Chicago decorating style tough to peg

Can you define a Chicago decorating style? Jan Parr, editor of Chicago Home + Garden magazine says she can't.

“I don't think there is a Chicago interior design style in the way that there's a Palm Beach style, and a Miami style and a New York penthouse style,” Parr said. “That's probably because Chicago is so spread out and diverse. We do insist on livable interiors that are not just for show; the homes are usually approachable, even when they are quite glamorous.”

But you don't have to take her word for it. You can see for yourself in her book, “Chicago Spaces: Inspiring Interiors” (Surrey Books, $45), which would make a good gift for the decor-savvy person in your life.

The book starts with six homes, including a new one in Wheaton, then goes on to give views of different rooms, including myriad living rooms, kitchens, dining rooms and bedrooms.

The Wheaton home, which the homeowner decorated herself with the help of a friend who had recently graduated from Harrington College of Design, has at least two coups.

First, it has spaces that are large but comfortable such as the great room that is open to the kitchen she modeled after a tapas bar in Madrid.

Second, the use of color is smashing. Check out the library, for instance, inspired by the curved bottle-green velvet sofa purchased at a sample sale in the Merchandise Mart. It works well with a barrel chair with blue cushions, a gold and white slipper chair, gray trim around stained book shelves and a rug with a tile-style pattern in cream, brown and black.

While the family had no interest in a formal dining room, the homeowners did design the library and nearby office in such a way that future owners can easily create one.

“We were trying to make it a workable house,” said the homeowner. “I don't think you can design a house for when you want to sell it.”

The rooms featured in the book show contemporary furniture, traditional pieces and some mixtures of both.

Stunning rooms selected by Parr and the magazine's other editors include a bold red library in a Chicago condominium on Astor Street, and a dining room in a nearby Indiana city where mirrors, traditional molding and Lucite chairs combine for high drama.

Anyone who thinks a prairie style home can only be decorated with mission furniture should see how a Glenview couple combined hot pink and other vivid shades with a curvy midcentury Heywood Wakefield dining rooms set.

If the person you give this book to doesn't find something to love, we suggest he or she might consider moving to another region.