Before & After of a Chic Chicago Condo

I was thrilled when Rachel, from An Eventful Life, and her husband Brett reached out to me to help with their new condo in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago.

Brett and Rachel are so easy going and open to new ideas (a blessing for me!). Not to mention, they are so stylish and creative themselves. Rachel, a party and lifestyle blogger, was not afraid to tackle a few DIY’s along the way.

I’m delighted to finally share some before and after photos of this Lakeview condo!

Here are a few of the BEFORE shots:

And the AFTER:

First, we took inventory of the pieces they owned already and wanted to keep (Chippendale chairs, ottoman and sofa were on this list). Next we created a wish list of items. I created a functional space plan keeping their pieces and deciding which items to add that would work best with their floor plan. A dining area was a MUST since entertaining is a big part of their lives.

Staining the floors, paint and adding the trim were all the icing on the cake. Since the space is a shared living and dining area, it was key to source pieces that created an open and airy feeling.

Rachel and Brett love the navy and mint color combo so this was a no brainer when it came to their overall color theme. Choosing coordinating colors for other pieces (ie: rug, accessories) and adding a little DIY project tied everything together beautifully.

Rachel had found these Chippendale chairs online (a steal!) and painted them mint green herself. To tie in the colors, we used a navy mirror and another DIY project for above the sofa using the same mint green paint color.

Rachel and Brett also recently welcomed their new pup, Riggins. He was a little camera shy but doesn’t he make the perfect model?

So handsome Riggs.

Another must have for an entertainer? A fully stocked bar cart of course! We added this Confetti print from Minted which is designed by another local blogger, Blair Staky from The Fox and She (so fun + colorful).

Another great piece for the host with the most? This tray table which easily serves cocktails or apps but doubles as an accent table for everyday. It’s also foldable and easily moved (another plus for condo living when you need to make more space for parties, or photo shoots in Rachel’s case 🙂

A similar tray table can be found here from High Fashion Home (they have great bar carts too!)

This mint green and gold paint canvases that Rachel made turned out beautiful! She used this tutorial which I will be saving to my own Pinterest DIY board for later.

Don’t you just love that beach print?

It’s always so awkward when the countertop extends further than the cabinets in the kitchen. Especially if you are adding a backsplash. I see this way too often where things in the kitchen just don’t line up. 

Where should the backsplash end? My tip is to always keep the backsplash flush with the cabinets. Even better, fill in that extra space next to the cabinets with a few shelves like we did here then extend the backsplash.

I’m all about adding in some open shelving in kitchens lately. A few reasons being:

• Open shelving can give the illusion of a bigger space
• Nice way to put your favorite dishes or seasonal decor on display
• These corner shelves created a seamless continuation to the edge of the counter

In case I haven’t mentioned it enough already, Rachel and Brett love to entertain. An expandable dining room table was a MUST. The Avalon white table from Crate and Barrel is expandable which allows for extra seating when hosting larger parties.

Rachel reached out to a local favorite, MegMade, to complete the dining area with matching chairs. If you aren’t familiar, MegMade is basically the queen at refurbishing quality pieces of furniture. You can customize paint and upholstery for every piece in their shop. 

Rachel and Brett, thank you for sharing your home and allowing me to help design it! It was a pleasure to work with you and it was wonderful to see you and the growing family enjoy your new condo 🙂

Cheers!

See more of the before and after’s on Rachel’s blog, An Eventful Life!