Alison Victoriais taking on her biggest, most personal renovation yet — and she’s bringingWindy City Rehabfans along for the ride.
The design star chatted with PEOPLE ahead of the series premiere on Tuesday, and, along with revealing some design secrets, she opened up about almost closing the chapter on her native city completely before her dream renovation fell into her lap.
“I was ready to leave Chicago,” Victoria tells PEOPLE. “I was like, ‘I’ve been through a lot here and it’s just time for me to go.’" While she always loved the 1930 office space she purchased six years ago, she never imagined she could turn it into her home until her realtor told her it was technically possible.
“And the imagineering began,” she recalls. “It was like, ‘What could I do with almost 7,000 square feet and 30-foot ceilings? How can I make this come to life in a way that’s the dreamiest, sexiest way possible?’ And that was it. I started putting the plans together and started dreaming it up. And it still doesn’t feel real.”
While there were a lot of challenges and risks that came with remodeling an old property like Victoria’s, she says that she’s the “happiest” she’s ever been since creating her unique space.
With all thatdrama now behind her, she adds that her fans are going to see her at her “happiest and healthiest” and will watch her go through “so much personal growth through the process.”
As for the design of the space, Victoria says she took a chance on a more industrial style that’s “very different” for her, and mixed it with the classic Parisian flair that she loves.
Drawing inspiration from her European travels, the designer incorporated antique French doors in the entryway and an Italian-style courtyard that feels like her “own little fairytale.” In fact, the courtyard is one of her favorite places in the whole house because she can escape the brutal Midwest snowstorms in the winter.
“It’s going to be like a snow globe,” she adds.
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Overall, her new home is “just sexy,” she says. “You turn every corner and your jaw drops, because there’s this element of curiosity in the space, where it’s like you want to know what’s around the corner.”
source: people.com
