A Chicago Two-Story Circles the Globe

Graphic designer Meighan Depke spent much of her 20s and 30s exploring Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Twenty years ago she set down roots in Chicago and purchased a 1906 two-flat: a two-story brick building with different homes on each floor, connected with a common entry. Since then Depke and her partner, landscape architect Dave Bier, have now been renovating and filling their house with one-of-a-kind pieces.

Depke couldn’t shake her wanderlust, though, and her loved ones missed socializing with other travellers. So they chose to have the world come to them. They converted their downstairs unit into an urban bed-and-breakfast and guesthouse, which they rent out the majority of the year to international and U.S. visitors.

in a Glance

Who lives here: Meighan Depke, David Bier, Frances Depke (age 9) and kitty Stringer Bell
Location: Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago
Size: Each unit is 1,200 square feet and has 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom.

Valerie McCaskill Dickman

Depke and Stringer Bell like the dwelling room on the second level, in which the household resides.

The wall screens that flank the entrance to the master bedroom came from the mansion of this Brachs (of candy fortune) on the north coast of Chicago. They had been two panels in an enormous set that formed a part of Mrs. Brach’s elaborate walk-in closet.

Valerie McCaskill Dickman

“I always wanted a big, open area, and also a Chicago two-flat is the contrary of that,” Depke says. Undeterred, she knocked down walls and yanked out rugs and background to produce the open kitchen area. “I scraped and patched and painted for years, room by room”

The couple planned to use a rescued church pew by the rear door but discovered it was too large. Instead of despairing, the crafty DIYers just cut down the piece to match the space.

Kitchen cabinets: Ikea

Valerie McCaskill Dickman

Just off the kitchen is a living room which Depke lovingly calls her “world” Nestled against a single wall is a handmade sofa that consists of a mattress covered in fabrics. “I sit there a lot and see,” says Depke. “The corner is filled with colorful pillows, and I can see everything going on but still feel lonely.” Burmese terrace furniture, South American pottery and a gallery wall of framed travel photos finish the area.

Valerie McCaskill Dickman

Elsewhere in the living area, a wall has been removed to include storage and an eating place outfitted with a classic Paul McCobb table and seats.

Valerie McCaskill Dickman

Daughter Frances loves playing with the visiting kids who periodically occupy the downstairs area. In her room upstairs, Frances keeps her beloved doll collection and even made a doll bed to match her own bed.

Valerie McCaskill Dickman

The living area was converted to the couple’s master bedroom. Depke took advantage of the bay windows to create a sitting room and a place for a wooden desk that Bier made by hand.

Valerie McCaskill Dickman

The couple’s mattress sits atop a 100-plus-year-old rug from Depke’s grandmother, herself an avid traveler. Since the area wasn’t initially intended as a bedroom, Depke created her own closet working with an range of storage units and screens out of Ikea and Home Depot.

Valerie McCaskill Dickman

In this alternative view of this makeshift closet, it’s simple to apreciate Depke’s clever use of this little area.

Depke says that her biggest design dilemmas are little rooms and limited space. “A Chicago two-flat typically includes a railroad design of little rooms,” she says. “Finding furniture that fits is a struggle, and residing with a household in just 1,200 square feet and no storage is incredibly hard occasionally. I’d kill for a mudroom!”

Valerie McCaskill Dickman

In the first-level entrance, guests are welcomed with masks out of East Africa, fabrics from Guatemala and a chicken coop she found locally.

“I pick up lots of cool things when I travel and work them to our area,” Depke says. “I really like the colours of the Middle East, the cloths from South America and the clean lines of European design.”

Valerie McCaskill Dickman

The downstairs living area is traditionally used as a den. Depke paired a white leather sofa from Ikea with classic 1950s seats in a glowing orange color and additional shelving made of wood salvaged by a Dumpster and a refurbished coffee table located in their rear alley.

Valerie McCaskill Dickman

The dining area includes a dining table from Depke’s youth. Enlarged reproductions of photos from a trip to Peru hang on the walls, and metal lockers located at a used office store offer storage.

Depke admires the design work of Vicente Wolf and Tricia Guild: “Vicente Wolf because he chooses objects he has found in his travels and combines them in a beautiful manner,” she says. “His insides are extremely soothing. Tricia Guild due to her love of colour and texture.”

Valerie McCaskill Dickman

The first of the 2 bedrooms in the rental unit is painted in a daring yet inviting color, Greensleeves by Behr. Travel books, Guatemalan fabrics and lighting from Ikea warm up the area.

“I buy what I really love and make it work. It has been a gradual accumulation,” Depke says. “I try to group similar things and use colour in a repetitive manner, either in 1 room or several rooms.”

Valerie McCaskill Dickman

Cherry-pink walls serve as a background for a Guatemalan cloth wall bit plus a classic map in the second bedroom. A back, another classic find, sits atop a rug from Iran and functions as a side table. Depke made the pillow covers; the accent textiles on the beds are out of a repurposed old tablecloth.

“I adore [using] colour, maybe because I’m a designer and don’t believe in matching things,” Depke says. “If you put it together and you enjoy it, then to me it matches”

Wall paint: Mahogany Cherry, California Paints; pendant lamp: Fillsta, Ikea

Valerie McCaskill Dickman

In the kitchen Depke switched out the hardware, eliminated a number of the cabinet doors and painted the cabinets Million Dollar Red by Benjamin Moore.

Valerie McCaskill Dickman

The dining area, which opens up to one of two decks, is a clean-lined and neutral area which has classic Herman Miller office chairs and a little dining table from CB2.

Valerie McCaskill Dickman

Bier turned into a little yard into an urban oasis. “We rode across town in his big red truck looking for demolition sites and picking up lost bricks and curbstones to make our fountains,” says Depke. “Considering that the yard is now complete, we’ve begun to plant the street and tree lawns along the road. I’m sure people think we’re nutty!”

Valerie McCaskill Dickman

Although it arouses some curious stares from passersby, Depke painted her main entry a vivid custom blue. The bright color may be unexpected, but it sets the tone for her unique area and approach to design.

Depke offers this information to other homeowners: “Do not fear colour, and do not listen to anyone else when decorating. If you get something wrong, you can always fix it.”

More: When to Paint Your Door Blue

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