Walking around Jamie Weiss' loft, guests are hard-pressed to find anything black. And with good reason. "I used to have all black lacquer furniture," said the makeup artist and silverware designer. "After I gave all that away, I wanted to try something bright and different."

With few doors and a 12-foot ceiling, the 1,500-square-foot space is bright, airy and light. The harshness of the exposed bricks in the living room are offset by a plush sofa, beige carpet and vintage, offbeat decor. The '40s style cocktail and end tables are from a secondhand store. Brownish maroon drapes frame a mirror. And a series of TV trays (they also are functional game boards) are mounted on a wall.

"It's fun to play around with the place," she said. "It's all workable space and very open. So it never really looks crowded."

Even her guest bathroom has panache. The walls boast framed antique photos of her grandmother.

A makeup artist for the last 14 years, Weiss has worked on top Hollywood names. She did Keanu Reeves' makeup in "Chain Reaction," touched up Tommy Lee Jones for "U.S. Marshals" and powdered George Clooney's nose for "ER." One face she hasn't done up yet is that of her baby brother, Michael T. Weiss, star of NBC's "Pretender."

"We used to act in plays together at (Glenbrook North High School)," said Weiss, who grew up in Northbrook. "I'd like to work on a film with him someday, but the timing just hasn't worked out so far."

Weiss became a makeup artist by accident. After graduating from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor with a degree in film and video, she "attempted to get work as an animator. That didn't work out so well. Then I worked as a production assistant, and someone asked me, `Do you think you could be a makeup artist?'

"So I went to Kmart and bought $50 worth of makeup."

And the results were fabulous, no?

"No!" she said, laughing. "They looked horrible. But thankfully, I got better with time."

Jamie Weiss uses plush furniture and offbeat decor to offset the harshness of the exposed bricks in the living room of her 1,500-square- foot loft. A series of TV trays that double as functional game boards adorn a wall. "It's fun to play around with the place," Weiss says.

Stylistic faces decorate Weiss' bedroom. A makeup artist for 14 years, she has worked on some of Hollywood's best-known faces. A flower lamp was a souvenir from the filming of "U.S. Marshals." Weiss brings her desire to try different things to her silverware designs. These are examples of her handiwork. See also related story.

Copyright 1997, 1998 Chicago Sun-Times, Inc.