Open House: Tim and Megan’s River North apartment
I recently visited Chicago Home + Garden art director Megan Duffy Rostan’s place, and while I wasn’t there specifically to shoot it for an Open House, I was so impressed with the entire apartment that I asked her if I could share the photos with you. Megan’s husband Tim Rostan wasn’t home when I stopped by, but I had the pleasure to meet their little boy Patrick, and he’s a really good little guy, very well behaved and even cuter in person than in these photos (seriously).
Because I wasn’t on official Open House business, Megan says she had not appropriately styled the place.
“Seeing so many amazing homes in my daily work, I can’t help but feel like mine comes up short!,” says Megan. “I need a stylist and interior designer — but it’s like that saying about the cobbler’s kids not having any shoes.”
Continued . . .
Which is clearly the art director / design-o-phile in her talking, because I thought the place looked perfect. It’s interesting how we all go through the world seeing things so differently but we still manage to form societies and get along with each other (at least now and again). But back to the topic at hand, Megan’s mix of contemporary furnishings and mid-century classics set against a neutral palette of black, white/cream, blues and grays is spectacular and works well the architecture (i.e. ‘the bones’). Each of the building’s six units has private elevator access and luxurious finishes, including gorgeous walnut cabinetry by the Seattle based Henrybuilt. I particularly love the way the drawers are recessed within the cabinet’s frame, a look I’ve noticed being replicated in pieces available at West Elm and CB2.
Megan says she wanted their home to feel subdued, soothing and modern but also gracious and inviting, and in that, she succeeded. Thanks Megan, Tim and Patrick!
See page 73 of the Nov/Dec 2009 issue of Chicago Home + Garden to see a unit in the same building that has a much different aesthetic. And if you regularly follow Open Houses, please pick up the issue for my article about Chicago fashion icons Mark and Linda Heister, a couple who, like Megan Duffy Rostan, have embraced ebony hardwood floors in their La Porte, Indiana home. Mark and Linda Heister are a really fun couple, and the photographs are mind-blowing, so please check it out. Click here to subscribe to Chicago Home + Garden, a task which studies suggest positively impacts physical and mental well being.
Click here for Chicago Home + Garden EIC Jan Parr and her husband Peter’s Oak Park home.
Click here for past Open House tours.


06. Nov, 2009 


























I know she’s my art director and friend but still…wow!
love it
Unbelievable! What a treat to get a peak!
I LOVE IT!
Clean and fun!
We should all be so lucky to have our houses look this nice when someone shows up unexpectedly!
Great space. Stunning cabinetry – I love seeing Henrybuilt’s stuff in an actual home. Really nice example of warm modern.
the kitchen cabinets are fabulous.
What a nice, comfortable, happy home. I love it.