2011 Merchandise Mart dream home

Our firm was selected to design the living room for the 2011 Dream Home at The Merchandise Mart—an opportunity to fully articulate our philosophy of interior architecture and design.
The space became a platform to express ideas we had been developing for years: from the architectural presence of hand-applied, integrally colored plaster walls to three “grand entrances” articulated through custom wood-paneled archways. These archways—constructed of horizontal antique boards and finished with steel angles—reinterpret a traditional architectural gesture through a contemporary lens.
We also used the project to explore our approach to eclecticism as a decorative strategy. Rather than relying on contrast for its own sake, the room was carefully curated to establish visual and conceptual connections between disparate elements. These relationships were guided by an intuitive, often subconscious engagement with design history, resulting in a space that felt layered, intentional, and cohesive.
“This was not a search for a nostalgic expression but a perception of timeless quality.”
—Armelle Baron