A Bright And Happy Chicago Bungalow

There’s nothing like a new home (and a job you hate) to make you reevaluate your career. For Layne Jones Postilion, she had grown up watching both her mother and grandmother reupholster, paint, and refresh pieces and spaces to give them new life. So, it only made sense that as she fantasized about all of the possibilities of what her home could become — and taught herself to wallpaper, refinish furniture, and scour the Internet for free furniture pieces — her new career began take on a life of its own.

Soon neighbors began asking her for design help, and The Jones Fix was born. You can now find Layne styling and picking out incredible pieces not only for her own Chicago, IL home with her husband Mark, but for her shop and interiors clients.

Layne knows what most of us strive to remember: good style does not have to be expensive. In that spirit, Layne has kept her pricing on par with that of a handyperson so that her design services can be accessible to those who might have before seen it as only a luxury. This was something she learned to embrace before she began her business, too. Since Layne and Mark love to travel, had just bought a house (which they needed to fill), yet have an eye for quality pieces, it meant they needed to get creative.

Layne has come to feel like this house (the 60th that they looked at!), with its 10-foot-tall ceilings, huge windows with original stained glass, and hardwood floors, has defined her in the best way possible. She wholeheartedly believes in taking your time, trying different styles (like the grey wall color she loved, but didn’t work at all in her own space), and that the lessons she’s learned designing her own home have wholly benefited her clients. While she doesn’t feel like their house is completely “done,” she also admits that this is the happiest she’s ever been with it — and can’t wait to someday transform her backyard into a Moroccan escape, among other projects she’s happy to let evolve.

It’s obvious that Layne and Mark have filled their home with books on their favorite topics — music, decor, and travel — of which they have brought home many a treasure to feature and reinterpret in their space (like the chairs she covered with saris brought back from their honeymoon, or the Nepalese curtains her mother-in-law sewed in their living room). While Layne’s creativity and resourcefulness are impressive, what’s most incredible about the couple’s home is that it gave Layne her dream job. Layne admits she never would have pursued her new path had it not been for this house and the process of styling and designing their home. —Rebekah

Photography by Jessica Giesey

SOURCE LIST

Living Room

-blue sofa: Monroe Sofa from West Elm in Celestial Blue
-yellow sofa: free on Nextdoor.com
-green mid-century modern tuxedo chair with teak arms: free on Craigslist
-coffee table: free on Craigslist
-black leather mid-century modern chairs: inherited from grandparents
-wall color: Elmira White by Benjamin Moore
-cabinet color: Sparrow by Benjamin Moore
-sunroom ceiling color: River Reflection by Benjamin Moore
-accessories: Homegoods, Target, and vacation souvenirs
-faceted mirror table: Homegoods
-velvet Ikat pillows: Amazon.com: Black Fig Designs
-ottoman: Salvation Army, fabric from India
-sunburst mirror: One Kings Lane
-plants: Gethsemane Garden Center
-Debby Harry portrait: Corryn Jackson

Foyer

-assorted framed bugs: Deyrolle Paris and Broms Bug Box on Etsy
-pendant light: West Elm

Dining Room

-table and chairs: Salvation Army
-chair fabric: Ballard Designs
-curtains: sari fabric from Nepal
-Sputnik chandelier: Lowe’s
-rug: West Elm
-wall color: Elmira White by Benjamin Moore
-vases on table: antique bird vase from ebay, 3D flower vases from Anthropologie
-wall art: Kane County Flea Market

Kitchen Eating Area

-accent wall color: Dark Harbor by Benjamin Moore
-all other walls: Elmira White by Benjamin Moore
-warrior lady portrait: (no longer available) “Young Red Haired Woman in Tribal Costume” by Mimi Haddon Photos.com
-table and chairs: Salvation Army
-chandelier: gift (orginally from Lightology)
-candle hurricanes: West Elm
-island pendants: West Elm
-planters: Anthropologie
-plants: Gethsemane Garden Center
-tapestry: purchased in Nepal

Bedroom 1

-four poster bed: inherited from parents
-stained glass in window: inherited from grandparents
-canopy curtain: Saris from India
-bedding: Target and Urban Outfitters
-Josephine Baker portrait: Corryn Jackson
-wall stencil: Royal Stencil Company
-paint for stencil: Grey Owl (background) by Benjamin Moore, Aubusson Blue by Annie Sloan for pattern
-wall color: Arsenic by Farrow and Ball

Bedroom 2

-Ginger Stanley photo: Photos.com
-trundle bed: Layne’s childhood bed
-rug: Charm rug from West Elm

from Design*Sponge http://www.designsponge.com/2016/11/a-bright-and-happy-chicago-bungalow.html