HomeOpen House: Jeff and Keelin’s Zen-sational Rogers Park Home
31. Jul, 2008 
11 Comments
Jeff and Keelin live life with a purpose and deliberation that’s often missing in a world gone mad with e-mail and cell phones and corporate jobs. Both followed their heart, even as it led them down a fork in the road a little less safe (but a lot more fun) than the path taken by most.
In the music industry, there are few frequencies on the dial between barely making it and rock stardom, but as the Music Director (and a Resident performer) for the Blue Man Group, Jeff has successfully achieved clear reception on a notoriously static-prone station, as difficult to pick up as Radio Tokyo from Chicago.
While not a musician, Keelin nevertheless operates comfortably on frequencies across the spectrum*. As a licensed acupuncturist, Keelin is adept at fine tuning her patient’s energies to ensure they vibrate harmoniously and promote good health.
Continued . . .
Keelin also designs and makes incredibly unique and beautiful furniture (including several pieces in the couples home), an endeavor in which she mixes and manipulates the slushy material to create the perfect form, seconds before its molecules slow down, stop dancing and become solid – pure potential made reality. If that weren’t enough, Keelin’s an Interior Designer and took on the General Contractor role to ensure that the finished home met their expectations.
When the couple first toured their home, Jeff and Keelin were attracted to the large lot and the location, which is situated conveniently between public transportation and the shores of Lake Michigan. Despite these benefits, they knew that they would need to completely rehab the property to make it a comfortable fit for them.
Bucking convention, the couple re-envisioned the Victorian as an Asian-inspired sanctuary. The attention to detail includes custom-made, solid wood doors inspired by Chinese screens, an elevated dining room with a custom dining table (made out of concrete by Keelin) and an open and airy floor plan. The pair favor whimsical light fixtures and own a number of fixtures (in the entry, kitchen and dining room) designed by Ingo Maurer.
They also transformed their rather average Chicago yard into a lush and tranquil garden, its large pines, vegetation and water feature suggesting a Tibetan landscape.
Check back in tomorrow for a tour of Jeff and Keelin’s back yard garden and a peek at Jeff’s soundproofed recording studio, which was designed by Steve Albini, the legendary audio engineer who has worked with numerous bands, including Nirvana.
I love that light fixture in the entry way, are those lightbulbs with wings ? !
Wow! Just WOW!!!!
Plenty of space for me there. I’m packing my bags now. Do you know what paint chip they used in the entry (the green color)?
I would give a tooth for that fabulous arbor at the entrance.
Congrats to Jeff and Keelin – a beautiful and tranquil home. Very inspiring. (Code for…lots of ideas I want to steal!) I’m with Greg – when can I move in?
that is so beautiful!
This is what a home should be like- elegant, simple, sophisticated, solid, lived-in, chic, etc. It feels like a foundation- when you get there you can relax, rest, unwind, and know the earth below you is going to hold you up. Do you need a house boy?
It’s a rare space that is breathtaking beautiful, yet also so inviting and warm that you want to sit in every room. Great use of color and rugs.
What a beautiful home you have….from an long friend! Traci