Logan Square Historic Condo

This was Johanna Lyle’s home, her first owned space and playground in her early design days. The historic condo in Chicago had beautiful original details, including egg and dart molding in the living room, but it didn't have air conditioning. Installing it meant figuring out where soffits could go without disrupting the architecture. We hid them as much as possible and refused to run them through the living room, where they'd cut through the original molding. Natural light was limited—a large tree blocked most of it from the front—so we worked with midtones in the darker rooms rather than fighting it with pale colors that would've fallen flat. The dining room got more light, so we kept it bright with a creamy beige. We renovated the kitchen, both bathrooms, refinished the floors, and furnished the entire space. Much of it was thrifted, secondhand, or DIY-ed. It's the kind of home you build slowly, layering in pieces as you find them. This project is personal — less about solving a client's problems and more about Johanna figuring out her own design instincts in a space that mattered.