An inky slate hue submerges the dining room in shimmering blue.
Jaw-Dropping Views + Modern Elegance Define A Chicago Condo
Life takes on a whole new perspective from a Chicago skyscraper, as one couple discovered when they swapped their Bucktown single-family home for a condo inside the luxurious Streeterville high-rise One Bennett Park, designed by architect Robert A.M. Stern. The loss of quaint tree-lined streets and overall square footage proved a small price to pay for the glamorous Art Deco-inspired building and its breathtaking views.
To redefine their new life in the sky, the pair turned to designers Steve Somogyi and Filip Malyszko to customize spaces. Between the unit’s refined finishes and the couple’s lifetime collection of art and furniture, the designers had plenty with which to work. “The challenge was how to shift their tastes into a smaller space in a cohesive way that stands up against the view, the architecture and the scale of the rooms,” Malyszko explains.
The designers worked with builder Adam Gobcewicz on adding a few built-in elements, including more shelving in the home office and a new fireplace featuring a book-matched granite surround that slots into seamless cabinetry concealing a dry bar and wine storage. “But we always took inspiration from the existing millwork to keep everything consistent,” Somogyi notes.
Home Details
Interior Design
Steve Somogyi and Filip Malyszko, S&F Design
Home Builder
Adam Gobcewicz, Brayview Construction Group, Inc
Styling
Kimberly Swedelius
Atmospheric wall finishes provide the greatest transformation. “We knew we needed something special and luxurious to set the stage for the whole apartment,” Malyszko says. Artist Danya Elbaridi answered the call, creating bespoke paints laced with finely crushed glass that catch the abundant sunlight. A pale hue creates a pearlescent luster in the living room, while an inky slate version submerges the dining room in shimmering blue. Honoring one of the client’s Asian roots, Elbaridi also hand-painted a mural of koi swimming through metallic champagne hues in the powder room. In other areas, wallcoverings lean tactile and luxurious—think a suede-inspired textile, charcoal herringbone wool and grass cloth.
Satin linen drapes were custom color-matched to each wall finish—from pale ivory in the living room to silvery sage tones in the couple’s bedroom. The final effect “makes you feel awash in the color,” Malyszko observes. Completing this sense of immersion, the designers borrowed tones from the surrounding views, building a palette of warm neutrals and “different shades of blue from the sky and water,” Somogyi adds.
“The challenge was how to shift their tastes into a smaller space in a cohesive way.”
–Filip Malyszko
Taj Mahal quartzite and a Phillip Jeffries grass-cloth wallcovering cocoon the kitchen in warmth. Vanguard Furniture stools pull up to the island, which is illuminated by Thomas O’Brien for Visual Comfort & Co. pendants.