Lakeview House Remodeling, Chicago

This turn-of-the-century frame two flat consisted of a vintage three bedroom ground floor apartment and a starkly remodeled four bedroom main floor unit duplexed into the attic. While the attic space had a ridge height of twelve feet, the steep roof slope created only a narrow strip of usable space with adequate headroom. This resulted in a ‘boxcar' configuration of spaces linked end to end. The owners wanted to gain more usable attic space for bedrooms, reorganize the main floor for entertaining and connect the ground floor to the main floor without precluding its future use as an in-law or rental apartment. The resulting design pairs a modern, open floor plan with art & crafts inspired detailing creating a very warm and contemporary environment.

The main floor plan consists of the kitchen, powder room, an open living room, an intimate inglenook and a screened dining room. The living room is configured into two seating areas, one focused on the bay window, the other facing the fireplace. The ceiling is articulated by a series of dropped beams, supported at their intersections by tapered columns which sit upon the inglenook enclosure. The inglenook is a cherry paneled and balustered seating area separated from the living room by a two sided fireplace. The inglenook has a built-in bench with storage beneath, open book shelves, and storage cabinets concealed behind invisible paneled doors. The main stair wraps around the inglenook, while a run of stairs to the ground floor descends behind it. The dining room is a narrow formal space with high windows to the kitchen and exterior. It is capped at one end by a niche with a cherry sideboard and on the other by the end of the inglenook. An elliptical ceiling cutout conceals cove lighting and creates a dramatic surface from which period pendant lighting is suspended.

The usable floor area of the attic was increased dramatically by the construction of six new dormers which sit three-in-a-line on each side of the house. The northern-most dormers are situated over two children's bedrooms. These rooms can be joined into one large play space by opening a pocket door between them. Both have access to an exterior porch.

The middle pair of dormers accommodate a laundry room and children's bathroom. Between them, under the roof ridge is a wide gallery space that serves as an additional play room. The southern pair of dormers create the master bathroom and provide headroom for the stair which rises along the outside wall. The master bedroom sits at the south end of the house under the main roof. Closets are placed in the low-headroom area along the eaves and in a house-form structure that serves as a headboard for the bed.