Sweet Home Chicago
While the world as we know it, is vastly different than it was a month ago, let alone a week ago, we are finding respite in what is beautiful. With that, Shea and Martin wanted to share their travel diaries. This time, however, they brought it closer to home.
Despite being world travelers, when seeking inspiration, often all they have to do is look out the window where world-class architecture paints the skyline of Chicago. During a spare afternoon, here are five places near their Chicago homes that never fail to get their creative juices flowing. When social distancing is lifted and it is safe again to be amongst others, we will visit these destinations once again.
The Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe is always at the top of their list. With nearly 400 acres of contemplative beauty, it has endless room to roam and think, and the thoughtful layout of the grounds underscores the way garden design and interior design borrow on similar principles. Among the 27 gardens, Shea’s favorite is the Malott Japanese Garden—a tranquil wonderland of gold ginkgo trees, irises, and partially buried rocks. “Something about the Zen calm of the place reboots my brain,” says Shea. “After an hour in the Japanese Garden, I can see the world clearly again.” 
Colorful outdoor murals grace the walls of buildings, doors, lofts, and old railroad embankments in Pilsen, a vibrant Mexican neighborhood on the city’s lower west side. Much of the art, especially pieces by beloved locals such as J.C. Rivera and Hebru Brantley, have an activist element that depicts the changing dynamics of Chicago itself. Others, like the Galeria del Barrio painted in 1976 by Aurelio Diaz with 20 neighborhood children from St. Procopius Church, go back nearly 50 years. Pilsen’s murals, which have roots in Mayan and Aztec cultures and feature bold uses of color and iconic imagery, resonate with Martin. “It’s basically an art gallery you can explore from the street,” he says. “And it’s even more striking when you get in there and take a closer look.”
Shea and Martin adore The Art Institute of Chicago. Their roots run deep in the world-class institution, where they attended the School of The Art Institute and even taught classes there together. The museum’s attributes are familiar to most, and Shea and Martin love Monet and Van Gogh as much as the next art lovers, but find wonder everywhere from the intricate 18th century French boudoirs of the Thorne Miniature Rooms to the more esoteric work of David Hockney and Gerhard Richter in the gorgeous Modern Wing. “Sometimes staring at a something I don’t usually notice—like a Juan Gris cubist work—will spark an idea,” says Shea. “I never know when it will happen.”
St. John Cantius Church in West Town is an under-the-radar destination Shea and Martin also enjoy visiting. The jaw-dropping exterior includes a hulking 130-foot tower built in a High Renaissance style with rusticated stone visible from the Kennedy Expressway. The spectacular baroque interior, an homage to the opulent Polish art of the 1700s, is a soaring sanctuary of stone columns and stained class. “Even the floor – a hardwood floor inlaid with medallions that tell the story of salvation – invokes awe,” says Shea. “I wouldn’t necessarily want to live in it, but it there’s no denying it’s stunning from top to bottom.”
Last is Lake Shore Drive – the city’s most famous thoroughfare, and one a lot of Chicagoans are desensitized to by now. But that’s a shame, as it’s a miracle of a road, a thin stretch of concrete that twists and weaves between a parade of America’s finest architectural marvels and a gleaming blue body of water the size of West Virginia. Over one stretch, you pass Grant Park, Buckingham Fountain, Soldier Field, the Field Museum, Navy Pier, and multiple parks, beaches, and harbors. “Sometimes I just shake my head at how lucky I am to basically live across the street from it,” says Martin. “If the sun is shining right—and traffic is merciful—it feels like the best place on earth.”
While we may be staying at home, the beauty of Chicago still remains.
Senior Designer
Emma is a firm believer in the transformative power of design. “Great design can change your life,” she says. “It can make you feel better, remove stress, and allow you to focus on the people and things you really care about.” Helping clients achieve that “blissful feeling” is her goal as a designer.