibition-era gangsters, used this building as a speakeasy, she says. ‘When it was built, it was a getaway for families who wanted to escape the dirt and stench of turn-of-the-century downtown Chicago, and later, during World War I, it served as a hospital.’
The building’s more recent history was not so poetic. A 1980s renovation had stripped it of much of its character. Benham’s top-floor flat had been occupied by the same man for the previous 20 years, and he did little to alter the newer, hollow-core doors, shag carpet and mirrored sliding closet doors. Here’s how Benham brought some charm back to the apartment and made it her own.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here Interior designer Melissa Benham
Location Chicago
Size 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom
The midcentury coffee table was a find in a flea market in Wisconsin. It’s home to ever-rotating books. ‘I collect books, and the coffee table is usually where the latest acquisitions live,’ Benham says.
At the other end of the room is a dining alcove. Because space was tight, she chose Eero Saarinen’s classic round midcentury table and surrounded it with vintage Kofod-Larsen chairs from the same period. Thin metal shelves hold more books mixed with other accessories. ‘I love the feeling of dining surrounded by books,’ says Benham. ‘There’s something very cosy about it.’
Shelves: Room & Board
Shelves: Room & Board
A close-up of the dining chairs illustrates one of Benham’s design philosophies. ‘I like pieces that have a little personality,’ she says.
Discover how to choose the perfect dining chairs
Discover how to choose the perfect dining chairs
The side table on the wall adjacent to the dining alcove holds serving ware and items used for entertaining.
Sideboard: Gump’s; sculpture: West Elm; painting: John Shultz
Sideboard: Gump’s; sculpture: West Elm; painting: John Shultz
The kitchen opens off the dining room. Like the rest of the home, it was stuck in the 1980s when Benham took up residence there. ‘The cabinet carcases were still good, so I just had them refaced,’ she says. ‘I also left the granite, but replaced the fixtures and appliances.’
Four antique prints depicting scenes in China set the tone for the master bedroom.
See ways to create a hotel-chic bedroom
See ways to create a hotel-chic bedroom
The bathroom already had the white and black tiles, so Benham painted the vanity cupboard white and the walls black to make the colour combination uniform. ‘I love high contrast,’ she says. ‘Black and white is a timeless combination.’
Wall paint: Iron Mountain, Benjamin Moore
Wall paint: Iron Mountain, Benjamin Moore
The second bedroom does double duty as an office. Benham made the twin bed feel more like a day bed by putting the pillows at an angle. ‘This room is also my home office,’ she says. ‘If I have guests during the day, they perch here. The bed really works more like a sofa.’ Vintage maps and photos document the places in which Benham has lived.
Benham’s mother gave her the desk. ‘She used it in university,’ she says. ‘I had it stained black and added a crystal drawer pull.’ Above the desk a drawing by Marilu Nordenflycht and a mirror by Jason Miller Studio give the space another dimension. ‘I love the mirror,’ says Benham. ‘The designer has added images, so when you look into it, it seems as if you are in another environment.’
Art: Marilu Nordenflycht; mirror: Jason Miller Studio
Art: Marilu Nordenflycht; mirror: Jason Miller Studio
The home’s eclectic furnishings have one common thread: Benham likes them all. ‘I’m a strong believer in selecting things you love, and they will go together because they reflect you,’ she says. It’s something she’ll keep in mind as she writes her personal chapter in the building’s history.
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality- filled homes and the people who inhabit them. If you would like your home to be featured, please send information and photos to ukeditor@houzz.com.
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality- filled homes and the people who inhabit them. If you would like your home to be featured, please send information and photos to ukeditor@houzz.com.
An online search introduced her to the work of photographer Alicia Bock, an artist who has recorded several compelling regional images. Benham ordered a large sepia print of Lake Michigan and had it encased in a black frame. ‘Black is my go-to colour,’ says the designer. ‘You see touches of it in this room, in the frame, in the throw on the sofa and in the hide floor rug.’
Art: Alicia Bock; paint: Moonshine, Benjamin Moore; lamps: Robert Abbey, with custom lampshades
Photography by Mike Schwartz