HomeOpen House: Ryan and Libby’s West Andersonville apartment
09. Nov, 2009 
12 Comments
Ryan McCarthy and Libby Alexander’s three bedroom, one bath West Andersonville apartment was the subject of an article I wrote for Time Out Chicago’s Halloween issue, and I liked it so much I asked if I could return to snap some photos for Strange Closets. So let’s get on with it already.
Before Ryan and Libby fell in love and cohabitated so splendidly, they were merely co-workers at Schubas, a condition which persisted until Libby noticed Ryan’s prodigious vocabulary.
“We’re both kind of book nerds, vocabulary nerds,” says Libby. “We hung out and became friends and fell in love.”
Ah, the happy ending, the outcome for which the vast majority of narratives strive, something to work toward when spinning a good yarn or when struggling to explain suffering and injustice. Dr. Martin Luthor King, Jr. famously said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” But despite being deprived of telling you about their first meeting and courtship with more immediacy, I was curious about how the story played out for Ryan and Libby after family and friends had begun taking their union for granted and real life had reared its imperfect head again.
As it turns out, things are going swimmingly, especially when it comes to their groovy decor. As you can see in the photos, Libby has a fondness for items forgotten by time: swag lamps, doilys and owls (lots and lots of owls), a predilection she’s had ever since she can remember. Her mom’s friend dubbed her Antique Girl when she was but a lass, her mom was crazy for ‘tiques, and her grandmother roused her at the crack o’ dawn to trawl garage sales. Now it’s Ryan who’s playing enabler for her second-hand addiction.
Libby likes pairing pieces from different time periods, a doily placed on a sixties-era pebble top bi-level occasional table with a vintage plastic doll’s head and a Cuban cigar tin used as a planter. And she’s fortunate to work in the field.
¤
Continued . . .
¤
¤
When she’s not working as a mild-mannered receptionist at the Edgewater Chamber of Commerce, Antique Girl operates her Etsy store and works freelance taking photos for Internet auctioneer Essex Antiques. What it boils down to is, they give her boxes of stuff, which she photographs for Internet auction.
“I get to unwrap presents all day,” says Libby.
¤
Above: Scenes from an Etsy store. Libby’s photos are amazing, no?
¤
I didn’t quite understand the Edgewater Chamber of Commerce gig until I realized it gave Libby access to potentially platinum level information about buildings to be torn down, estate sales to be announced and businesses to be liquidated. Of course, when asked, Libby Alexander’s response is typically political. “As a budding entrepreneur, it’s good to learn about the best way to work with the city.”
Recently Ryan and Libby adopted a dog. “She’s a Blue Heeler mixed with something that makes her not a Blue Heeler,” explains Libby. That’s why the couple call their pooch Cartoon Dog. Although Cartoon Dog had some difficult puppy experiences, living in a stable home with Vocabulary Man and Antique Girl has been good for her.
¤
¤
Libby doesn’t think they’d mind it if they wound up living in their light-filled top floor apartment forever. The owner lives in the apartment downstairs, a kind guy who promises he’ll never raise their rent, an artist who lets them be and who doesn’t mind when they have parties or play loud music. But if Libby has her way, they’ll be moving to a massive loft in Pilsen someday. Libby wants to buy an entire building and use part of it for living and part of it for working, for storing her merchandise and for a photo studio where she can style and shoot products and vignettes. So that’s it. Happily ever after.
Thanks Ryan and Libby!
¤
FUN FACT: Libby’s appreciation for taxidermy stems not from reading Domino nor a genuine interest in so-called urban cabin style. “I was interested in dissection and science and looking at animals,” explains Libby. “It creeps me out, but I like to be around it for entertainment’s sake.”
¤
Click here for past Open House tours.
¤
Click here to visit Libby’s Etsy shop.
¤
My favorite things in this apartment:
The beautiful light.
The little guy next to the Tampa planter tin.
The brick wall in the kitchen.
I am going to look for Antique Girl’s Etsy shop and see what else she’s up to.
Hey there
what a neat story. Your place looks great and the two of you even better! Ciao Baby!
the “old man” version of the russian stacking/nesting dolls is awesome, and an angel to serenade you in the back porch….cute.
Thanks for visiting us, Tate. And for any folks out there looking for their very own Cartoon Dog, we adopted her through Red Door Animal Shelter. http://www.reddoorshelter.org/
I am totally getting into the doiley look these days. but the cut paper versions….all in white.
Libby, your place looks awesome! I’m in love with that pale blue on your walls mixed with all the white. It’s such a pretty palette for your awesome finds.
that’s not an “old man” version of the russian stacking dolls, but past presidents/prime ministers/czars starting with Putin and going back.
Hey, I think I recognize something in the kitchen from Aunt Bette
You go girl!
I just got back from LA and this is the perfect example of what I love so much about living in Chicago- SPACE!!! You get to decorate lots of rooms.
The apartment looks young and fresh and comfortable.
Nice job.
serious lol at quoting martin luther king