Forward Fruit

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Forward Fruit

Full-service interior design studio & whimsical wallpaper.

10/21/2026

Part 2 of Starlet, Sleeper Hit, Slow Burn! Today I’ll walk through a late-in-the-game decision we made that changed the whole vibe of the room for the absolute best. Proof that your gut rarely leads you astray! Thank you to Assembled Works for this amazing piece!

Photo Heather Talbert
Vanity Trim Tech Designs
Faucet Brizo® Chicago
Stone DTK Stone Works

10/19/2026

Project Reveal: The attic bedroom from our Kenilworth project, affectionately dubbed “Harriet’s Hideaway” 🕵️

Although our clients needed more space, they loved their home and neighborhood, so moving wasn’t on the table. Instead, they chose to build up, creating a special attic bedroom for their eldest (tween) daughter. Because of the nook-and-cranny nature of an attic, we prioritized custom millwork over standalone furnishings. We layered painted purples and a marbled wallpaper, with custom upholstered pieces like pillows, a desk chair, and a reading nook cushion.

Oranges and dark woods ground the space, while five styles of lighting over eight sources created a soft and balanced lighting scheme with the help of strategically placed skylights and mirrors.

Creating a spaces for our youngest clients to flourish and grow is always a fave!

Interior Design Elise Metzger | Forward Fruit
Photography: Ryan McDonald
Styling: Britt Fitzpatrick
Architect: Clarke Architecture & Design

Bedroom design, attic renovation, kids room, millwork inspo, oak park, chicago interior designer, sodomino

10/14/2026

Happy 9th anniversary to my greatest supporter, in-house comedian, and LOML DEEEEEJAYYYY Marcooo Moraaaalessss. Also happy anniversary to the night before the wedding when I woke up at 2am and walked right into a door, used the remaining ice in the champs bucket to successfully avoid a full black eye on our wedding day. Also happy 9th anniversary to the time we were taking wedding pics and you left your phone in the cab. Also, ALSO happy 9th anniversary to the night I forgot to eat or drink all the things I cared so much about BEFORE the wedding, and instead danced for 4 hours. S**t happens, good things happen, sometimes miracles, sometimes not. But I’m grateful beyond words it’s all happening with you.

Photos by Olivia Leigh | Photographer

10/09/2026

Small moments with big drama ahead! Scroll through for tips on using wallpaper in various scales, colors, and contexts.

First up: A cozy view of a recently finished hallway. We had to drop a portion of the ceiling to accommodate a new staircase, and decided to lean into the cocoon-like feeling with a small, saturated print.

Photo Ryan McDonald

Interior designer, wallpaper design, wallpaper inspo, traditional interiors, bhg, sodomino

Waking up to this soapstone coffee bar would be such a delight! The soapstone creates a moody contrast and the wallpaper feels brighter because of it.

📸 Ryan McDonald

The accent wall may be “out” but the accent nook is a great way to dip a toe into print. I love this because it wraps the desk and feels like a complete space.
📸 Heather Talbert

A medium to small scale print is a great solution for a space with varying ceiling heights and angles.
📸 Ryan McDonald

Pair a large scale print with a textured surface (like bead board) to create balance without overwhelm.

📸 Heather Talbert

When using a reflective paper, styling it with other reflective objects (like the mirror and the vase) creates a really vibey moment without going full disco ball.

📸 Ryan Thomas Lay

I truly love a limited color paper, especially in a botanical print like this. The natural light/ botanical print combo lets you convince yourself that you have an actual green thumb.

📸 Gene Yoon

10/08/2026

New series 🚨 Starting with our dressing room for Lake Forest Showhouse: Non-profit Organization, Starlet, Sleeper Hit, Slow Burn is us looking back on past project to reveal what we think about the details. What surprised us?

Thank you to STARK for partnering with STARKr our premier ✨starlet🌟 of the series.

Photos Heather Talbert

InteriorHeather Talbertago designer, designer Showhouse, custom rug, custom furniture, dressing room inspo, closet inspo

09/21/2026

Color me impressed! We spent the day at THE MART Showrooms sourcing for some really exciting and colorful projects. It’s always important to get back to IRL vs online because you never know what you’ll learn, who you’ll run into, and what new inspiration you might find!

Also I’m on a break from purple, so any new clients will just have to state their case.

Interior design, chicago design, kitchen designer, colorful interiors, renovation inspiration

09/09/2026

She’s always been a fave. 😍 If there’s one thing we love to design on repeat, it’s a cozy banquette.

Photo Ryan McDonald

Interior design, banquette, traditional design, pattern on pattern, chicago designer

09/02/2026

I pre-gamed our first meeting of the week with free bday cake from Broken Tart (their bday, not mine) Then went to a truly unique townhome in Roscoe Village to imagine its full potential for a sweet , creative couple. I love my job.

Chicago interior design, design process, home renovations, Midwest designer

09/01/2026

We always like to show the big dramatic room shots, but it’s often the smaller details I love most.

Slide 1,2&5 Ryan McDonald
Slide 3 Heather Talbert
Slide 4 Ryan Thomas Lay

Interior design, design inspo, home office, kids room, coffee bar

08/20/2026

A little BTS of our photo shoot from earlier this week. We converted an empty shell of an attic into a colorful, winsome space for our tween client. Excited to share all the dreamy details soon!

Attic bedroom, interior design chicago, kids room inspo, pattern mixing

Address

Chicago, IL
60612

Website

http://www.forwardfruitdesign.com/

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