Randy and Steve have built, added-to or otherwise made every place they have ever lived their own. They expect quality when it comes to design and construction. We were thrilled when they asked us to help them realize their vision for the 140 year old home they had just purchased in the Gold Coast of Chicago. The challenge was to create a single, cohesive home for their busy family of six from the two story coach house and three story main house on the lot...and get Chicago's Zoning and Buiulding departments to go along with that.
Sometimes less is really is more. To gain precious space in the backyard of their home in downtown Evanston, this couple decided to remove a wood and brick coach house adjacent to their garage. Rather than demolish the entire brick structure, we carefully preserved parts of the walls and salvaged brick to create a fence, outdoor fire pit, and bench. The wall between the garage and former coach house was rebuilt as a wood and translucentscreen providing a soft even light for the bluestone paver patio. The project also included the remodeling of the kitchen and powder room.
There are additions and then there are additions. Expanding a landmarked gem like this 1929 home requires sensitivity, knowledge and a healthy dose of respect for the original home's design. Fortunately our clients had all three. We were engaged to design a new wing to be connected to a previous addition from 1957. We were also charged with managing construction of this and a previously begun addition that had run into problems (think Harvey Keitel in Pulp Fiction and you'll get the idea).
Ed and Alcie, developers from Dallas, had years of experience working with architects and renovating homes when they moved to Chicago and selected us to completely renovate their Streeterville high-rise condominium. Ed, an accountant by training, sent us their initial floor plan ideas "sketched"’ by outlining cells in an Excel spreadsheet. That’s we call creative accounting!
Memories of family are part of what makes a house a home. This is especially true for the owners of this Evanston home; it has been in the family for over 60 years. It was important for them to add space for their growing family while maintaining the cottage character of the house. Two added challenges were the small lot’s triangular shape and the zoning ordinance which restricted the potential size of any addition. We proposed a small expansion of the buildings footprint with a completely reconfigured second floor that made better use of space.
Owners of an interactive media company wanted an energy efficient home that would take advantage of a double lot with southern exposure. The home features passive solar design as well as a geothermal system for heating, cooling and hot water. The home has been designed to integrate both their extensive art collection and the surrounding landscape, including a sunken garden.
The clients' goal was to maintain aspects of the vintage two-flat's character while transforming it into an open, contemporary single family home. The owners, a physician and architect, also wanted to replace a dilapidated wood stair in the rear with an addition to include a rear entry/mud room on the first floor and library/prayer room on the second. Existing woodwork was carefully removed, refinished and reinstalled on the first floor.
The owner, the marketing director of a Chicago financial firm, wanted to transform an outdated kitchen and bedroom to create an open, modern home that reflects her lifestyle. The only catch was that Meatball and Lucy, her bulldogs, had to have their own space in the kitchen. Our solution reconfigures the kitchen to accommodate her love of cooking and entertaining...and the dogs' love of eating. The second floor addition transforms a cramped bedroom into a luxurious master suite, complete with a balcony, window seat and fireplace visible from the bathroom.
Hippocrates had it right, "first do no harm." The owners, two physicians, had their small rear yard redesigned just before they realized they needed a small addition at the rear of the home. We took our cues from the original landscape design (warm wood and stone) and began with the premise of preserving as much as possible. Small changes to a home can change how they are used and make them seem much larger.
The owners, a retired professional football coach and an interior designer, wanted to join a neighboring one-bedroom unit to their condominium to create a year-round residence. The challenge was to create connections among the spaces that allowed for both privacy and openness. Pairs of sliding translucent glass and aluminum panels replace walls in both units. The living room of the annexed unit was redesigned as the master bedroom with wood paneling and custom cabinetry that takes advantage of the space around the radiators.
Ideas come to us for our clients. And other times clients with ideas come to us for our ability to help them realize their ideas. The developer of this 21 unit condominium building brought a lot of napkin sketches to the first meeting. We worked with them and their ideas to develop the design and presented it to the local community at a number of meetings. The design evolved and improved as we listened, with the developers, to the neighbors concerns and suggestions.
1234 Sherman Ave., Suite 202, Evanston, IL 60602 p: 847.733.7300 - f:847.733.7303
