Summer Thornton, a Chicago-based interior designer, renovated her 1877 Victorian office into a creative showcase that reflects her unique design style. Evidence of her hallmark mixing of colors and patterns is prominent throughout her workspace, which serves both as an office and a client meeting area. Taking on a project with personal significance amidst client work, she desired to create a spectacular environment while overcoming challenges of restoration. The design, including a concept called Summer's Folly, integrates whimsical elements suggested by her daughter, showcasing a blend of inspirations that highlights Thornton's artistic voice.
"I'm taking the ideas my clients won't do," she says, reflecting on the recent renovation of her own Chicago office, an 1877 Victorian house in Lincoln Park.
"It was my last priority," she concedes, calling the two-year process 'a cobbler-with-no-shoes situation.'
"We wanted to make it really spectacular," she notes. Case in point: the entry, with its terrazzo floors, bold green carpeting up the stairs, and pagoda pendants.
"It's a mismatch of inspirations, from classical to folk to fairy tale." Her young daughter suggested including cheetahs alongside sheep, giraffes, swans, and deer.
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