Captain Dapper: Dapper Home: Travis's Collection of Personal Treasures Rogers Park

I first met Travis a few years ago when we bonded over bow ties while I waited in line at The Container Store. Any man with an appreciation for bow ties is good in my book and so Travis and I quickly became friends. Over the years we've flea marketed together, swapped stories about loves lost over drinks and ice cream and always, always shared an appreciation for the finer things in life.

One morning last summer, Travis and I made the trek out to the Kane County Flea Market. I'm actually a terrible flea marketer. My senses get totally overwhelmed at flea markets. All that stuff to look at (not to mention the people watching!), the smells wafting off all that old stuff (and off the people) and mixing together in one stinky melange, and then you just have to get one of those ears of corn they sell at the fairground and then you're teeth are gross and you're fingers are slimy... Yeah, I'm not a very good flea market shopper.

Travis, on the other hand, has a the ability to look past the piles of old junk and the toothless grandpas hawking it to find little treasures. Perhaps it's Travis's appreciation for the past, as evidenced in the many family photos, vintage light fixtures and old furniture that dominate his apartment, that has given him the knack for picking up a disparate collection of flea market finds and making them work together.

Travis had a hand in making this apartment what is is today. When his friend, who had owned the apartment for years, decided to remodel, he turned to Travis for help. And with good reason. As the owner of Chicago Errand Boy, Travis is well versed in getting the job done. Travis helped his friend make major remodeling decisions, turning the once shabby apartment into a high end dream home.

Today, Travis has outfit the home with what he calls an "eclectic-repurposed-vintage-meets-masculine-modern-meets-Grandma's-attic" style. True to that description, his home is peppered with vintage pieces that hold sentimental value, like the the shaving mug on Travis's dresser. It belonged to his great-great-grandfather and dates to around 1890.

My favorite feature in Travis's apartment is the old juvenile bed spring that has been re-imagined as a display piece for old family photos and other mementos. The reclaimed aesthetic works so well in Travis's apartment and I love how the springs add another textural dimension to the brick wall.

Travis also owns a chair that I have long coveted, the lucky guy. I first saw the chair in front of the fireplace, which has a seat made of woven recycled leather belts, at Haymaker. I was so immediately smitten by the chair that I wrote a post for Apartment Therapy suggesting a way to DIY it. A week or so later I got a text from Travis. "Guess what I just bought at Haymaker!" it read. I'm happy to see that the chair went to a good home.