Strange Closets

“I’m not like anybody else,” says Ginger as we climb the stairs to the second floor apartment in her Roscoe Village coach house.  Ginger works from home, so she needed a large space, preferably with two levels.  With its bright color blossoms, pop culture punches and silly Satanic shout-outs, Ginger’s apartment reveals a whimsical [...]

“I need to make sure I stay healthy,” says Samantha very soon after we introduce ourselves.  Sam gave up financial security when she started her business, a private zoo and animal talent agency she operates out of her Chicago 3-flat, and she knows one bad health problem could leave her homeless.  While Samantha makes at [...]

“Some nutty old man owned this house…and I want to be the next one,” said Frank back in 1989 when he first toured his one bedroom, one bath single family home on Chicago’s northwest side.

Frank and Nicki moved to Chicago from Phoenix in 2005, excited to sell their car and take advantage of Chicago’s public transportation, relatively low cost of living and famed restaurant scene. Nicki quickly secured a job, and because Frank was in the Museum industry, he was confident that he’d likely have similar luck finding [...]

This week’s Open House is particularly timely, as owners Dave and Kristin Gonnella, whose Ravenswood Manor bungalow sits scenically beside the Chicago River, spent a tense couple of days last week watching the river rise outside their home while hearing news reports about the extensive flooding in nearby Albany Park. Luckily their home, which they [...]

Like most couples, Chad and Neil had very different ideas about what constitutes the perfect home when they moved into their Lincoln Square apartment three years ago. Chad dreamed of modern sophistication while Neil, who grew up in a Connecticut home that was built in 1791, favored a more rustic aesthetic.
Fortunately, they both got what [...]

Former Open House star Beth moved recently, but I’ll always love her Lincoln Square place and appreciate her willingness to invite me to share it with you on Strange Closets.
When Beth and I met during one of my Svenska Mobler lunch sojourns, she surprised me by engaging in a conversation about the nature of good [...]