My Houzz: A Chicago Two-Story Circles the Globe
International travelers bunk downstairs, while pieces plucked from around the world grace both levels of this two-unit home
Graphic designer Meighan Depke spent much of her 20s and 30s exploring Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Eleven years ago she put down roots in Chicago and bought a 1906 two-flat: a two-story brick building with separate residences on each floor, connected with a common entrance. Since then Depke and her partner, landscape architect Dave Bier, have been renovating and filling their home with one-of-a-kind pieces.
Depke couldn't shake her wanderlust, though, and her family missed interacting with other travelers. So they decided to have the world come to them. They converted their downstairs unit into an urban bed-and-breakfast and guesthouse, which they rent out most of the year to international and U.S. visitors.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Meighan Depke, David Bier, Frances Depke (age 9) and cat Stringer Bell
Location: Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago
Size: Each unit is 1,200 square feet and has 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom.
Depke couldn't shake her wanderlust, though, and her family missed interacting with other travelers. So they decided to have the world come to them. They converted their downstairs unit into an urban bed-and-breakfast and guesthouse, which they rent out most of the year to international and U.S. visitors.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Meighan Depke, David Bier, Frances Depke (age 9) and cat Stringer Bell
Location: Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago
Size: Each unit is 1,200 square feet and has 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom.
"I always wanted a big, open space, and a Chicago two-flat is the opposite of that," Depke says. Undeterred, she knocked down walls and yanked out carpets and wallpaper to create the open kitchen space. "I scraped and patched and painted for years, room by room."
The couple planned to use a rescued church pew by the back door but discovered it was too large. Rather than despairing, the crafty DIYers simply cut the piece down to fit the space.
Kitchen cabinets: Ikea
The couple planned to use a rescued church pew by the back door but discovered it was too large. Rather than despairing, the crafty DIYers simply cut the piece down to fit the space.
Kitchen cabinets: Ikea
Just off the kitchen is a family room that Depke lovingly calls her "world corner." Nestled against one wall is a handmade couch that consists of a mattress covered in textiles. "I sit there a lot and read," says Depke. "The corner is filled with colorful pillows, and I can see everything going on but still feel alone." Burmese patio furniture, South American pottery and a gallery wall of framed travel photos complete the space.
Elsewhere in the family room, a wall was removed to add storage and an eating area outfitted with a vintage Paul McCobb table and chairs.
Daughter Frances enjoys playing with the visiting children who periodically occupy the downstairs space. In her room upstairs, Frances keeps her beloved doll collection and even made a doll bed to match her own bed.
The front room was converted into the couple's master bedroom. Depke took advantage of the bay windows to create a sitting area and a place for a wooden desk that Bier made by hand.
The couple's bed sits atop a 100-plus-year-old rug from Depke's grandmother, herself an avid traveler. As the space wasn't originally intended as a bedroom, Depke created her own closet using an assortment of storage units and screens from Ikea and Home Depot.
In this alternate view of the makeshift closet, it's easy to apreciate Depke's clever use of the small area.
Depke says her biggest design dilemmas are small rooms and limited space. "A Chicago two-flat typically has a railroad layout of small rooms," she says. "Finding furniture that fits is a challenge, and living with a family in only 1,200 square feet and no storage is incredibly hard at times. I’d kill for a mudroom!"
Depke says her biggest design dilemmas are small rooms and limited space. "A Chicago two-flat typically has a railroad layout of small rooms," she says. "Finding furniture that fits is a challenge, and living with a family in only 1,200 square feet and no storage is incredibly hard at times. I’d kill for a mudroom!"
In the first-level entry, guests are welcomed with masks from East Africa, textiles from Guatemala and a chicken coop she found locally.
"I pick up lots of cool things when I travel and work them into our space," Depke says. "I love the colors of the Middle East, the fabrics from South America and the clean lines of European design."
"I pick up lots of cool things when I travel and work them into our space," Depke says. "I love the colors of the Middle East, the fabrics from South America and the clean lines of European design."
The downstairs front room is used as a den. Depke paired a white leather couch from Ikea with vintage 1950s chairs in a bright orange hue and added shelving made of wood salvaged from a Dumpster and a refurbished coffee table found in their back alley.
The dining room includes a table from Depke's childhood. Enlarged reproductions of photos from a trip to Peru hang on the walls, and metal lockers found at a used office store offer storage.
Depke admires the design work of Vicente Wolf and Tricia Guild: "Vicente Wolf because he takes objects he has found in his travels and combines them in a beautiful way," she says. "His interiors are very soothing. Tricia Guild because of her love of color and texture."
Depke admires the design work of Vicente Wolf and Tricia Guild: "Vicente Wolf because he takes objects he has found in his travels and combines them in a beautiful way," she says. "His interiors are very soothing. Tricia Guild because of her love of color and texture."
The first of the two bedrooms in the rental unit is painted in a bold yet inviting hue, Greensleeves by Behr. Travel books, Guatemalan textiles and lighting from Ikea warm up the space.
"I buy what I love and make it work. It has been a slow accumulation," Depke says. "I try to group similar items and use color in a repetitive way, either in one room or multiple rooms."
"I buy what I love and make it work. It has been a slow accumulation," Depke says. "I try to group similar items and use color in a repetitive way, either in one room or multiple rooms."
Cherry-pink walls serve as a backdrop for a Guatemalan fabric wall piece and a vintage map in the second bedroom. A trunk, another vintage find, sits atop a rug from Iran and serves as a side table. Depke made the pillow covers; the accent textiles on the beds are from a repurposed old tablecloth.
"I love [using] color, maybe because I’m a designer and don’t believe in matching things," Depke says. "If you put it together and you like it, then to me it matches."
Wall paint: Mahogany Cherry, California Paints; pendant lamp: Fillsta, Ikea
"I love [using] color, maybe because I’m a designer and don’t believe in matching things," Depke says. "If you put it together and you like it, then to me it matches."
Wall paint: Mahogany Cherry, California Paints; pendant lamp: Fillsta, Ikea
In the kitchen Depke switched out the hardware, removed some of the cabinet doors and painted the cabinets Million Dollar Red by Benjamin Moore.
The eating area, which opens up to one of two decks, is a clean-lined and neutral space that features vintage Herman Miller office chairs and a small table from CB2.
Bier turned a small yard into an urban oasis. "We rode around the city in his big red truck searching for demolition sites and picking up discarded bricks and curbstones to make our fountain," says Depke. "Since the yard is now full, we have started to plant the alley and tree lawns along the street. I’m sure people think we are nutty!"
Although it elicits some curious stares from passersby, Depke painted her main entry a vivid custom blue. The bright color may be unexpected, but it sets the tone for her unique space and approach to design.
Depke offers this advice to other homeowners: "Do not fear color, and do not listen to anyone else when decorating. If you get something wrong, you can always fix it."
More: When to Paint Your Door Blue
Depke offers this advice to other homeowners: "Do not fear color, and do not listen to anyone else when decorating. If you get something wrong, you can always fix it."
More: When to Paint Your Door Blue
The wall screens that flank the entry to the master bedroom came from the mansion of the Brachs (of candy fortune) on the north shore of Chicago. They had been two panels in an enormous set that formed part of Mrs. Brach's elaborate walk-in closet.