Balancing Act
Searl Lamaster Howe harmonizes vintage charm and contemporary function in a refined yet relaxed fusion of midcentury modern and Parisian style.
Left: In the living room the iconic Ward Bennett Scissor Chair, reupholstered in a bold red Knoll upholstery provided by Kravet, pops against the backdrop of a white wall, painted in Benjamin Moore’s Chantilly Lace.
Right: The foyer pulls double duty as guests’ first impression of the space as well as a space to remove one’s shoes. Barry Dixon’s Lorrain mural wallpaper in greige from Fabricut creates immediate visual impact, while maintaining a neutral color palette. The slender bench with attached side table provides seating upon entry.
How does an interior designer know when to restore a space to maintain its original design intent or when to update it? The answer is simple: form follows function. If vintage design details work, keep them; when they don’t, modern updates make interiors functional for the 21st century.
When Chicago-based architecture firm Searl Lamaster Howe (SLH) was tasked with redesigning a vintage condo in the Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago, the design team considered what retro elements to preserve and what needed refreshing. The young homeowners, a recently married couple who had never lived together before, each brought a distinct aesthetic—midcentury modern for one, Parisian eclecticism for the other—and they wanted a cohesive home that reflected both.
The tufted high-back lounge chairs, upholstered in Villa Nova fabric by Romo Group, offer a cozy spot to sit and read in the living room. A floor lamp by Visual Comfort, through CAI Designs, illuminates the space, while window treataments from The Shade Store open to let in natural light.
“The project was an exercise in blending, starting with modern updates to a vintage condo, melding two design styles, and sourcing from retail to custom pieces,” explains SLH interior designer Bethany Grachan. “The clients knew what they individually liked, but they leaned on us to figure out how exactly that would come together.” The solution was a residence as relaxed as it is refined. “We proposed enhancements through lighting and fixtures to brighten the space, as well as through furniture and layouts to provide a home that was more functional to them,” Grachan adds. Maximizing light became a primary goal, as tan walls and outdated fixtures left the condo feeling dim. Designers painted the walls Benjamin Moore’s bright white Chantilly Lace and stained the hardwood floors in a warm, even tone to enhance the vertical surfaces. Updated lighting was selected to reflect off the white walls and distribute illumination throughout the condo.
“We had a vivid vision of how the space could look as you entered through the front door. Starting in the foyer specifically, the pastoral scene mural wallcovering set the tone for a strong first impression without being cluttered or overdone,” Grachan says of Barry Dixon’s Lorrain wallcovering. “Reapplying the foyer’s existing, well-detailed millwork trim in a fresh cotton white paint over the lightly toned wallcovering allowed us to honor and complement the building’s vintage past. The overall subtle foyer color palette was meant to contrast with the rooms beyond, providing a nice balance.”
Left: The designers reconfigured a kitchen island into a peninsula to carve out a Parisian café- like eating counter, topped with stone by MSI Surfaces, and surrounded by counter-height seats. An organic arrangement of porcelain plates—the client’s own newly acquired Royal Copenhagen blue-and-white collection as well as plates from her mother’s collection—adds a personal touch. MSI provided the floor tile, with New Style Cabinets in the peninsula, adorned with knobs and pulls by Katonah Architectural Hardware. Appliances from Wolf and Sub-Zero. Faucets by Brizo, through K&B Galleries.
Right: SLH designers created a custom banquette in the dining room. A mix of cushions—including Groundworks’ Ojai in Graphite from Lee Jofa, Castel Maison’s Te Vega in Metis from David Sutherland and Villa Nova’s Sudare in Carbon from Romo Group—offer comfort for intimate dinners. Pedrali Nemea chairs surround a classic elliptical Saarinen table.
A neutral palette and restrained materials draw the eye inward to the Ward Bennett Scissor chair reupholstered in bright-red Knoll fabric just beyond the foyer. “We aimed for the right mix of vintage and old-meets-modern and new, and let jewel tones mingle with light and bright hues,” Grachan says. “Unexpected and grounding accent pieces from shops like Jayson Home and Anthropologie, incorporated with a handmade side table from French Studio Brichet Ziegler, highlight a few of the other items that helped deliver a refined, yet relaxed, look.”
With a tight footprint, every space had to work harder; “some spaces had to pull double duty,” Grachan offers. The foyer serves homeowners and guests alike—providing storage while maintaining a strong first impression. “With the updated palette and lighting, furniture—such as the slender-legged bench with an incorporated side table—allows users a space to put on and take off shoes… the simple design serves as a space to collect dropped items.”
Left: Another reading nook in the living space features the Saarinen Womb chair with bold upholstery from Schumacher and floor lamp from CAI Designs.
Right: The primary bathroom mirrors the home’s cohesive design, with Benjamin Moore paint and New Style Cabinets with Katonah Architectural Hardware. Shower tile is from Artistic Tile.
The team also rethought traditional room roles. Though the condo had a large dining room, the clients didn’t need dining to dominate the space. “They wanted a space that felt quaint when it was just the two of them but also offered the ability to comfortably host a few friends and family,” Grachan explains.
Designers custom-made an eclectic banquette and paired it with a classic elliptical Saarinen table in warm rosewood, creating “this amazing balance of comfortable and casual meets unmatched and refined,” Grachan notes. “As this took up only a portion of the large room, we were able to incorporate an additional smaller seating arrangement that is perfect for reading or intimate gatherings.”
Left: Benjamin Moore paint covers the walls and nightstands in the primary bedroom, with bedside lamps by Michael Cleary and knobs and pulls by Katonah Architectural Hardware.
Right: Several seating areas are delineated within the living space. The soft jewel-toned sofa upholstery by Romo Group with pillows covered in Fabricut textiles stands out against the white walls by Benjamin Moore. A subtle wall sconce from Visual Comfort through CAI Designs casts an ambient glow.
The kitchen offers another illustration of thoughtful planning, as designers reconfigured the island into a peninsula to create a Parisian café-like eating counter.
In the end, the condo doesn’t read as vintage revived or modern imposed—it simply functions with quiet precision. Every design decision aligns how the space looks with how life actually unfolds inside it.