If everyone were as skilled as Whitney Gaylord, Ikea might go out of business. Gaylord, who moonlights as a librarian at the University of Chicago, is the talent behind Maker, a custom furniture company offering everything from tables to beds to lighting, all of it built from wood and other materials sourced from the Chicago area. When Gaylord needs a piece of furniture, she imagines what she wants and then creates it.
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She and her husband, Thomas Peri, purchased their Logan Square graystone over a year ago, and the second-floor unit needed a total overhaul. So they rolled up their sleeves and began the transformation, which included gutting the kitchen, replacing fire-scorched floors with new wood, and outfitting the space with a combination of handmade and thrifted furniture. The bookshelves that dominate the living area are the most recent installation; they took about a month’s worth of weekends and cost $500 in materials. They provide a sleek, built-in look and consolidated the couple’s book collection, which was previously spilling into every room of the house.
Visiting Gaylord and Peri’s home was truly inspiring—and makes me want to add a few more power tools to my Christmas wish list.
