An Architectural Jewel Box for Wellness and Stillness

Designed for repeat clients who are true stewards of architecture, this project transformed the neighboring lot of their Georgian home into a restorative, spiritual retreat. Acting as a wellness-focused extension of their primary residence, this “small but mighty” structure uses a transparent architectural language to dissolve the boundaries between its calming interior and the surrounding lush gardens.

Both the main building and a detached structure are intentionally positioned at the rear of the lot. This placement allows for a large, formal front lawn visible from the street, while creating a private, secret garden tucked quietly between the buildings. To achieve a harmonious sense of place, the structures share complementing detailing and a visual dialogue with the homeowners’ primary residence next door.

Architectural Layout & Design

• Main Level: Steel-frame front doors lead from brick-lined pathways and a garden of raised flower beds to a dramatic, open living space defined by a soaring cathedral ceiling with symmetrical slopes. The intimate 800-square-foot footprint is designed to optimize height and natural light—a style frequently embraced in Scandinavian-influenced architecture. A neutral color palette, wood-clad ceiling, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a brick fireplace combine to create an atmosphere of absolute stillness.
• Lower-Level Wellness Suite: The lower-level spa experience is entirely dedicated to self-care featuring a steam room, sauna, cozy seating, mood-setting art, and a dedicated ice-maker in the mechanical room for preparing ice baths. The space features a “fish tank” style shower room where a giant sheet of glass looks out into a Chicago Common-brick-clad window well. The toilet room door is a single walnut slab operating without a visible track or rollers, giving the appearance of a “magic” floating door.
• The Potting Shed: Far from a typical garage, this detached building behind the main home functions as a high-end gardening workshop servicing the expansive raised beds out front. It features custom, siding-clad, swing-out doors to blend seamlessly with the exterior. Inside, the cedar-lined space features soapstone counters, a sink, an elegant chandelier, and wall sconces.
• Secret Garden & Wood-Fired Hot Tub: A curving stone pathway leads to a hidden courtyard nestled between the buildings. Here, a koi pond water feature provides a soothing acoustic backdrop near a unique, wood-fired hot tub outfitted with a full flue and custom teak seating.

Architectural Features

• Material Continuity: The design utilizes Chicago Common brick for both exterior and interior elements to ground the building in the local landscape. This material, paired with black standing-seam roofing and black window frames, provides a subtle, neutral foil to the vibrant gardens.
• Engineering Marvel: The “Floating” Staircase: Serving as a focal point of the interior, these open-riser stairs appear to hang weightlessly off the wall. In reality, a massive metal stringer is concealed behind the drywall and bolted to the foundation, allowing the treads to cantilever without visible support.
• Visual Continuity: The home’s hip roof—a style the architect rarely uses—was specifically chosen to echo the architecture of the client’s historic Georgian home

Home Design Approach

• Honest Materiality: The floors are stained clear-coat concrete that has not been treated to hide imperfections, highlighting the raw, natural state of the material as a counterbalance to the home’s more “perfect” finishes.
• Sophisticated Lighting & Interiors: Cove lighting was utilized along the ceilings and floors to create a warm, ethereal glow against quartzite slabs and concrete floors. A five-window dormer centers the building, flooding the space with southern light throughout the day.
• Integrated Spa Storage and Cove Lighting: The spa area also includes extensive built-in cabinetry with integrated cove lighting at both the ceiling and floor levels to create a “wash” of light over the quartzite slabs.
• Multi-Functional Yoga Room: The guest bedroom was designed primarily for stretching and meditation; it features a Murphy bed that can be flipped up to create a wide, open floor.
• Light Fixture Engineering: To mount light fixtures on the sloped hip roof ceiling without bulky square blocks, the team used custom-made black steel cylinders. These cylinders house the junction boxes and blend seamlessly with the brass and black fixtures to look like a single continuous piece.

This sanctuary stands as a masterpiece of detail, where every element—from the metal medallions on the gates fashioned from a detail on the original home to the custom-engineered lighting design—was chosen to reinforce a sense of connection and peace.

Photography: Stoffer Photography Interiors

Interior design: Jodi Morton Design

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