Constructed in the early 2000s, this estate in the Chicago suburb of Hinsdale, Illinois, is a beacon of classical Georgian architecture. So when the current inhabitants, a couple with four young children, approached designer Sarah Vaile about updating the interiors, the brief was bold: Take a property of grand proportion—12,000 square feet—and turn it into an unfussy abode in harmony with its traditionalist underpinnings.
“The driving force of our design plan was to bridge the ‘formal’ part of the house with the everyday part so it all felt usable,” Vaile says. “The clients didn’t want anything too precious, but they also wanted fun flourishes.”
To accomplish those objectives, Vaile and her partner, Lindsay Baker, drew on a breadth of textures, textiles, palettes, antiques, and furniture finds from across the price spectrum. Balance—of masculine and feminine, seasonality, formality, and functionality—is a constant calibration in Vaile’s practice. The library, where leopard-print carpet, floral armchairs, and carved millwork mingle beneath an iconic photograph of Cher, Elton John, and Diana Ross and a ceiling covered in deep gray grasscloth, perfectly achieves that equilibrium. An animal-print rug acquired on Etsy injects a cheeky contemporary touch in the formal living room, where Vaile and Baker paired rich chocolate brown walls and jewel-toned drapery with an 1830s Biedermeier secretary and custom tassel-trimmed slipper chair.
Other spaces cleverly blend form and function. High-gloss (and durable) green lacquer walls in the dining room provide a carefully considered contrast to de Gournay panels along the staircase in the main foyer. The sunroom was transformed into a space where everyone could watch a movie together, but it doesn’t skimp on style, anchored by a curvaceous velvet sofa.
Along the way, the designers added essential storage and crafted common areas conducive to daily family life—including a skylit family room that opens up to a large eat-in kitchen where brass accents and Arabescato marble intentionally conjure an old-world Italian café.
Rather than shop for everything at once, Vaile and Baker spread out acquisitions, taking a sort of time-lapse collecting approach. Explains Vaile, “It helps add a layered feel to a lot of newly acquired things.”
Entryway
Vestibule
This glam space swathed in a Pierre Frey wallpaper adjoins the primary suite. The chandelier is original to the home. Art: Alexandra Swistak. Bench and commode: antique. Rug: Etsy.
Living Room
Vaile and Baker sourced the antique walnut Biedermeier secretary on 1stDibs. Paint: Brown Horse, Benjamin Moore. Chair: custom, in Pierre Frey fabric with Samuel & Sons trim. Drapery: Jane Shelton fabric with Schumacher trim. Art and mirror: Redefined Décor. Rug: Etsy.
Family Room
All the pieces in this everyday hangout off the kitchen—including the Century Furniture sofa, in a durable herringbone Kravet fabric and Bernhardt chairs, in a JAB Anstoetz bouclé—are dog- and kid-proof. Wallcovering: Sanderson. Coffee table: Mainly Baskets. Art: Rebecca Jack.
Library
A Michael Ochs image from Rock Paper Photo lends the space “an air of insouciance,” Vaile says. Wallcovering: Schumacher (ceiling). Armchairs: Gabby, in Ferrick Mason fabric. Ottoman: custom, in Pollack fabric.
Kitchen
Glass-and-walnut display cabinets, a rolling ladder, and Arabescato marble surfaces lend a European feel. Cabinetry and ladder: McNaughton Brothers Construction. Counter stools: Mainly Baskets. Range hood: Custom Copper Hoods.
Dining Room
The shine created from high-gloss lacquer from Fine Paints of Europe is “designed to envelop dinner party guests,” Vaile says. Chandelier and sconces: vintage. Dining table: antique. Chairs: Villa & House. Rug: Fibreworks. Vases: Artemest.
Tasting Lounge
A climate-controlled wine cellar abuts this “gentlemen’s club” space. Wallpaper and trim: Thibaut. Armchairs: Lee Industries, in Holly Hunt fabric. Ceiling light: Hudson Valley Lighting Group.
Powder Room
The Mirror Home mirror balances the sweetness of the scalloped Oomph vanity and floral Pierre Frey wallpaper. Paint: Hidden Sapphire, Benjamin Moore. Faucet: Waterworks.
Primary Bedroom
Walls in Benjamin Moore’s Early Frost paint set a serene tone for the owners’ retreat. Bench: Bunny Williams Home, in Jim Thompson fabric. Nightstands: Villa & House. Lamps: Vaughan, with shades in Fermoie fabric.
Laundry Room
Sunroom
The designers color-drenched the kids’ lounge in Farrow & Ball Green Blue paint to tie it into the drapery of the formal living room. Ceiling light: Currey & Company. Sofa: Chairish, in Schumacher velvet. Ottoman: Covers Unlimited, in Dedar fabric.
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