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LUXE MAGAZINE
URBAN OASIS
By Nancy A. Ruhling
Winter 2008, Volume 1, Issue 2
Sometimes it is easier to make big moves in small steps. So when Tim and Janiece Webb decided to give city living a try, they kept one foot in suburbia and planted the other firmly in a pied-a-terre in Chicago's Park Tower. Before the windy city so much as ruffled their hair, the small-venture capitalists felt more at home on the Magnificent Mile than in their 10,000-square-foot English Tudor, so when they had the chance to buy a bigger condo, they grabbed it.
Their new three-bedroom space, on the tower's 55th floor overlooking Lake Michigan, was designed to give them the best of both worlds. City and suburb come together to create a work/living space that is comfortably convenient and classically contemporary. "I wanted to create an elegant yet warm and soft place," says Janiece, who did the interior decorating. "I also wanted to make it as much like the other unit we had, but I wanted to update it."
The unit was gutted, and architect Cathy Osika, AIA, a principal of Chicago-based Burns + Beyerl Architects, created a design that balances transitional style with traditional detail, yet still allows for a dash of eclectic whimsicality that is conveyed through the decorative accents that Janiece collected during business trips around the world.
The kitchen, which is one of Janiece's favorite rooms, is the perfect example of the blending of ideas. The six-burner stove, double ovens and two dishwashers say no-nonsense gourmet kitchen, while the pair of crystal chandeliers, which dangle from the ceiling like diamond earrings, add just the right dash of delicious delight and shed light on the central island - an exotic piece made in China from ancient wood. "Every room in the condo is unique," says Richard Steineke, who along with Robert Milke owns Presidential Builders & Development in Schaumburg. "Even the glass tile in the kitchen is pretty special; everyone who sees it wants to touch it."
The defining element of the condo is its extraordinary custom millwork that acts as a recurrent motif in every room. In the living room, for instance, the arched-stone fireplace is accented by a sleek massacar-ebony mantel that rises, tower-like, to the ceiling.
All the good wood comes together in the loft-like area that includes the living room, dining room, family room and office/guest room, where the coved ceiling sets the tone for the walnut library-style paneling that delineates each space. "I've been doing this for 24 years, but this room is unique," says Kevin Mack, president of Elk Grove Village-based NuTrend Cabinet. "The three-leaf pocket door that separates the office/guest room is the largest I've ever done. It's a millwork extravaganza that took a lot os engineering and planning."
The new unit has been a big hit with family and friends. "Someone's usually staying over," Janiece says. It is in this cozy oasis that Tim and Janiece have come to spend their days, sharing a home office. They can view the world from afar; in addition to the lake, the John Hancock Center and the Old Water Tower are the main attractions.
And best of all, they do decide to venture out, they know that civilization is right at their front door: They love going to restaurants and shopping Michigan Avenue. So is room service: The first 20 floors of the tower are park of the Park Hyatt hotel. "When we have parties, we often have them catered by the hotel," Tim says, adding that they couldn't ask for anything more. As for Janiece, she wouldn't think of living anywhere else because "there's so much energy in the city and so much to do."
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