A Transitional Chicago Townhome Suits Family Life In Style
An Elliott Puckette artwork is mounted over the living room’s Anatolia Black marble mantel. The chairs, sporting a de Le Cuona fabric, face a Holly Hunt sofa. Dedar overdrapes match Wired Custom Lighting’s Georgia fixture above John Pomp’s Tidal table.
Suiting family life in style, a chicago townhome blends glam moments with durable sensibilities.
As a Chicago family expanded from four to five, they looked around their Gold Coast condo and realized the space didn’t quite accommodate them anymore. “We had outgrown our home, but our children attended a school nearby, so we wanted to stay in the city,” the wife explains. Along with upgrading square footage, the couple desired a residence that would reflect their lifestyle, stylishly so. “I wanted it to be a family-friendly, thought-out house that would fulfill my design dreams without sacrificing our needs,” the wife reflects. Charmed by Lincoln Park, they jumped at the chance to construct a custom townhome in the area, bringing their vision to life.
The owners turned to interior designer Martin Horner and residential designer Kevin Klinger, who created a three-story transitional abode with a basement and sky deck that fosters movement and interaction, starting with the main level. Housing the primary living and entertaining spaces, it is populated with furnishings in silhouettes that, while elegant, wear durable indoor-outdoor fabric meant to stand up to years of use. Amid them, decadent accents add a dose of drama. In the formal living room, for instance, the form and hue of the rippled satin-brass chandelier mimics the gold silk-satin drapery. Likewise, the dining room table’s polished bronze base resembles a set of interlocking gold rings, its glass top reflecting light from the crystal chandelier above. “The lighting acts as little crown jewels that we put into the home,” Horner muses.
He accessorized the kitchen with a molecular bronze-and-glass fixture that gleams alongside a stylish stainless steel hood. The wife loves to cook and wanted to avoid clutter, so the space needed to be functional yet sleek. Iceberg Belissima quartzite forms an island with the slightest reveal between the top and base for visual interest. The stone appears again as the range backsplash and its adjoined telescoping doors, which open to reveal shelves lined with spices.
From the kitchen’s citrine leather stools to the family room’s emerald velvet armchair, a bold palette permeates the downstairs, infusing energy into the entertaining spaces. The dining room is so saturated in royal blues—seen on the wallcovering and chairs—that they almost act as a neutral. Threaded in golds, they tie into an abstract Andrew Holmquist painting that was discovered, surprisingly, after the rest of the room had been put into place
Home Details
Architecture and Home Builder:
Kevin Klinger, Savane Properties
Interior Design:
Martin Horner, Soucie Horner Design Collective
Enveloped by Benjamin Moore’s Dune White, the elegant staircase features a wool-and-silk Shiir runner. Holly Hunt’s Four Seasons sconce illuminates the space, and the brand’s Great Plains material adorns Natasha Baradaran’s Sempione bench.
A Wired Custom Lighting chandelier complements the kitchen’s stainless steel hood with brass detail fabricated by Mitchel and Mitchel. The Iceberg Belissima quartzite island is lined with Powell & Bonnell stools in Keleen Leathers upholstery.
Constructed of the same Iceberg Belissima quartzite that composes the counters, two sliding doors above the Wolf range conceal spice racks. Below, Shiir’s Primitive rug adds warmth and texture.
Barron Custom Furniture chairs in a Pollack fabric encircle the Hudson Furniture dining table. Andrew Holmquist artwork, backed by a Phillip Jeffries wallcovering, and a John Pomp chandelier energize the space.
Calacatta Gold marble from Marble & Granite Supply of Illinois surrounds the primary bathroom’s Devon&Devon tub, joined by a table from 1stdibs. A Wired Custom Lighting glass chandelier suspends above Ann Sacks’ Calacatta Zebrino tile.
A Coup Studio chandelier and Holly Hunt lamp shed light on the primary bedroom, home to Jean de Merry’s Mano bench. The bed is dressed in Kerry Joyce and Weitzner fabrics, with pillows in Dedar, Samuel & Sons and Holly Hunt Great Plains textiles.
Pretty in pink, the daughter’s bedroom is clad in a geometric silk wallpaper by Jane Churchill. The RH bed, chair and crystal pendant exude fairy-tale romance. The cornice and draperies are made of a Lee Jofa material with Samuel & Sons trim.
Against a Relativity Textiles wallcovering, Visual Comfort & Co. sconces join Pottery Barn mirrors in the daughter’s bathroom. Beata Heuman handles decorate cabinetry by Intelligent Spaces by Design LLC underneath Iceberg Magenta quartzite countertops.
The family room’s Minotti sectional faces an ottoman by Barron Custom Furniture, an emerald Cassina armchair and a curved DeMuro Das lounge chair. In front of Anna Kunz’s Gardenia are a Flos floor lamp and an Oluce table lamp.
A Janus et Cie table and chairs encourage alfresco dining on the back courtyard, while the brand’s Tosca armchairs and RH’s Havana sofa create a seating area. Holly Hunt’s Cachalot coffee table and Serena & Lily’s Cabrillo side table complete the scene.
As the curved plaster staircase guides guests upstairs to the bedrooms, the colors begin to ease, starting with the sky-blue-and-brown runner—toned-down versions of the main level’s jewel hues. “The palette goes from moody to more peaceful as you go up,” Horner describes. “The light gets brighter. It’s calming.”
In the owners’ bedroom, the designer focused on neutrals and soft materials to create a sense of retreat. A cashmere rug provides sumptuous texture underfoot, and walls clad in an earthen beige cocoon the space in warmth. The tone becomes even more ethereal in the primary bathroom, where Calacatta Gold marble forms a niche surrounding the tub, reflecting sunlight diffused through white drapes. “Those sheers add a layer of translucency,” Horner observes.
Just as much thought went into the children’s rooms, which were designed to age with them. One daughter’s room, for instance, boasts patterned taupe wallpaper and elegant ballerina-pink draperies tied with Victorian-inspired tassels. “In a traditional house, those tassels are typically seen only in the living room,” Horner notes. The vintage-inspired canopy chair feels right at home in a room full of romantic and rosy accoutrements, topped by a floral crown chandelier that may as well have been plucked from a fairy tale.
The children and their parents often congregate in the cozy family room, outfitted in a shearling rug and plush, modern furniture gathered before a gold-veined mantel of Nero Portoro marble. “It’s my favorite stone,” Horner admits. “I even used it in my own bathroom at home.” Through three sets of French doors, the space opens to an outdoor patio, encouraging an effortless inside-outside flow. “We were able to raise the whole terrace and yard to be level with the main living floor,” Klinger points out. Complete with a brick fireplace, an outdoor kitchen and a play area for the children, the exterior space deftly balances entertaining for all ages.
From the outside in, the dwelling serves as an elegant and comfortable place for the family while encouraging beauty and ease in everyday living. “Our approach was: We are going to raise our children in a home we love and feel like we can grow in for a very long time,” the wife shares. “We achieved that goal here.”