$19.95
a sandow publication
U4
the luxury of home
|
2015
CHICAGO
INTERIOR DESIGNER
TOM STRINGER
T O M S T R I N G E R D E S I G N PA R T N E R S
With a spirited
creativity that finds
a home in luxury
residential projects
from coast to coast,
the dynamic team at
Tom Stringer Design
Partners raises
interior design to
an art form.
It’s only fitting that Tom Stringer likens his interior
design process to filmmaking, especially given that he
brings a sense of adventure to his role as director. Not
to mention a penchant for working on location. Since the
launch of Tom Stringer Design Partners in 1995, the firm’s
namesake has consistently sought out and embraced
interior challenges throughout the country—from summer
cottages in Harbor Springs, Michigan, to oceanside estates
in California to transforming the interior spaces of yachts.
“With my client’s help, I write what might be called a
lifestyle script that launches a movie in my head,” says
Stringer, whose firm is headquartered in Chicago’s vibrant
River North neighborhood. “In this case, the movies are
always about spaces. At first, the movie might be in black
and white, but as the design evolves, the movie is in full detail
and color. That movie guides every decision as I translate
The living room inside this Santa
Barbara estate features reclaimed
French-oak flooring and a fireplace
made from Santa Barbara limestone.
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P H OTO G R A P H BY G R E Y C R AW F O R D
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CAPTIONS & CREDITS
01.French and English Guéridons, flanked by
Louis XVI-style chairs, draw the eye inside
this 1920s Tudor residence. 02.A gilded
wood coffee table and Louis XVI-style
bergère bring the living room to life inside
this contemporary waterfront estate.
03.The owner’s passion for travel, history
and the sea is evident in a room that includes
a grid of sepia-toned photographs by
Douglas Hill. 04.The dining room inside this
Lake Forest Georgian residence features a
vintage English table and chairs, and a
contemporary silk rug.
01. Jamie Padgett 02.Werner Straube
03. Jamie Padgett 04.Werner Straube
what lies in my imagination to the built
environment.” Often, the set design
incorporates a variety of furnishings from a
range of eras and resources, creating rooms
that are both visually interesting and highly
personal. Most important to Stringer and
is renowned for its collaborative culture,
his award-winning team is that the work
the comfort level it creates on a project and
reflects the unique values, interests and
the lengths to which it will go for its clients.
lifestyle of the client. “Yet all our projects
“We take great pride in developing deep
share a sense of proportion, sophisticated
relationships with our clients and evolving
textiles and mixed woods,” he says.
their residential experiences as they acquire
“And, most likely, they feature unique
homes across the country,” he says.
contemporary art and engaging
Considering his passion for travel
collections of global artifacts.”
adventures, it’s no surprise that Stringer
would add yacht interiors to the firm’s
VARIET Y IS THE SPICE
repertoire. “I’m drawn to both the majesty
Though Stringer is a fan of both French
and the constraints that designing residential
Classicism and Modernism, the firm doesn’t
space on boats requires,” he says. “At the
limit itself when designing high-end
same time, you have to figure out how to
residential spaces. “What I love is anything
offer guests a supremely comfortable
that has the tension and excitement of
environment.” Time and again, Stringer and
being simultaneously old and new or rustic
his team do just that—by land or by sea.
and refined,” he says. “I think that opposites
make magic.” Tom Stringer Design Partners
“What I love is anything
that has the tension
and excitement of
being simultaneously
old and new or rustic
and refined.”
| tomstringer.com
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