HomeOpen House: Amy and Tom’s Old Irving home
19. Apr, 2010 
13 Comments
People used to joke that Amy Meadows had a great many chairs but no place to sit because they were hanging on the wall. As it turns out, tiny chairs are just one of Amy’s many collections. In fact, the visual display professional / stylist / “design gun for hire” (she’s also on the Fashion Studies faculty at Columbia College) has so many collections that she doesn’t have have the space to display them all at once. When one of her collections, say her paint by numbers gallery or her Hoover Dam photo gallery, isn’t in active rotation, Amy stores them in large tubs in the basement. “A recent inventory revealed at least six large tubs marked quirky objects,” explains Amy. As befitting of one in her profession, Amy often changes something or other around the house; she often rotates the art, and she’s not opposed to painting the walls. Since Amy and husband Tom Camell, a metal sculptor, moved into their Old Irving four square 17 years ago, the front parlor has been painted rose, “a lovely cream of tomato-ish color,” a “sage-y moss color” and its current brick red color. They’ve even used it as a dining room.
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Amy and Tom decided to buy a place in Old Irving for strictly practical reasons. Its location on Chicago’s northwest side means convenient access to two Metra lines, multiple bus routes, a CTA line and the Kennedy Expressway. And after years of condo living, buying a real house seemed like a good reason to try something different (Amy says heading upstairs to hit the hay seemed like the very definition of adulthood). But Amy and Tom quickly fell in love with the neighborhood. They like that their church is located just a few blocks away and that their block is “chock full of kids.” Amy and Tom contributed two: Emma, 14, and Griffin, 12. The family was hanging out in the family room off of the kitchen when I arrived. “One person on the computer, two people doing homework and one person reading the paper,” explains Amy. I guess we know which two are doing homework. When I started taking photos, they moved into the dining room where the family started playing cards. Just another Sunday in Old Irving. Thanks Amy, Tom, Griffin and Emma!
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Click here for past Open Houses. Click here for Amy Meadow’s website. See out takes and more at the Strange Closets Facebook page.
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FUN FACT: Amy has worked with past Open House stars like Dawn (of Karl, Dawn, Kitt and Kendall notoriety), Maribeth (of Greg and Maribeth, a now-classic post) and Patrick and Mark (this one’s self-explanatory). “Maribeth and I go back forever. I remember her coming in for her interview, and I think I can even remember what she was wearing,” says Amy. Adding yet more intrigue, The Found co-founder Jim York, another former Open House star, is Amy’s yoga teacher. And there are even more connections, but you get the idea.
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This is a piece of art by Audrey Niffenegger, who wrote the best selling novel The Time Traveler’s Wife. When Amy heard about the book, she thought the name sounded familiar and then realized it was the name on the painting hanging in her front stairway at home.
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A vintage conveyor belt used as a room screen. Awesome huh?
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Framed pages from a vintage catechism book.
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what a talent!
crazy for the wall of chairs and the black framed photo collection.
especially love the wooden conveyor belt turned screen. i have one waiting for new shop and thought it might be a surprise for others to see. amy is miles ahead!
debra
I worked with Amy at Marshall Field’s, in the 80′s. She is such a talented, inspiring woman! Recently reconnected with her through facebook (I’m in California now) ….she’s still inspiring me after all these years!
Lots to love here !
What a cool house!
I love this place. Warm colors! Interesting accessories! Chairs! And the wall of art! Amy and family look sweet!
framed pages from a cathechism book? yes please.
Vibrant home filled with warmth and love!
I love the house,color, art. What a nice familly too!
Too fabulous–warm, whimsical, charming and so grown-up all in one !
Oh Amy,you are a girl after my heart. I had no idea. Glad to know that I’ve finally been validated by The Infamous Marshal Field’s Window Design Maven(you). My love of collecting is insane!!!! PS I’ve been saving a bunch of bottles for Griffin’s Coke Bottle Club House. Just meet me at the garage. PS.I posted this link on my FB page.
Amy is crazy talented and a brilliant designer. Her house certainly reflects that!
I agree with Jon. The house looks great, I especially like the warm colors and the art. There are so many unique pieces displayed throughout the home; they’re all different but somehow they all seem to go together. I loved the postcard bins mounted on wall! What a wonderful way to add color and also be reminded of people you care about and the destinations they’ve visited. Well done!
Thanks, everyone!
Tate will have to stop by again once the kids’ bedrooms have undergone a much-needed facelift (now, if only I could convice Emma and/or Griffin that a collection of souvenir plates or snow globes would be just the thing to make them the envy of their teen/tween friends!)