A globetrotting couple trades suburban predictability for a richly textured sanctuary with boutique-hotel energy.

Carte blanche—a French phrase that means “blank card”—is the type of thing designers either dream about or dread. For Lauren Svenstrup, it’s a mix of both. “I tend to do my best work with some level of constraint,” she tells us. “I need something to push against —structure, function, even friction. Constraints create clarity. They give me a problem to solve.”

Whether a homeowner provides constraints or not, Lauren always uncovers the underlying parameters. “Clients are bringing a way of living, a set of habits, preferences, and priorities,” she notes, “whether they’ve articulated them or not. That’s where the real work begins.”

For one couple relocating from Missouri to Chicago, uncovering those unspoken parameters became the foundation of the project. They’d owned a business and lived in a traditional single-family home, but a craving for reinvention—and a love of travel—landed them in a high-rise condo and ushered in an entirely new way of living. 

“In many ways, they are true bon vivants,” Lauren says. “What made them especially fun to work with was their contagious energy and desire to live with abandon. They live life to the fullest and were all in from the moment we met, giving us creative freedom and complete trust to bring our vision to life. Leaving behind their previous life was a major decision, and our goal was to create a home that felt like a true sanctuary—one that allows them to unwind, entertain, and take in the skyline and lake view from their home high above the city.”

Perched on the 14^th floor, the condo features direct elevator access and panoramic views of the lake and skyline. Still, despite the enviable backdrop, the interiors lacked identity and fun. “Ultimately, their main goal was to create a home that felt like a boutique hotel — layered, experiential, and capable of supporting both intimate moments and larger gatherings,” Lauren notes. “Interestingly, the clients were very intentional about not over-directing the design, instead trusting in our expertise and entrusting us with the process. Their primary request was essentially not to let them limit our creativity—they wanted us to push the design as far as possible.”

And push it she did. The resulting home feels immersive and art-forward, filled with unexpected moments and delightfully funky details at nearly every turn. Yet beneath the bold gestures is a highly functional plan that addresses the couple’s everyday needs. “We focused on creating distinct vignettes within the open floor plan to give the space rhythm and variation,” she explains. “This included dynamic seating areas, multiple entertaining zones, a built-in bar, and carefully considered sightlines to the views. Because they both work from home, we also designed a shared workspace that allows them to be together while maintaining subtle separation through an architectural pillar.”

Stylistically, the home leans retro, though not strictly midcentury modern. Instead, it channels a glamorous, slightly decadent ’70s sensibility through texture, pattern, and form. Undulating curves, layered materials, and mixed prints bring energy and softness to the interiors. Importantly, the curves weren’t intended to celebrate the architecture so much as counteract it. “This unit, like a lot of high-rise units, was essentially a blank box,” Lauren says. “It had high-end finishes, but no real identity, rhythm, or intentionality. We were also handed interesting architectural conditions, such as soffits at different heights, mechanical constraints, and hard lines everywhere.”

In response, curves became both a visual antidote and a vehicle for color, materiality, and movement. “Every surface feels considered, but the space still maintains warmth and approachability,” Lauren explains. “It’s expressive without taking itself too seriously.” 

A vinyl wallpaper from Kravet introduces a mosaic-like shimmer and dimensionality, while plain-sawn oak and walnut ground the home with warmth and weight. Brass accents—including a reflective Chemetal backsplash at both the bar and media wall—catch and refract the lake light throughout the day. “Ultimately, our selections and design decisions were about adding movement, softness, and dimension to a space that started out very flat,” the designer says.

Lauren says she often describes designers as falling into two camps: ‘yes’ designers, who follow direction, and ‘no’ designers, who challenge it. “My approach sits somewhere else entirely,” she admits. “I consider myself a ‘why’ designer. I don’t take directives at face value. More often than not, clients are presenting solutions to problems they feel they’ve already worked through. If you just execute on that, you miss the opportunity. I want to understand what’s driving it. Once I get to the why, the design opens up, it becomes more intentional, and far more personal than anything they could have asked for outright.”

She continues, “That’s how you get to something that feels completely aligned—not just visually, but in the way it’s experienced every day.”