The world is full of maestros and their muses, but one Chicago couple puts a new spin on the time-honored pairing by taking turns at both roles: they inspire and aid each other in a continuous loop.
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They approach each project from very different perspectives. “She comes from the creative role of dreaming things up. I come from the practical side of the process—making it,” says Dunham with a laugh. Yet the theme of the rehab’s been collaboration, not conflict. “We [work together] on every aspect,” explains Dunham, “from how something will work in a room to its aesthetics and materials.”
Snagging a solid, classic Chicago bungalow was a dream come true for Fineman and Dunham. “We always wanted one because they have enough detail to be interesting, but not so much that they can’t be modernized to suit our aesthetic,” says Fineman. Even the house’s run-down, outdated condition was a kind of blessing, since “we wanted something that hadn’t been tampered with.”
In 2004 Dunham and Fineman built out the attic, adding dormers to increase square footage, then dividing the expanse into a bedroom and bathroom, a small study, and a nursery for Eero (who will eventually move downstairs to the former master bedroom, freeing up space for a walk-in closet). The couple’s especially proud of the spa-quality bathroom with its mosaic tile walls, polished concrete floor, deep soaking tub, glass-enclosed shower, and walnut vanity topped with an apron sink and finished in high-gloss white. Dunham built the vanity and installed everything in the room.
