THE ART OF LIVING GRACIOUSLY 

Designer Lee Thinnes layers art, antiques, and texture to shape a sophisticated Gold Coast retreat.

For the romantics among us, sophisticated city living was best captured in those Golden Age Hollywood films where women were gently relieved of their furs before popping into well-appointed powder rooms to freshen their lipstick, and men in their starched collars one-upped each other in front of the fireplace, cigars in hand. Furs are few these days, and if you want to light up a Cohiba, chances are you’ll have to step outside. But apartments worthy of Carole Lombard and Cary Grant remain, such as this 1920s condo chicly kitted out by Lee Thinnes of Winnetka’s Lee’s Antiques & Interiors. Home to a well-traveled couple with a keen eye for art, the Gold Coast residence exudes an understated graciousness, enveloped in eye-soothing shades of blue complemented with warm earth tones and rounded out with a range of fabrics and textiles that create a subtle visual depth. Touches of black punctuate the home, from the French doors between the living and dining rooms and the twin vanities in the primary bathroom, to the lantern that hangs above the kitchen’s cozy eating area featuring a banquette and bentwood cafe chairs.

“Art was definitely the jumping off point to begin the creative process,” shares Thinnes, who generated the look of the home by studying her clients’ collection, which was assembled, in part, with the help of F.L. Braswell Fine Art. In a corridor, she responded to the hint of brown in a Marino Marini etching and the soft orange-red of several Henri Matisse linocuts by covering the walls in a rust-hued sea grass paper from Holly Hunt. She hung Donald Sultan silk screens in the den, then drenched the entire room in a dark navy blue so the prints would pop. “The transformation of what was a small, very bland white box into an elegant and comfortable cocoon was especially pleasing to my clients and me,” notes Thinnes. “We contrasted the dark navy with a light sofa sleeper from Serena & Lilly, two 1950s Italian armchairs by Ico Parisi, and a vintage Charles Hollis Jones coffee table to create a very relaxing room for watching TV or to serve as a guest bedroom.”

Thinnes cast a wide net when sourcing furniture for the residence, reeling in 18th-century Irish pieces, Louis XVI-style antiques, mid-century modern items, and contemporary sofas and headboards. The dining room, with its view of the lake and the city skyline, is grounded with an antique Tabriz wool carpet and capped with a silver leaf wallpaper on the ceiling. Robert Delaunay lithographs adorn one wall, and a 20th-century brass and crystal chandelier in a French Empire style hangs above an 18th-century Irish hunt table.

The primary bedroom sports a streamlined look with color and texture setting the mood. Two marble-topped Louis Philippe bureaus frame the opening to the ensuite bath and dressing area, which is highlighted by portières in Holland & Sherry wool drapery. A sisal rug, topped with an antique Tabriz rug in shades of blue, covers the floor. The intimate sitting area is outfitted with a vintage Italian wheat sheaf table and a pair of deep-seated chairs upholstered in a ticking stripe with a raffia bullion fringe.

In the living room—home to works by Pablo Picasso, Matisse, Joseph Hecht, and John Opera—Thinnes removed a builder’s grade green marble hearth and surround from the 1990s and custom-designed an elegant replacement in Calacatta Monet marble that is more in keeping with the architectural vibe of this pre-war building. Formal, yet far from stuffy, the room is set with an antique Persian carpet, linen-covered sofas from Serena & Lilly, a 1940s French coffee table in iron, brass, and glass, and a cantilevered glass and brass side table by Karl Springer. You can almost hear the clink of ice in cocktail glasses, the murmur of sparkling conversation, and the laughter of a happy crew.

For more information, visit leesantiques.net.