Hinsdale, IL

*As Seen in House Beautiful Magazine, Nov/Dec 2023 issue"

For our House Beautiful Whole Home space, we were tasked with reimagining a room in a historically preserved home located in Hinsdale, Illinois. This 13,000 square foot mansion certainly had enough bedrooms to go around, so rather than create another sleeping space, we opted to design a room for the woman of the house to retreat to for stimulating conversation and creativity. Aiming to build the best book club room ever, and inspired by the European womens' salons of the 1600s where women and men were considered equal contributors to big ideas, we started by removing the century-old floral fabric-clad wall paneling and painting the entire space (ceilings and trim included) in a rich maroon shade. The entryway painted in Farrow & Ball's "sulking room pink" and lined with a floral wallpaper by Phillip Jeffries set a feminine tone for the room. We commissioned a custom mural from Area Public embossed with arabic calligraphy by artist Aadil Abedi as a nod to the wisdom found in the books that line the shelving of a cozy reading nook, and we made sure to preserve important details like the original mirror paneling that developed its own authentic patina over time. Rather than traditional drapes, custom filigree brass shutters cover the bay windows, and curved furniture creates a modern day conversation pit.