House call: Stacey Marquardt and Steve Reidell's Humboldt Park walk-up

The psychedelic-vibed room the duo refer to as the dorm room boasts a stereo with turntable and a floor-to-ceiling collection of screenprinted posters, including many Reidell designed under the moniker Steve Sleeve (gigposters.com).

Marquardt has a knack for re-creating high-end items, including this pendant light inspired by a $600 Design Within Reach piece. She crafted it using only hemp string, a beach ball and craft glue, and has since made a few for friends—part of a larger plan to build up a portfolio for her own interior design service, Floor 34 (floorthirtyfour.com).

Marquardt enhanced more traditional pieces with mod touches—“for added texture and balance,” she explains. After an intensive stripping and refinishing session, she outfitted a wood cabinet scored off Craigslist with white Shangri-La wall panels (velocityartanddesign.com).

Over the couch hangs a painting of the words “I don’t even not understand that in a way that’s understandable.” The quote, an off-the-cuff assessment Marquardt once made about some bad art, was immortalized using vinyl stickers as stencils, white paint and a piece of plywood.

Records, posters and comfy cushions give the dorm it's collegiate, chillout feel.

To reconcile the useful with the comical or just plain beautiful, the couple adapted every piece for maximum utility, including a refinished vintage turntable console AirPorted to play MP3s from a laptop.