Tour a Chicago Duplex That Embraces Cozy Luxury

Olaniyi Swarn is a Chicago-based interior stylist and the writer behind the decor blog, J’Adore le Decor. For the past 25 years, the stylist and her husband have had a 900 square foot duplex condominium to call their own. Designing the home to their tastes has been an ongoing project, one Olaniyi would be the first to call a labor of love.

Located in one of Chicago's nearby suburbs, the home contains a fascinating backstory. It was originally built by famed architect Elbert Peets as part of a planned community for GIs returning from WWII. By the time Olaniyi arrived, the home's previous resident, a carpenter, had made some interesting design choices. "There was floor-to-ceiling brown and gold 1970s tile in the bathroom, psychedelic metallic wallpaper in the dining room and plaid wallpaper in the kitchen," she remembers. "But the bones were good."

Polishing up those bones took a bit of doing. "We were quite young when we purchased this home, so our renovations have taken place over time," Olaniyi relates. Gone are the dated tiles and mind-bending wallpapers, replaced by Olaniyi's unique talent for mixing textures and patterns in the context of whimsical pastel color palettes. Metallics still play a part in the decor, albeit in more contemporary ways, appearing as furnishings and wall art, adding yet more color and texture to the living room.

Shying away from descriptions of her personal design style as "eclectic," a term she feels has become overused, Olaniyi defines her approach as, "edgy elegance with quirky undertones of bohemian, global and familial influences." It's a mouthful, but she lives up to it. One of the key elements in this mix are moments like this wooden bowl filled with black stones and decorated with small pictures of her grandmother, parents, brother and other members of the family. It's a beautiful way to weave a family story into the decor, one of many that add depth and soul to this space.