A forward-thinking home designed for family health and joy
After a long time living in a Northbrook split-level house, these family-gathering homeowners desired larger entertaining spaces that would provide for empty-nest, single-floor living as well as a nature-driven, health-optimizing design and amenities. Less than a mile away from their previous home, we were able to design and build them a beautifully unpretentious home nestled in the natural surroundings at the end of a cul de sac.
As budget-minded homeowners, they very much appreciated the value of the design and the budget being tied together through a single team. A very methodical approach (with a very detailed document of room-by-room ideas from the homeowner) allowed the design to become one of the most program-driven in our portfolio, with educated inspiration and specialty expertise informing the process throughout.
Home architecture that connects people
In a home where the focus is connection with friends and family, everything has its place, materials are natural, ornamentation is subtle and simple joy is tangible.
Notable project features and accomplishments:
- A much smaller second floor keeps the structure in scale to the surroundings through skillful massing
- The entire home was designed to be wheelchair accessible – with an elevator, zero threshold shower, wide door openings and a ramp in the garage to prepare the space for aging in place and taking care of family
- Several state-of-the art technology elements helped prioritize long-term health: air scrubbers that optimize the indoor air quality; plywood/MDF cabinets with no added formaldehyde (NAF), low-VOC paint throughout, a sauna and steam shower and an automated recessed lighting system that matches LED color temperatures to natural circadian rhythms throughout the day
- Hobbies and passions are nurtured in the architecture through a music/recording studio, piano room, art gallery space off the entry hall and several built-ins
- Separate spaces create quiet zones that allow for very comfortable extended guest stays – a cathedral-ceiling sunroom and family room separated by a see-through fireplace, spacious home offices, separate first floor primary wing, even his and hers commodes in the primary bathroom
- Up to 26 people can be seated without moving any furniture for large family gatherings
- The home was ideally cited on the triangular lot to maximize privacy and welcome in the rustic, woodsy views
- A minimal landscape treatment prioritizes the native plants and trees of the back woods, while a monochromatic color scheme on the exterior camouflage the home into the surroundings, making the home appear to rise right out of the Earth
- An all-glass sunroom with a natural stone fireplace that matches the exterior stone presents an ideal sunlit space that blends the indoor-outdoor connection to nature and provides exceptional sight lines to enjoy the surrounding flora and fauna
- Our team worked directly with specialty sub-contractors and installers during the design phase to ensure the details would come together as envisioned
To have created a home as open, joyous and welcoming as these homeowners was a privilege and a pleasure.
Landscape and hardscape credit: Midwest Arbor
Interiors credit: Frosolone Interiors
Photography credit: Stoffer Photography Interiors