While plenty of designers try to rid older homes of their traditionalism in favor of something more modern, Chicago-based interior designer Claire Staszak of Centered by Design leans into it. In fact, when she took on the task of designing and renovating a five-bedroom home in a North Shore suburb, it felt a little too modern for her liking—and for its new owners, a family of six. "It was very cold and almost Space Age, in my opinion," says Staszak. "It was designed by the first owner, who built the residence in 1998, so it was very specific to his tastes."
Staszak's first order of business was resetting the vibe. She and the mother and wife, who is a trained architect, wanted it to feel less contemporary, and more child-friendly without sacrificing style. "From an architectural perspective, we wanted to make the home feel more traditional," the designer says. Those weren't Staszak's only priorities, though: The clients are a conservative Jewish family, so she needed to design the kitchen to follow and embrace kosher guidelines. According to Jewish tradition, meat and dairy cannot interact. Though many Jewish families interpret the guidelines to fit their specific needs, all kosher kitchens have separate dishes, utensils, and sometimes sinks for meat and dairy. Some kosher families, including Staszak's clients, opt for separate fridges as well. In addition to what the designer described as the "dream kosher kitchen," another non-negotiable was the dining room, which needed to be big enough to host their large extended family.
That sense of spaciousness and comfort now extends into the rest of the home. In order to give the rooms that coveted sweeping and sprawling feel, Staszak made a few architectural edits, including removing outdated wall niches and overdone columns, carving out a mudroom, installing a new stair railing and baluster, and adding built-ins. "There was a real focus on maximizing storage in every room, designing beautiful, hardworking bathrooms, and adding pattern and color in sophisticated doses everywhere," she says. "Overall, we wanted to create a very happy and energetic space."
Entryway
Pictured above.
"This entry has a beautiful tile inlay, an interesting staircase, and eye-catching wallpaper. I think it has a quiet presence," Staszak notes. "I am always trying to strike a balance between it being 'done' but not over-the-top." Ceiling fixture: The Urban Electric Co. Bench: custom. Painting: Theo Pinto. Lighting: Visual Comfort.
Living Room
"This space was a little awkward because it is essentially part of the entryway. It functions as a living area, though, because the kids play in here and the family spends lots of time here—more on the weekends when friends and family are over," Staszak says. Artwork: Rachel Mica Weiss. Rug: Marc Phillips. Furniture: Highland House.
Staszak explains, "We love creating casual but sophisticated homes, starting with the foyer. We want people to feel welcome and comfortable, but notice the special attention to detail and craftsmanship, which is on display here." Wallpaper: Pierre Frey. Chairs: Highland House.
Kitchen
"This is a kosher kitchen that gets a lot of use," Staszak says. "They cook most nights of the week, and they host a lot of large family gatherings. The kitchen is definitely the heart of this home." Plumbing fixtures: Waterworks. Pendants: Visual Comfort. Table: Crate & Barrel. Dining chairs: Sossego.
"The gallery wall is comprised of all vintage art," says Staszak. "I am always collecting items I think will work well for clients, and I wanted a special little moment there over the sink. I hung it myself in about five minutes!" Lighting: Visual Comfort. Wallpaper: Morris & Co. Faucet: Waterworks.
Breakfast Nook
The breakfast nook slash family room sits right off the kitchen and shares its wood tones and Morris & Co. wallpaper. Dual sofa: custom, Centered by Design. Armchairs: Clients' own. Side table: Arteriors.
The cleverly designed sofa creates separate zones for dining and hanging out. "The blue sofa you see actually is two-sided," explains Staszak. "One side faces the table, and the other faces the sitting area."
Dining Room
"The Liberty London fabric on the back of the dining chairs more or less set the whole tone for this house. That fabric and the Pierre Frey wallpaper near the stairs were really two of the first elements we selected, and we built from there," Staszak says. Cabinets: custom, in Farrow & Ball Hague Blue. Chairs: Bunny Williams for Hickory Chair. Chandelier: The Urban Electric Co.
The designer adds, "The pattern and colors on the tabletop are from the clients' collection, and I chose to use them for styling the room because they are so bright, fun, and vibrant, like her." Tablecloth: Moda Operandi. Mirrors: Anthropologie.
Powder Room
"We were trying to make this traditional wallpaper feel more fresh with a funky sconce and mod mirror," Staszak says. Mirror: Made Goods. Wallpaper: Ferrick Mason. Faucet: Waterworks.
Primary Bedroom
"The artwork was collected and amassed over time," says Staszak. "Similarly to how we did the gallery wall in the kitchen kitchen, there was not a lot of planning here—just placing things that looked pretty together." Bed, nightstands, and headboard: custom, Centered by Design. Pendant: Visual Comfort. Drapery: Zak + Fox.
Boys' Room
"There are plenty of happy patterns and movement in both the fabrics and rugs," the designer says. Lighting: Colleen and Company. Rug: Loloi Rugs. Bunk bed: Oeuf. Drapery: Kelly Wearstler for Lee Jofa Modern.
Office
"The husband is a lawyer who works from the study in the evenings," Staszak says. "I think the rug is the most amazing feature in this room. It is one of the more expensive pieces, but it goes so well with the fireplace stone and the deep green color, which is on all the walls and the built-ins," she adds. Wall paint: Farrow & Ball Green Smoke. Rug: Patterson Flynn. Desk: CB2.
Chair: Vintage. Fireplace: Monet Marble. Lighting: Visual Comfort.
Q&A
House Beautiful: Did you encounter any memorable hiccups, challenges, or surprises during the project? How did you pivot?
Claire Staszak: This project spanned a few years, including a main furnishing phase during the height of Covid, so we certainly struggled with long lead times and tried to make a lot of the furniture locally. The primary bedroom has a custom bed, headboard, and nightstands that were a lot of fun to design.
HB: Where did the majority of the budget go?
CS: Some of the biggest spends were on electrical and lighting, cabinetry, the primary bathroom, and the kitchen overall—lots of appliances!
HB: Any other memorable details?
CS: The client would have wallpapered every wall in the house! Working with someone so unafraid of color and pattern is rare in gray-loving Chicago. It was such a breath of fresh air to be challenged with color and pattern in every room.
