A couple of years ago when I was on maternity leave with my daughter, I became obsessed with design blogs. I’d sit with my iPad on my lap and surf my favorite sites while baby nursed at all hours of the day and night! I was always happy to find a great Chicago-based blog and one of the bloggers I really liked was Marija Stephens and her blog “Holding Court”…her personal style and decor insights were phenomenal and she just seemed like such a nice person. One of her blog topics was the progression of her beautiful home in the western Chicago suburb of Hinsdale. Sadly, Marija was killed in a car accident in July, 2010 and didn’t live to complete the interior of her home. So, it was such a nice surprise when I opened the latest issue of Chicago Home + Garden and saw a feature on the completed house.
Marija’s husband hired her friend, Chicago designer Julia Edelmann, (one of my favorites in Chicago as well) to complete his late wife’s vision. Check out these beautiful pictures!
Greek revival inspired by homes in the South
I love the beautiful red brick built-in fire place and chimney that literally and figuratively warms up the backyard!
In an 8,000 square foot home, you’re bound to have a fab kitchen and this house certainly doesn’t disappoint…love the traditional (Persian I think) carpet in the kitchen.
…complete with butler’s pantry…don’t you just love the old table against the new cabinetry? Definitely a good reminder that old pieces really warm up a space and make it unique
So, you use that kitchen to prep a great meal and here’s where you get to eat…check out how they hung the curtains–all the way to the bottom of the molding and as wide as you can go–love the drama it adds to the room!
Love this library off the entry–great place to sit and work and not sure I could love that bench any more or that fireplace screen, or how they perfectly complement one another.
Finally, here are a few of the bedrooms in the house–the kids’ bedrooms have great personality, which is a great juxtaposition to the serenity of the master bedroom…with its separate dressing areas…to die for…
Such a beautiful home and really a wonderful tribute to the woman who had a vision. Most importantly, it was nice to see Marija’s family smiling together in the home–thanks Chicago Home + Garden for following up on a story that so many of us design fans were wondering about.
