PROjECT. completes a stunning, Scandinavian-meets-modern design for a combined three units In the iconic Montgomery Ward Catalog House building on the Chicago River.

After seeing one of the interior design firm’s projects spotlighted in Crain’s Chicago Business, a pair of River West homeowners tapped PROjECT. to transform their 5,500-square-foot, loft-style condo along the Chicago River with a modern reimagining. An amazing combined three units in the Montgomery Ward Catalog House residences, adjacent to BIÂN (Chicago's premier private social and health club), the design scope was all-encompassing: Tone down the honey-hued wood accents and add fresh finishes throughout while respecting the industrial nature of the space, full lighting and decor down to the linens, and custom-curated art to pepper the gallery walls. But first things first. In a rather unusual move where property value is concerned, PROjECT. was tasked with finessing the three-bedroom floor plan to turn it into a show-stopping, 1.5-bedroom home with two custom WFH offices, a moody media den, a sunken conversation pit, a luxe bar, a designated workout space, and an extra-large, tiered primary suite with an indoor-outdoor footprint. 

And because this one-of-a-kind condo flaunts 16-foot-high ceilings and panoramic views that extend from one end of the city to the other, the overall look and feel would need to play to an urban backdrop. “Informed by the clients’ preferred aesthetic, we leaned into a contemporary Scandinavian vibe with impactful moments of color, pattern and texture,” says Aimee Wertepny, principal + visionary at PROjECT. and the lead designer on this project. “For the open-concept, main living-and-entertaining spaces — a corner-positioned living room, a 70s’-inspired conversation pit, a long dining room by the windows, a statement kitchen, and a fireside lounge — we spent a lot of time considering sightlines, replacing sharp corners with smooth curves, and creating groovy gathering spaces that flow from one to the next for parties large and small.” For the city-facing kitchen, custom cabinetry clad in repurposed blackened teak from IndoTeak Design fit the bill, and PROjECT. layered in custom light fixtures suspended from metal arms to illuminate an Explosion Blue quartzite slab from Terrazzo & Marble — the kitchen’s undisputed focal point. But the entertaining elevation didn’t stop there… “We also nixed an unnecessary bathroom, stealing that space for a large laundry room and a bar that opens up onto the great room. The bar is ritzy and moody, and features a bronze mirror wall and a wispy wallcovering by Arte that extends up over the ceiling,” adds Wertepny.

All of the transitional spaces received the PROjECT. treatment, too. “We reorganized the entryway and activated a large hallway to create a gallery space,” shares Wertepny. “From there, we worked very closely with ALMA Art & Interiors, Artruss, and Daniel Kinkade Fine Art to curate an impactful and meaningful art collection that spotlights radical artists via custom pieceFrancine Turks that, together, create a very fun and playful vibe.” Featured artists throughout include wire sculpturist Eric Gushee, multidisciplinary artist Thomas Masters, textile artist Louise Papageorge, painter Kenny Nguyen, contemporary abstract painter Pamela Staker, painter Francine Turk, and photographer Patty Carroll. “And we commissioned a large-scale fabric mural [Secret Silhouettes by Arte] for the lounge that’s this dreamy depiction of all of these intermingled female forms in maroons, blacks, beiges and blues. Their figures look like they are growing out of an anemone — it’s wild.” 

And because the couple both work from home when they aren’t traveling abroad (of note: one of the homeowners is a luxury travel planner), PROjECT. paid particular attention to the convergence of form and function across two standalone offices. “Each office has a decidedly different personality,” informs Wertepny. “Hers is more formal and lives off of the great room. It’s accessed via a giant steel-and-glass partition that lets the light in and finds definition from a richly saturated green paint color that we chose for the walls and a custom stone fireplace. His office is more laidback, and begins with a bed nook — for when they do have company — that opens onto a hygge-chic workspace with an L-shaped custom desk, a tufted leather sofa, Herman Miller bubble pendants, and their travel photos displayed around the perimeter of the room above a high wainscot detail.”

On the opposite side of the floor plan, the primary suite is anything but conventional. “You enter down a short flight of open stairs into a wide-open suite that’s flooded with natural light. To the left is a glam [hair and makeup] station with custom storage, shelves and a sink, plus custom perimeter closets including a packing station for prepping for their frequent travels, which include vetting world-class properties for clients.” At the room’s center, the bed faces a sitting area and that spectacular city view, and links to a terrace. But the primary ensuite bath may be Wertepny’s favorite room in the house. “We built up the bed’s custom headboard wall so that the backside becomes a builtin bureau for more storage drawers that frame the gangway to the primary bath. The bath itself is a total sanctuary with plastered walls, glazed vintage-looking subway tile, a soaking tub, a huge steam shower, and Luxe Gold fixtures from Brizo. The only bold pattern in the entire space is a Liaison tile mural on the shower floor by Kelly Wearstler.” 

Adds Wertepny, “From start to finish, this home is a total conversation piece, yet none of the details hit you over the head. It’s inviting, fun, sentimental, chic, collected, soothing, and surprising — all the things that make a house a special home. And it’s full of interesting, bespoke details — hand-sewn denim pillows, custom silk-and-wool rugs, builtin indoor planters overflowing with leafy plant babies — so there’s nothing that’s a carbon copy of what you would see anywhere else. Knowing it needed a total transformation, they fell in love with the bones, the light, and the views — and those awe-inspiring sunrises and sunsets us fire signs can’t live without! — and purchased the loft because they saw the potential. And trusted in PROjECT. to realize it.”

Additional Collabs + Sourcing… 

CONTRACTOR: Giant Construction Group

CUSTOM MILLWORK: Burmeister Woodwork

CUSTOM RUGS: Henzel Studio + Merida

CUSTOM UPHOLSTERY: Pindler, Opuzen, ARTE + Fishman’s Fabrics

ANTIQUES + VINTAGE DECOR: South Loop Loft + Randolph Street Market