Inside the Winnetka Heights home touting globally inspired and ethically sourced decor

Jul 15, 2023

The term “dark and light academia” may conjure up mental images of cloaked figures studying in shadowy libraries or Indiana Jones sitting with his feet propped up on a wooden desk while rows of leather-bound books sit in the background. But for Caris Fawcett and Tyler Sharp, the concept extends past fantasy and cinema.

It’s how they describe the style of their lives inside a single-story yellow house on the corner of North Winnetka Avenue.

The recently engaged couple share a similar aesthetic, which results in a home that is an ever-evolving collection of adventures.

Plus, it’s the home of their fuzzy dog, Wyatt.

Sharp makes a career from a combination of photography, writing and curation. He operates a publication titled Modern Huntsman, which focuses on representing and redefining the world of hunting through photography, film, discussion and storytelling.

Fawcett, who studied printing and painting at Savannah College of Art and Design, uses her artistic expertise at The Citizenry, a company focused on producing home goods and furniture that is ethically sourced and honestly produced.

“It’s been so wonderful to work with a company that puts people first,” Fawcett says. “It’s all artisan-based, handmade products, all from around the world.”

The main entryway features a spiral-horned antelope head, which guards the living room. It looks over a plethora of leather seating, neutral-toned paints and woven baskets that hide cables and provide storage space. A zebra hide gives a textural distinction to the center of the room, and three taxidermied pheasants keep one another company next to an assortment of leather-bound and canvas books. They are not shy about displaying hunting trophies. While it initially seems counterintuitive, hunting and conservation go hand-in-hand, Sharp says.

He says misunderstanding about the relationship between hunting and conservation is a “PR problem” and that “the hunting industry at large does a pretty terrible job of communicating to people [that hunting] plays a role in conservation.”

The devil is in the home design details.

Expensive leathers are delightful, but too much of them can make a home feel like a furniture store. Rustic woods speak character, but one too many can quickly turn a sultry library into the decks of a pirate ship, the homeowners explain.

Fawcett has a fine-tuned eye for the textures (think burlaps, canvas, smooth-grain leather, rough-grain hide, sandy stone, throws, pillows and more rugs than square feet of floor space) and their jobs within their spaces.

The dining room includes familiar components of sturdy beam wood and conversational pieces. On a wall hang a dozen or so framed artworks — some collected and others created by Fawcett.

“We like that museum look,” she says. “I love painting.”

Color also plays an important and interesting role in their home. Fawcett’s Instagram bio speaks proudly to her color philosophy.

“Perhaps a little too into neutrals,” she says.

But that doesn’t mean naturalist design promises nothing but beige and brown. Larger pieces such as chairs, couches and tables don’t offer much outside of this palette, but secondary items pull their weight — richly colored books, living green plants and paintings break apart any monotony that could develop within the space.

Sharp makes the most out of a smaller hideaway between the dining room and kitchen. Only about 8 feet by 4 feet, the space is made to feel like a nook within the Trinity College Library.

A rolltop desk adorned with trinkets and photos from trips is where he writes, but you’ll find no laptop. Instead, a stack of paper and a metal ribbed pen are his instruments of choice.

“I try to have some separation from a creative writing space versus an office,” he says. “That’s where I try to keep that part of my soul alive.”

On the opposing wall is a collection of spirits and liquors.

“It’s right next to the bar. So, I’m like well, I guess I’ll make a drink,” Sharp says with a laugh.

The couple has a set of rules that guide their collection.

“I’m the type of person to go on a walk where I’ll be like, oh, that’s a really good piece of tree bark; I’m going to bring it home with me,” Fawcett says.

The two of them are in agreement about most things without much verbal communication.

Take the full-sized suit of armor guarding the corner of their dining room.

“She called and said “they have a knight for $100,” Sharp says. “I said, ‘Why are you even calling me? Yes!’”

Though there is no substitute for world travel, Sharp and Fawcett don’t mean to imply that one must travel halfway across the globe to find decor.

The two of them find many of their pieces without leaving the city.

“We love going to vintage and thrift stores too, and just wandering arounduntil a piece ‘speaks to you,’” Sharp says.