My Brother's Bachelor Pad

Meet my brother, Bob.

This is my brother Bob drinking beer in a biergarten in Berchtesgaden. Say that ten times fast :)

When Bob is not off traveling somewhere fabulous, he can be found at his bachelor pad in the windy city. You know the one... "Chicago, Chicago, that toddling town." I had to google what exactly Frank Sinatra meant by "toddling" town. Apparently, it means a place where you leisurely walk home after having a drink. I don't know about that. Anyone who has been there in the winter, can tell you the walking home pace is anything but leisurely. Brrrr.... But, I digress.


Bob recently moved from an historic apartment in Lincoln Park to a contemporary high-rise in an area known as Streeterville. While his old apartment had a lot of vintage character with arched doorways and hardwood floors, the new pad is all about the view.

I mean, if you're going to live in a city with amazing architecture and a beautiful lake, you may as well be overlooking it from floor-to-ceiling windows, no?

With a view like this, it doesn't much matter what's going on inside. However, I think my brother has
managed to put together a place that is stylish and comfortable.  To me, it's the perfect balance for a bachelor pad. It says, "I care, but not too much." Ha!






The furnishings are masculine and relaxed. The coffee table has a cool slate top. And, I have to admit that I was very proud of my brother when I saw his awesome chevron rug. My mother picked out the throw pillows. Bob has good taste and all, but he's still a guy. Throw pillows aren't really on his radar :)







Bob has traveled all over the world, and has taken LOTS of photographs. With so many windows in his apartment, there isn't a lot of wall space for displaying photos. We decided to create a gallery wall around the TV. The metal ledges make it easy for him to switch out photos. It's also a nice way to detract from the awkward vent and sprinkler head.

You can see in the picture below how we added a tall vase and bamboo to disguise the large wall vent.

More framed photos are situated to the left of the kitchen counter. Three pieces of art that he purchased in Vietnam are to the right.

The dining table and chairs belonged to our grandmother.

We recovered the seat cushions in a blue fabric to coordinate with the throw pillows.

I gave Bob a couple of counter stools that I was no longer using. They don't exactly jive with the contemporary apartment, but it's a temporary fix until he finds something he likes better.


Oh, who am I kidding? They'll be there until we force him to buy something else.





Past the kitchen is a great outdoor space. It wasn't furnished at the time of our visit, so I didn't take any pics. There are also two bedrooms and a bathroom that I didn't photograph. I'll see if they're ready for a photo shoot next time I visit.

In the meantime, here's another outdoor view...

And with a zoom lens, you can see the boats up close.





The grounds of Bob's apartment are beautifully maintained.

Love the tulips!

Although Bob loves to travel, I think he's got a pretty sweet space to come home to. I can tell you, the other men in the family appear to be a little jealous of Bob's city dwelling. My 16 year old nephew thinks Uncle Bob is livin' the dream. And, quite frankly, my husband seemed to like the place so much when he first saw it, I was concerned he might ditch me in suburbia and "go lose the blues" in the toddling town of Chicago.