High-Rise To Stunning Family Home: Chicago Rescue Advocate's Pandemic Move

When people picture Chicago, rows of glitzy highrises are often the first image to come to mind. However, parenting pets in a multi-level apartment can make life slightly more difficult. When Christine Nendick, cofounder of RescueChicago and founder of Rescue in Style - an organization that pairs fashion with adoptable pets - and her husband moved just months before the pandemic, they weren't fully sure what to expect out of their new space. What they found was lots of natural light and plenty of comfy spots for their two cats, Roni & Cheese, and Rawlings, their rescued Greyhound. Let's step inside for another Figo PetPartment tour.

Your place

City you're located in: Chicago

Years lived in current home/apartment: 2

How would you describe your decorating style: Modern cozy

Photo credits: @margaretrajic

Favorite feature of your space: Our wood fireplace! My absolute favorite thing to do in our home is light a fire on a cold or dreary day, light some candles, and watch a movie with our cats in our laps and dog resting by the warm fire.

Biggest challenge (either about the space itself or one you encountered while decorating): Trying to make it our own. We moved right before the pandemic, literally 2 months before things started to shut down, so we haven't been able to change much. I've been slowly starting to collect ideas and pieces to make the space feel more like us.

Photo credits: @margaretrajic

Must-have piece of décor/furniture: Line-drawing portraits - I like a little piece of unique art and @LucileLambertArt created a few pieces for us.

Favorite place to buy décor/furniture: I find great things at Pier 1! Their pricing and quality are pretty great!

What really drew you to your place: The light. We use to live in a high rise that didn't get a lot of light. When we walked into our current home, we loved how bright it was all day. Plus, when we walked in, we just felt at home. 

Your pet(s)

Name + breed of pet(s): Two sibling cats - Roni (Torbie) & Cheese (Orange Tabby) 4 years old DLH. Rawlings - a six-year-old retired racing Greyhound who now is living it up in her retirement.

Nicknames you have for them: Roni - Chunkaroni, Rones, Roni Bologna. Cheese - Cheese Monster, Cheeburger, Cheesies. Rawlings - Diva, Farty Pants, Special Pants.

Photo credits: @margaretrajic

Where did you buy/adopt from? Is there a story behind it?: Roni/Cheese were our first ever fosters! I fostered them and their sister (Mac) from the Anti-Cruelty Society at the age of 5 weeks old. Sadly, Mac passed away and we became foster fails. Best failure of my life. Rawlings, we adopted from Greyhounds Only.

Their favorite part of your place: Probably also the fireplace! Roni is also known to lay out and snuggle right beside a nice fire on a cold day!

Favorite pet accessory or furniture piece: Roni has a cardboard scratcher stool that she perches on right next to our bay windows. Cheese likes to sleep either on my office chair or his cat tree. Rawlings prefers the luxury of our bed but is not a good sharer!

What does being a pet parent to your pets mean to you: It means everything. Roni and Cheese have given us so much over the past four years including my cat obsession. I had never had cats before them and now I can't picture my life without them. Rawlings makes us laugh constantly with her lifestyle. She sleeps 22 hours each day and can't be bothered to get out of bed. She has taught me to slow down and enjoy the small moments in life.

Want to stay up to date on all things style and adoptable pets? Check out Christine on @rescueinstyle

Lizz Caputo is a Content Strategist at Figo, animal enthusiast, and owner of a rescued senior American Bully. Her hobbies include checking out new restaurants in her area, boxing, and petting dogs of all shapes and sizes.