House call: Mark and Patrick's eclectic Edgewater condo

Seven years ago, partners Kanazawa, a metalsmith and gift store buyer at the Field Museum, and Ewing, an artist and windows manager at the Polo Ralph Lauren store, did not buy the home of their dreams. The floors were trashed, the walls covered with children’s handprints, and the appliances and finishes were terrible. But after extensive renovations, stylish decorating and fresh coats of paint in rich, dramatic colors, their condo has become a jaw-dropping showpiece of their eclectic tastes and quirky collections. “We always have had a mix of old and new, inexpensive and very expensive,” Kanazawa says, explaining that much of their decor comes from thrift stores and places like the Edgewater Antique Mall (6314 N Broadway, 773-262-2525) and Architectural Artifacts (4325 N Ravenswood Ave, 773-348-0622). “What works is finding things that have some sort of tie-in together even though they’re from disparate sources.” Which explains how a Victorian black bear rug purchased from a defunct antiques store can look right at home hanging above a Crate & Barrel couch.