Houzz Tour: Blending In and Standing Out
In a historic Chicago suburb, this new kid on the block fits in even with modern lines and Mediterranean arches
Not long after this Chicago couple became engaged, they knew they wanted to live in the leafy, established suburb of Evanston. When they stumbled upon a rare empty residential lot, they jumped at the chance to build a house that blended their two favorite design aesthetics: the clean lines of modernism with some Mediterranean influences. The challenge? The lot was in the middle of the town’s historic district, where traditional architecture prevails.
For help, the couple turned to architect Greg Howe of Searl Lamaster Howe Architects. Howe created a two-story design with a full basement that deftly melded the two styles and passed Evanston’s stringent historic-design-review process.
For help, the couple turned to architect Greg Howe of Searl Lamaster Howe Architects. Howe created a two-story design with a full basement that deftly melded the two styles and passed Evanston’s stringent historic-design-review process.
From the street, a fieldstone walkway leads to the tall front door, designed to fit the scale of the double-height great room window to the right.
“I’m a modernist at heart,” Howe says, “and when you look at the front of the house straight on, the angled roof disappears and a modern gesture — the cube —appears.”
Door: TruStile; windows: Marvin Windows and Doors
“I’m a modernist at heart,” Howe says, “and when you look at the front of the house straight on, the angled roof disappears and a modern gesture — the cube —appears.”
Door: TruStile; windows: Marvin Windows and Doors
The Mediterranean influences show themselves along one side of the exterior, where a fieldstone-clad arched wall defines a courtyard, tucked behind the main volume, which contains the great room and kitchen. Arched French doors echo the wall form. One of the homeowners is of Middle Eastern descent, and the other has lived in Spain, so both had a vision of centering the house around a courtyard.
“It’s not a common layout for the Chicago area,” Howe says, “but we wrapped the house around a courtyard, which brings a lot of light into the interior and gives it a great indoor-outdoor connection.”
Outdoor furniture: Barlow Tyrie
“It’s not a common layout for the Chicago area,” Howe says, “but we wrapped the house around a courtyard, which brings a lot of light into the interior and gives it a great indoor-outdoor connection.”
Outdoor furniture: Barlow Tyrie
Faced with a narrow lot and a busy street, Howe came up with an L-shaped plan for the house that created a private side yard, accessible from the courtyard.
The double-volume great room and floor-to-ceiling window add a sense of majesty to the central core of the house.
The owners worked with the architect to choose family-friendly furnishings and architectural details in mostly neutral hues that reflect the home’s modern, Mediterranean and traditional design themes.
Flooring: porcelain tile, The Fine Line; draperies: The Shade Store
The owners worked with the architect to choose family-friendly furnishings and architectural details in mostly neutral hues that reflect the home’s modern, Mediterranean and traditional design themes.
Flooring: porcelain tile, The Fine Line; draperies: The Shade Store
The great room accommodates two seating groups — one in front of the television that’s tucked into custom cabinetry, and a more intimate setting in front of the fireplace.
The window above the television frames a glimpse of the Dryden estate’s former coach house, now converted to condos. “It’s a little reminder of Evanston’s architectural past,” Howe says.
Blue sofa: Restoration Hardware; white sofa and armchair: Room & Board; coffee table: Anthropologie
The window above the television frames a glimpse of the Dryden estate’s former coach house, now converted to condos. “It’s a little reminder of Evanston’s architectural past,” Howe says.
Blue sofa: Restoration Hardware; white sofa and armchair: Room & Board; coffee table: Anthropologie
The pattern of the great room’s antique area rug echoes the exuberant pattern of the railing along the second-floor walkway that links the bedrooms.
“The owners found the Art Deco-period architectural elements from Argentina at a clearance auction,” Howe says, “and we incorporated them in several spots.”
The dining room, located below the walkway, opens onto the courtyard.
Wrought iron railing: Architectural Artifacts; dining table: Bolia; dining chairs: Room & Board; ceiling light fixture grid: Resolute
“The owners found the Art Deco-period architectural elements from Argentina at a clearance auction,” Howe says, “and we incorporated them in several spots.”
The dining room, located below the walkway, opens onto the courtyard.
Wrought iron railing: Architectural Artifacts; dining table: Bolia; dining chairs: Room & Board; ceiling light fixture grid: Resolute
A custom fireplace with a limestone surround warms a seating area in the great room. The antique doors are from Argentina.
The Italian chandelier here and one in the master bedroom are family heirlooms that once hung in the home of one of the homeowner’s grandparents in Beirut, Lebanon, and later in his parents’ home in the Chicago suburbs.
Antique doors: Architectural Artifacts; sofa: BoConcept
The Italian chandelier here and one in the master bedroom are family heirlooms that once hung in the home of one of the homeowner’s grandparents in Beirut, Lebanon, and later in his parents’ home in the Chicago suburbs.
Antique doors: Architectural Artifacts; sofa: BoConcept
Just off the entry, the kitchen opens onto the great room and dining area. Custom white lacquered kitchen cabinetry from Avanti Kitchen Gallery keeps things simple, while reclaimed-oak flooring adds a rustic touch. The hood is also a custom design, made of blackened steel.
Cooktop: Wolf; countertops: Zodiaq quartz, DuPont; backsplash tile: Tabarka Studio; faucet: Kohler; pendant lights: Lightology
Cooktop: Wolf; countertops: Zodiaq quartz, DuPont; backsplash tile: Tabarka Studio; faucet: Kohler; pendant lights: Lightology
While the house was being planned, designed and constructed, the owners had their own deadlines. They got married, and a year later had their daughter.
“We rushed to have the house finished before the baby was born,” Howe says. “We didn’t quite make it. She arrived two weeks before the house was completed.”
Pendant lights: Tazi Designs
“We rushed to have the house finished before the baby was born,” Howe says. “We didn’t quite make it. She arrived two weeks before the house was completed.”
Pendant lights: Tazi Designs
A custom handrail made of blackened steel delineates the staircase to the bedrooms.
The walkway between the bedrooms overlooks the great room. Linear LED strip lights from Edge Lighting are suspended from cables to illuminate the cedar-clad ceiling, creating a subtle glow at night.
Heavy trusses add character to the master bedroom, while a high window fills the room with light without sacrificing privacy. A piece of the antique Argentinian wrought iron was mounted onto a painted white panel to create a barn door for the bathroom.
Antique wrought iron: Architectural Artifacts; bedroom furniture: Crate & Barrel
Antique wrought iron: Architectural Artifacts; bedroom furniture: Crate & Barrel
A skylight illuminates the master bathroom, where a piece of glass separates a free-standing tub from the open shower. The custom cast-concrete countertop has an integral sink.
Tub: Signature Hardware; tub filler: Jado; faucet: Cifial
Tub: Signature Hardware; tub filler: Jado; faucet: Cifial
The floor plan shows the home’s courtyard-centric layout.
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Houzz at a Glance
Location: Evanston, Illinois
Who lives here: A couple — she’s a Spanish teacher turned full-time mom; he’s a physician — and their toddler daughter
Size: 3,700 square feet (344 square meters); three bedrooms, four and a half bathrooms
Architect: Greg Howe of Searl Lamaster Howe Architects
To meet the challenge of building a modern house in a historic district, Howe gave the house traditional street cred with a gabled roofline, a classic chimney profile and narrow, mullioned windows. Crisp lines and smooth stucco walls nod to modernism, while the Mediterranean influences reveal themselves to one side of the house and inside.
“We didn’t try to replicate the 1920s,” Howe says of the prevailing architectural context. “We wanted the house to fit the neighborhood but be of its current time period.”
The lot itself posed another challenge. The property was once a small part of what had been the early-20th-century estate of prominent businessman George B. Dryden and his wife, an Eastman Kodak heiress. A warehouse had once existed on the lot. “We thought it was simply an empty lot,” says Howe, who teamed up with S/H Builders on the project. “But when we started excavating, we found two foundations stacked on top of one another. We had to dig those up before we could build.”