When identical twins Sophie and Isabelle Lynch listed their apartment on Facebook Marketplace looking for someone to sublet it, they worried they wouldn’t get any bites. Their post was coming as winter arrives in Chicago, and they planned to move in the middle of the month.
Then, viral posts on X and TikTok of their apartment caught the attention of thousands of Chicagoans — and admirers from afar — who gushed over the rental’s vintage details.
Fretwork and built-ins in Sophie and Isabelle Lynch’s vintage apartment caught the eye of millions of users online.
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The three-bedroom, one-bath apartment in Wicker Park was listed for $2,350 a month, with the lease starting this month and an option to renew in August.
A post on X with 1.6 million views and 46,000 likes simply reads, “this apartment on marketplace taunts me.”
this apartment on marketplace taunts me pic.twitter.com/WGWPueyRe6
— suz (@suzwhoever) December 6, 2023
One TikTok, which has garnered over 100,000 views and 15,000 likes, describes the apartment as “MAGICAL!!!!”
“Oh my god I just saw this listed on marketplace last night and my jaw was on the floor,” one of almost 300 TikTok comments reads.
The Queen Anne-style residence was built in 1886, and the sisters’ apartment boasts intricate fretwork — even above the shower — along with stained-glass windows, French doors and an inviting outdoor patio.
Sophie and Isabelle Lynch’s bathroom includes fretwork above the shower, wood paneling and a claw-foot tub.
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The bathroom centers around a claw-foot tub nestled among wood paneling that can be found throughout the apartment. The sisters complemented its classic style with dried bouquets above the faucet and other vintage knickknacks.
Neither had seen the apartment in person when they applied for it when they were moving to Chicago in 2018. Like those fawning over it online now, they fell in love with the apartment’s details and say they instantly knew, “I want to live there.”
Originally from Ottawa, the 34-year-old sisters are art historians and pride themselves on their furniture collection — most pieces are over 100 years old, sourced secondhand.
The built-in that commands one of the room’s of Sophie and Isabelle Lynch’s apartment is a focal point of the space.
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“I hope that we’re seeing a shift that people are getting sick of living in white boxes and are starting to appreciate the charms of a historical home,” Isabelle Lynch says.
The sisters are moving to Paris this month and — sorry to break it to fans of the apartment — have just found another renter to take over the space.
“We were hoping we would find someone that would appreciate it and loves it and sees how great it is,” Isabelle Lynch says.
Their move to Paris, where they’ll be doing research, means less-breathtaking university housing is in their future. But they’re confident they’ll be able to make their next place feel like home.
