“For 18 years I had an itty-bitty studio apartment that was more like a hotel room than a home,” says Aimee Wertepny of PROjECT, a widely sought-after Chicago-based interior design firm. But when a top floor unit near the firm’s office came on the market, Aimee went from long-time renter to first-time homeowner.
Owning a home presented Aimee with the opportunity to surround herself with the many objects and artworks she’d collected from around the world over the years but never before had the space to live with. “Displaying everything that means so much to me has been really comforting. Everything here is very intentional. I feel like I’m living in the space to the fullest.”
← Hundreds of strands of white nylon rope make up the white sofa by Pedro Franco Design. The hanging porcupine quill cone light is from Ngala Trading Co.
Aimee’s drum collection from the Mbugwe tribe in Tanzania sits next to a vintage Mardi Gras dragon chair.
A curved wall beautifully frames a console table, a large tree root turned onto its side, from Phillips Collection. Lighting by Cedar & Moss.
← A wall of breeze block helps delineate the bedroom, as does the custom-made linen fabric ceiling and walls. A chair from Tanzania sits near hide rugs from Matthew Rachman Gallery.
A custom mirror frames Aimee’s bar with brass stools from CB2.
The kitchen features Bontempo cabinetry from Brazil, a Diresco Belgian Quartz sink, a Litze faucet from Brizo.
← Bathroom faucet from Brizo.
← Aimee built a custom table made of an angular gold-veined Brazilian quartz slab from Terrazzo & Marble called “Patagonia” with a matte black wooden base. The vintage Gastone Rinaldi chairs were sourced from South Loop Loft.
This story originally appeared in Sixtysix Issue 09 with the title “Magic Kingdom.” Subscribe today.
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