The Edelmanns' home was built in 1926 by the owner of Chicago's Merchantile Exchange as a stately architectural statement, but had fallen into disrepair. Julia painted the original red brick white and added gray shutters to refresh the façade. She also added a pergola and relocated the front door to up the curb appeal.

Sources:
Shutters: Timberlane, 800/250-2221, timberlaneshutters.com.
English coach lights; vintage benches: owner's collection.

Julia's collection of tall candlesticks, many of which she repurposed from other objects such as planters and even a Chinese fireworks launcher, loom over the mid-century mirrored Italian coffee table as organically as a forest to create a one-of-a-kind focal point in the living room's conversation area. At the left, a metal gate with a distinctly Moorish feel leads to the dining room. To the right, the living room opens onto the paneled library. The living room sofa and armchairs are circa-1850 Swedish. "My taste leans to European country with a touch of funk," Julia explains.

Sources:
Paint ("Picket Fence White'' #WW57): Ralph Lauren Paint, 888/475-7674, rlhome.polo.com
Sofa and chairs (antique, Swedish Gustavian); ottoman (vintage): Buckingham Interiors + Design, 312/933-8359.
Fabric for Swedish sofa and chairs ("Julien Linen''/Cream; discontinued); ottoman fabric ("Carnegie Herringbone''/Cream #LFY19430F): Ralph Lauren Home, 888/475-7674, rlhome.polo.com.
Camelback sofa (redesigned by Julia Edelmann); wooden floor lamp (Dutch): Buckingham Interiors + Design, 312/933-8359.
Sofa fabric ("Kudat''/Truffle): S. Harris & Co., 800/999-5600, sharris.com.
Pillow (with circles) on camelback sofa: Room & Board, 800/486-6554.
Coffee table; candlesticks; armoire; wall sconce; iron gates: owner's collection.
Rug: Rouzati Oriental Rugs Inc., 847/328-0000.
Mirror: Scott Estepp Antiques, 513/237-6927.

Julia layered the living room's original limestone mantel with mid-century Verona glass lamps-"very funky and diametrically opposed to the style of the mantel, for fun"-and late-19th-century French art.

Sources:
Mantel; fire screen: original to house.
Lights on mantel (Verona glass); art (antique): Buckingham Interiors + Design, 312/933-8359.
Glass vase: Room & Board, 800/486-6554, roomandboard.com.
Ottoman (vintage): Buckingham Interiors + Design, 312/933-8359.
Ottoman fabric ("Carnegie Herringbone''/Cream #LFY19430F): Ralph Lauren Home, 888/475-7674, rlhome.polo.com.
Rug: Rouzati Oriental Rugs Inc., 847/328-0000.

After buying the house, Julia promptly repurposed its rooms, turning the original sunroom with its funky Moroccan-style gate and fountain into her family's dining room, and the original porch into a sunroom. The "new" sunroom is invested with all the elements that make Julia's personal style buzz with energy-a mix of a Romanian wedding trunk repurposed as a coffee table, a 1960s-vintage outdoor sofa commandeered for use indoors, and an old olive jar that stands by the door as sculpture.

Sources:
Sofa: Brown Jordan, 800/743-4252, brownjordan.com.
Cushion fabric: Ralph Lauren Home, 888/475-7674, rlhome.polo.com.
Twig end table; accessories: Buckingham Interiors + Design, 312/933-8359.
Romanian wedding trunk; rug; gilt chair: owner's collection. Cushion on gilt chair: Schumacher, 800/332-3384, fschumacher.com, trade only.
Chandelier (French primitive): Kimball & Bean Architectural and Garden Antiques, 815/444-9000.

A fireplace warms one end of the sunroom and, during mild weather, Julia's favorite Buddha. A primitive French chandelier declares Julia's preference for European country style, while the meditating Buddha adds her requisite dose of funk.

Sources:
Buddha statue: owner's collection.

"The library is a total departure for the house," says Julia. But it also is the fundamental reason she bought the house. Its original features that swayed her to purchase include the interesting metalwork on the window, the graceful chandelier, and the handsome mantel. Her headless Buddha on the coffee table and layered paintings at the mantel prevent the paneled room from feeling stodgy.

Sources:
Mantel (limestone); chandelier; wrought-iron window treatment; cherry paneling: original to house.
Leather chaise (French): Ronnie & Guy Weil Antiques, 215/862-9421.
Coffee table; table; alabaster lamps; art: owner's collection.
Wing chairs: Scott Estepp Antiques, 513/237-6927.
Wing-chair fabric ("Austyn Cashmere Wool''/Charcoal #LFY40399F): Ralph Lauren Home, 888/475-7674, rlhome.polo.com.
Rug: Rouzati Oriental Rugs Inc., 847/328-0000.
Accessories; hand-blown bottles: Buckingham Interiors + Design, 312/933-8359.

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Traditional Home  /  Design  /  Beautiful Homes

Smooth Moves

Julia Edelmann revitalized a proverbial "ugly duckling" in her latest move

Written by Candace Ord Manroe
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Edmund Barr

Julia's collection of tall candlesticks, many of which she repurposed from other objects such as planters and even a Chinese fireworks launcher, loom over the mid-century mirrored Italian coffee table as organically as a forest to create a one-of-a-kind focal point in the living room's conversation area. At the left, a metal gate with a distinctly Moorish feel leads to the dining room. To the right, the living room opens onto the paneled library. The living room sofa and armchairs are circa-1850 Swedish. "My taste leans to European country with a touch of funk," Julia explains.

Sources:
Paint ("Picket Fence White'' #WW57): Ralph Lauren Paint, 888/475-7674, rlhome.polo.com
Sofa and chairs (antique, Swedish Gustavian); ottoman (vintage): Buckingham Interiors + Design, 312/933-8359.
Fabric for Swedish sofa and chairs ("Julien Linen''/Cream; discontinued); ottoman fabric ("Carnegie Herringbone''/Cream #LFY19430F): Ralph Lauren Home, 888/475-7674, rlhome.polo.com.
Camelback sofa (redesigned by Julia Edelmann); wooden floor lamp (Dutch): Buckingham Interiors + Design, 312/933-8359.
Sofa fabric ("Kudat''/Truffle): S. Harris & Co., 800/999-5600, sharris.com.
Pillow (with circles) on camelback sofa: Room & Board, 800/486-6554.
Coffee table; candlesticks; armoire; wall sconce; iron gates: owner's collection.
Rug: Rouzati Oriental Rugs Inc., 847/328-0000.
Mirror: Scott Estepp Antiques, 513/237-6927.

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Chicago
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