An Eclectic and Sunny Artist’s Abode in Logan Square

After a rough start, Sara and Anne have finally made themselves feel at home in this 1,000-square-foot, two-bedroom apartment in Logan Square. Both artists, their eclectic style and self-declared love of plants is evident in the warm and sunny space they have created for themselves and their two cats, Bill and Louis.

Who lives here?

Roommates Sara and Anne, two artists who also work in the service industry, with their two cats, Bill Murray and Louis.

What are the specs?

We rent a 1,000 square-foot, two-bedroom apartment above a new coffee shop in Logan Square.

What do you like best about your neighborhood?

The park and the trees! I love the boulevards and green space in Logan Square and I think they really make this neighborhood unique. Biking or walking around Palmer or Logan Boulevards is one of the best and easiest ways I can think of to relax when I need to.

How did you find this place?

I had actually moved into a different apartment in a different neighborhood with Anne initially. It ended up being a terrible experience with sketchy landlords and a gas leak among other issues. So we moved back here, into Anne’s old apartment. She already had a good relationship with this landlord and the place was still empty so we sort of lucked out. Unfortunately, we lost a lot of our belongings getting out of the other place in a hurry. It was a terrible experience and one I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

How did you go about outfitting your new place then?

At first we lived with bare necessities and it took me quite a while to really get comfortable "moving in" after what happened at our last place. Our cats really enjoyed all of the open floor space so we weren’t really in a rush to furnish every room. We did buy lots of plants though, I think they help make a place feel like home. Eventually our very nice landlord noticed that we didn’t have much to sit on and actually ended up bringing us a lot of his old furniture from home. After that we started hanging things up and settling in a little bit more. Honestly half of the things we’ve hung up are just things we don’t want to lose track of or accidentally damage. Everything else has been slowly accumulated. If we like something, we find the spot for it.

What thing do you like most about your place?

This apartment has perfect light! We have big windows and lots of fresh air. I love to paint in our living room because it has such great light and the space is also great for documenting work. The early sun helps both Anne and I wake up in the morning and we have so many plants! We’ve really got to hold ourselves back from becoming full on Poison Ivy status now … although I think that’d be great.

What thing do you like least about it?

How much it costs. This is the most expensive place I have lived in since I’ve lived in the city. I love being close to my friends who live in Logan and living somewhere that I feel comfortable walking home from work at night or staying out late the bars but I don’t think either of us can afford to live in Logan anymore.

Which room do you spend the most time in?

Sadly, I don’t get to spend as much time here as I’d like to. Between renting an artist’s space at Autotelic West, running the print studio and hustling everyday so that I can take care of a fat senior cat who eats too much, most of my time is spent at work! I greatly admire the people in my life who get everything done and still have time for themselves everyday. It’s all about balance and I’m working on it.

Ideally, I would like to find a live/work space somewhere close to Logan Square where I could spend more time at home, working on my own practice, and less time running back and forth between work, the studio and my bed. I’ve been searching for such a place in what spare time I have but there really aren’t a lot of affordable options available in the city. It’s unfortunate because a lot of young artists are being driven out by rising rents and changing neighborhoods and Chicago isn’t the only city facing these problems. That being said I am still hopeful and still searching - I’ll find something and make it work.

You’re not staying then I take it?

Our landlord is pursuing his dreams and opening up a coffee shop downstairs so he’ll be moving into this place when our lease is up in August. We’ll be sad to leave but we’re really glad that we were able to enjoy it for the summer!

Thanks for stopping by!

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PHOTOS BY: Barry Brecheisen