Balancing Bright and Beautiful in a Bennett Park Penthouse
An Art Deco-Style Design by Brianne Bishop Sparkles and Soothes
The living room’s contrasting coffee tables are by Robert Ferraroni from deAurora. Multiple elements from Baker Furniture include a pair of guest chairs and a lounge chair. The curved sofas and the curtains (both here and throughout) showcase fabric from Holly Hunt.
For a penthouse apartment high above the bustle of the city in One Bennett Park, Brianne Bishop was asked to deliver a design dripping with luxe fabrics, metallic touches, and Art Deco. But the path to success necessitated the right balance of glacial sophistication and something warmer.
“We were all on the same page that this elegant space needed to have a strong Art Deco influence,” explains Bishop. But it was unusual to work with a client so unperturbed by wear and tear. “We were delighted when they said durability is not a concern,” said Bishop of her empty-nester clients, who requested as much silk, mohair and velvet as possible. “With this direction, we knew we had to source from the top textile vendors and headed to The Mart.”
Shaping the living room began with delineating vignettes to divide it effectively. “The center space was massive and required large curved sofas covered in Great Plains by Holly Hunt white silk,” she says. “The Baker lounge chairs brought the Deco touch and are upholstered in a soft cashmere.”
Left: Though Bishop did not design the kitchen, she likes how elements such as the counter stools from Baker add textural variety to the otherwise-white scheme. Relaxed wildflowers and romantic greens provide a counterpoint to the space’s cool elegance. Wall ovens by Wolf. Island faucet by House of Rohl.
Right: Bishop grounded the dining room with a beautiful rug that the clients had custom made, and crowned the space with an Ochre chandelier in cast bronze with glass drops, through David Sutherland. Bishop felt it was dramatic enough to hold its own against the splendid lake views.
Bishop continues, “Formations coffee tables by deAurora were the perfect grounding element.” But what of the decision to commingle finishes? “Mixing metals successfully is an art,” Bishop says. “Our approach is to stay consistent. For example, if hardware is nickel, stick with nickel on fixed elements. If you introduce a gold finish, keep it consistent, such as furniture only. In this project, we had a combination of golds, bronze, and polished nickel—all warm metals.”
White remains dominant throughout the adjacent kitchen, family room and dining spaces— including an audaciously pale, custom rug under the dining table. But Bishop found room for color, as well. She used rich, saturated Flight wallcovering from Phillip Jeffries to create contrast in the powder room. The family room’s custom sectional is a similarly deep, smoky green. And the entry’s ebullient blue walls prime visitors for views of Lake Michigan.
Left: Bishop and her team instantly fell for this Phillip Jeffries mural wallcovering featuring cranes in flight, noting how its deep emerald
field complements the powder room’s onyx vanity and mirror, providing welcome contrast to brightness elsewhere in the home.
Right: Though she is a fan of dark, moody entries, Bishop chose to emphasize the blue of Lake Michigan here by dressing the walls in a cheerful blue silk wallcovering by Zinc through Romo.
In the bedroom, soft grays and earth tones seem perfectly matched to the majestic skyscrapers outside the window. “The nightstands are custom, as they needed to be quite small but still functional,” says Bishop. “And one of my all-time favorite chandeliers brought the edge to the space.”
Overall, the project proved a balm for Bishop’s Deco-loving soul. “Art Deco is my favorite period in design, so to be hired to implement all of the Deco inspiration I have gathered over the years in such an iconic building was nothing short of a dream,” she says. “When sourcing Art Deco- influenced lighting and furniture, we knew The Mart was our place to shop. From the luxe fabrics and wallcoverings to the high-end furniture and statement lighting, we struck gold.”
Left: The kitchen is complemented by this family room area, that features a custom sectional upholstered in plush mohair from Dedar through Holly Hunt, which wraps around a white leather ottoman from Baker Furniture near a cozy fireplace.
Right: Sumptuous bedroom touches include a custom pleated bed in silk velvet fabric from Holly Hunt, which was also the source for the Great Plains wool-and-leather-tape detail of the draperies.