COLLECTED ELEGANCE 

Lauren Buxbaum Gordon of Nate Berkus Associates transforms a Lincoln Park townhouse into a home layered with provenance, personality, and soul.

The home feels layered, lived in, and deeply personal, revealing itself one thoughtfully composed space at a time. It is the kind of house that invites lingering over a glass of wine, gathering friends around the kitchen island, or curling up with family at the end of the day.

That sense of authenticity is precisely what Lauren Buxbaum Gordon of Nate Berkus Associates set out to create. Working with homeowners relocating from New York to Chicago, Gordon helped transform a handsome but builder-finished townhouse into a residence filled with warmth, character, and history. Rather than reinventing the architecture, the design team focused on uncovering its potential, layering architectural details with collected furnishings and meaningful materials to create a home with provenance.

For Gordon, that approach has always come naturally. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan before studying interior design at Chicago’s Harrington College of Design. Yet, she credits her childhood as the greatest influence on her design philosophy. Raised by parents who were antique dealers, she spent weekends wandering shops on buying trips throughout Europe, developing an instinctive appreciation for craftsmanship, patina, and the stories embedded within well-loved objects. Long before she became a designer, she understood that the most memorable homes are crafted through layers, not formulas.

Gordon’s professional story is equally serendipitous. During her junior year at Michigan, one of her closest friends—Nate Berkus’ sister—arranged an internship interview at the young designer’s studio. Just weeks after she began working there, Berkus offered Gordon a full-time position upon graduation. Nearly 24 years later, she remains one of the firm’s most trusted creative partners, helping shape the signature aesthetic that has become synonymous with relaxed luxury and deeply personal interiors.

Rather than prescribing how a luxury home should function, Gordon focuses on understanding how her clients spend their days, where they gather, what brings them joy, and how their surroundings can better support those rhythms. This approach reflects a broader movement among today’s luxury homeowners who are choosing function over convention and personalization over predictability.

For this project, design decisions reveal that the home’s greatest luxury is found in its functionality rather than its finishes. In one instance, instead of a traditional formal dining room, the couple envisioned an intimate wine lounge centered around their growing collection. So, Gordon created a space that feels equal parts European salon and modern gathering space, where richly textured seating, moody lighting, and carefully displayed bottles replace the expected dining table, creating a destination designed for conversation instead of ceremony. Even the unconventional decision to convert part of the garage into a home gym reflects Gordon’s client-first philosophy. Formality has given way to flexibility, and beautifully designed spaces now prioritize connection above all.

Throughout the home, every room tells its own story while contributing to a larger narrative. Recurring materials, architectural detailing, and the firm’s signature balance of antique and contemporary elements ensure the interiors feel cohesive while allowing each space its own distinct identity.

A dramatic first impression begins in the entry where an expansive checkered stone floor and custom iron-and-glass doors establish an immediate sense of confidence, signaling that this is a home willing to embrace personality rather than play it safe. The kitchen, anchored by its striking graphic checkered flooring and antique-feeling lanterns, balances fresh energy with timeless craftsmanship. It is elegant enough for entertaining yet warm enough to serve as an everyday hub.

The adjoining living spaces continue that dialogue between old and new. Plush upholstery sits comfortably alongside antique case pieces collected over time, while textured fabrics, weathered woods, and softly antiqued mirrors lend each room a sense of ease. Nothing feels overly coordinated or newly purchased. Instead, the interiors possess the effortless charm of a home assembled gradually through years of travel, collecting, and thoughtful curation.

That collected quality has become one of Gordon’s signatures. She and Berkus have long believed that a home should tell the story of its owners, not its designer. Antique furniture, vintage lighting, inherited heirlooms, and treasures discovered while traveling all contribute to spaces that feel deeply individual. Patina is celebrated rather than concealed. Chipped paint, worn leather, aged brass, and richly textured linens bring warmth that pristine new furnishings alone cannot replicate.

Private spaces are treated with equal intention. A whimsical bunk room introduces a sense of play without abandoning the home’s refined aesthetic, creating a space that feels imaginative yet enduring. Upstairs, the primary suite offers an entirely different mood—quiet, restorative, and composed of calming textures and natural materials that transform it into a true retreat from city life.

Ultimately, this townhouse is less a showcase of beautiful rooms than a portrait of the people who inhabit them. Visitors are welcomed into spaces that feel collected rather than decorated, refined yet entirely livable. Children, pets, friends, family, celebrations, and everyday routines are all part of the design story. And when the front door closes at the end of the day, Gordon hopes the homeowners experience exactly what every great designer strives to create—not simply a beautiful house, but a place that feels unmistakably like home.

For more information, visit nateberkus.com.