All in the Details

By Lisa Arnett
December 2024 View more Home

Adding thoughtful finishing touches to a new-build Naperville home

After Naperville physicians Fayeza Mohammed and Adil Akthar moved into their new home from King’s Court Builders, they were faced with the daunting task of filling several empty rooms. Between their busy work schedules and raising their young children (now ages 7, 5, 4, and 2), they knew they didn’t have the time or expertise to do it on their own. “We wanted to hire somebody who could coordinate furnishing these rooms in a way that was modern, inviting, and functional,” Akthar says.

Enter Dana Silver of Desa Design Studio in Naperville. “From her design meetings to delivery to setup, she made sure everything was taken care of and took a tremendous burden off our shoulders,” Akthar says.

Silver and her team worked on several spaces in the home, including the foyer, sunroom, living room, and patio. Mohammed and Akthar, who are Muslim, also wanted to designate one space as a prayer room. They were impressed with Silver’s ability to research their needs and design a functional, meaningful space for their family. “We asked for a space to comfortably pray, sit, and reflect,” Mohammed says. “She delivered this while giving us a room that was also inviting, motivating, and had incredible design elements representative of our religion.”

1. (above) One of designer Dana Silver’s biggest challenges was what to do with a deep shelf above the entryway that was basically just collecting dust. “We built out cabinets and added a wall covering behind a custom screen and faux grasses,” Silver says. “Then we added some metallic hides and found an artist out of California [Robert Houser] who creates these sculptures from cedar trees. We built a custom platform for the sculpture to see it easier from the street.”

2. There was also a nook under the foyer staircase that Silver thought deserved to be highlighted. She added a bench, hanging planters, and three-dimensional cubes from Gold Leaf Design Group.

3. and 4. Many homeowners are doing away with formal living rooms in the front of the home, but Mohammed and Akthar felt they would use this space for entertaining. “We did four club chairs surrounding a circular coffee table with a couple of ottomans that fit underneath the console, so if needed, they could pull those over for additional seating,” Silver says. “They wanted a feminine touch in this space, so we did bring in some mauve undertones with some neutral grays and creams to kind of give that vibe.” The chairs, ottomans, and pillows are from Bernhardt Furniture Company.

5. and 6. “For the prayer room, [the homeowners] really wanted a main feature wall and a comfortable seating area to be able to read with their kids,” Silver says. They also needed ample floor space to roll out prayer rugs. Silver created this feature wall with a metallic gold wall covering behind custom screening and millwork. “We did some fun hanging geometric pendants for some accent lighting, and we had a custom table made that they are able to slide the prayer rugs in for storage,” Silver says. The ceiling sconce is from Currey & Company, the pendant lighting is from Modern Forms, and the green rectangular wall art was made by Texas-based Yobesho Islamic Wall Arts.

7. For the sunroom, which leads out to the patio, “we wanted to give this an outdoor vibe without being outdoors,” Silver says. She chose furniture upholstered in Sunbrella outdoor fabrics and an indoor-outdoor rug. “We do have a hanging seat just for fun and added some faux plants and a little blanket ladder as well to curl up and have a nice cup of coffee and start your morning off in that space.” The chandelier is by Visual Comfort, coffee table by Four Hands, rug from Surya, and seating by Bernhardt.

8. Silver also designed a sweet pink-hued bedroom for the homeowners’ daughter, who was transitioning from a crib to her first big-girl room. “We really wanted to just cozy it up and have a space that she could grow with,” Silver says. The bed is from Crate & Barrel, bedding from RH Baby & Child, bed table by RH Teen, and faux fur rug from Pottery Barn.

9. “We added the custom bench seat with shelving for her to display her trinkets and books,” Silver says, “and created a little reading nook in the corner where she could just chill on the floor.”

Photos: Ryan Ocasio Photography