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Design Detour: Park and Oak
Favoring traditional architecture and thoughtful restorations, Park and Oak co-founder Renee DiSanto designs time-tested interiors made for modern families and built to last. The firm’s rooms read like a living history of the city they call home—think clubby lived-in leather, brick elements, vintage wool rugs and marble tulip tables—and the end result feels both accessible and undeniably chic. “Chicago has industrial roots and is also the birthplace of the skyscraper, but one of the things we love most about working here is that no one style is right,” DiSanto says. “In a large city with so much diversity, you can be inspired by so many different perspectives."
Photography: Jami Vandewoestyne Photography
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“We’ve built our business on what is timeless and classic, so it seems only natural that we’d host our dream dinner party at Le Colonial, a Chicago institution housed in one of the city’s historic rowhouses. As for the guests, we find so much inspiration from famed trailblazers and fellow entrepreneurs, so our dream dinner party would include the likes of early 20th century Chicago architect David Adler and modern-day design icons Ralph Lauren, Tory Burch, Bobby McAlpine and William McClure.”
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“Chicago and its suburbs are teeming with beautiful, historic homes. We love to be involved in renovations of these older homes, and we try to be true to their history. Morris & Co’s Pure Honeysuckle & Tulip is a paper from the 1800's, and you wouldn’t believe how frequently we find it in the older homes in our area. We keep selecting it for updates, because it honors the story of these homes, but also because it’s truly gorgeous.”
BRIGHT IDEA
“We prefer the muted quality of multiple, layered light sources throughout a room. We may use sconces (we love the Clemente Double Sconce by AERIN!), table and floor lamps throughout a single to set the mood and make the light more inviting or dramatic. When we do add a chandelier to a room, we choose a dimmable option that provides enough indirect light to keep us all looking young and mysterious.”
HOT TIP
“Michael T. Noonan's beautiful unretouched photography of bodies of water reflecting their surroundings are such a perfect match for our city on the lake. Known equally well for his art and social activism, Theaster Gates flows easily between performance, sculpture and installation art—always surprising and thought-provoking. Also, though our interiors tend to be traditional, sometimes you need a fresh pop from a modern artist. We love Magalie Guerin, a Chicago-based painter with a focus on abstraction.”
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“In addition to remarkable antiques sourced from the European countryside, Old Plank Antiques has a drool-worthy selection of leather club chairs.”
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“We love to use the Dorchester Swing Arm Floor Lamp by Chapman & Myers with a black shade to help set the mood in a cocktail room.”
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“The contrast between leather and metal on the Westbury Double Tier Chandelier by Ralph Lauren in Brass expertly toes the fine line between classic and fresh.”
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“We love the way the light shines through the mercury glass on the Lorford Smoke Bell Lantern by Chapman & Myers in Aged Iron when it’s lit. This fixture is classic in a hallway, but we also like them as kitchen pendants.”