LIFESTYLE DOMICILE
Turn Your Collections INTO S TRIKING SPACES BY MARK HAGEN
T
he moment you walk into Thom Ertl’s Riverwest home, you’re instantly enveloped in a wonderland of artistry combined with eccentricity and smile-inducing kitsch. Ertl’s artwork flanks the walls, playful accents liven up every nook, and refurbished tables, chairs and desks put “fun” into functionality. That said, it’s Ertl’s collections that steal the spotlight. From antique kitchen utensils and pewter ashtrays to souvenir snow globes and sets of Salty and Peppy shakers from the ’40s, his collections offer guests a look into his personality. “The point of a collection is
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to see the stuff you like on display,” Ertl explains. “My philosophy has always been to go big or go home, hence the expanded statement on my collectibles.” When asked about guests’ reaction to his imaginative décor, Ertl replies with a laugh. “People react with big eyes that seem to say, ‘Wow, there’s a lot of stuff here.’ But the more they look at the space, the more they realize there’s a rhyme and reason for the way it’s been done. What they see is a balance of both form and function.”
A S EN S E O F H I S TO RY Like many collectors, Ertl enjoys the history and remembrance tied to his collections.
“As I look at my space, I see homages to the past,” he says. “The kitchen border featuring my collections of vintage kitchen utensils and mid-century mosaic tiles is an homage to my Grandma Patterson.” Among the 250 tile trivets that line Ertl’s kitchen, one has particular meaning; a trivet he made as a child with his grandmother. “Whenever I look at that trivet, it’s my ‘Hi Edith’ check-in.” “The Salty and Peppy shakers are items from my childhood,” he adds. More than 35 pairs of the wooden shakers sit on a modest shelf in the kitchen. “Today, I think they offer a cool kitschy-ness.”
