This Contemporary Chicago Family Home Blends Style + Comfort

For this family, staying in Chicago was never in question. So, when the clan of four (husband, wife and two children) decided they needed more space indoors and outdoors, they didn’t look to the leafy Windy City suburbs populated with large homes and generous yards. Instead, they narrowed in on Graceland West, a city neighborhood that’s close to both the parents’ work and children’s school. There, they discovered and purchased an urban unicorn: a roomy double lot.

To give life to their vision of a dwelling that would be sophisticated and elegant yet sturdy enough to stand up to life with children and a dog, they brought on architect Kenneth Brinkman, general contractor Aaron Lhotka and interior designer Kate Taylor. “Comfort and durability were two driving factors in the design, because this is a family home,” Taylor says. “But the owners have great taste and are drawn to interesting pieces of furniture and beautiful finishes, so that kept things exciting.”

The residence’s footprint occupies just under half the site, leaving ample room for a garden and a sport court for the children, thanks to landscape designer John West. Floor-to-ceiling windows and glass doors wrap the structure, an approach that “maximizes the flow of natural light and seamlessly integrates the interior spaces with the outdoor living areas,” Lhotka says. The general contractor carefully planned how the home would feel well before the first nail was driven. “Early on, he plotted out where the light would stream into the house and built to that,” Taylor describes. “It paid off with rooms that are bright throughout the day.” A large family room on the first floor, as well as sizable bedrooms complete with en suite baths for every member of the family, provides the extra space they all craved.

Once function and creature comforts were set, it was time to layer in features that appeal to the couple’s sense of style. Words like “durable” and “relaxed” don’t always go hand-in-hand with luxury, but the design team deftly wove workaday and refined elements together. Case in point are the living room’s walnut shelving (important for the display of both objects and books for this bibliophile household) and decorative fluted panels over the fireplace. In the kitchen, elements like the statement-making Calacatta Viola marble, glass-front display cabinets and an island detailed with walnut in a lighter shade than the perimeter cabinetry give the hardworking room a healthy dose of glamour. And, at the home’s core, long, capsule-shaped metal spindles along the staircase make for a passageway with a sculptural aspect.

At first glance, the palette seems neutral, but closer inspection reveals the spaces are nuanced with contrasting colors and a rich textural mix. “The wife came to me with the idea of using a rust hue—the color she is most drawn to,” Taylor says. “Throughout the house, you find shades of that color, as well as dark metals and warm walnuts, to enliven the rooms.” She also selected pronounced textures—richly veined stone, soft velvets and buttery leathers—to add visual and tactile excitement. “A palette that’s too monochromatic can fall flat,” Taylor explains. “We worked to provide dimension through texture.”

Living fixtures and finishes add even more depth. “Natural materials are most often our focus, and that’s what we used here,” the designer notes. Stone, wood and unlacquered brass—materials that will patina over time—are found throughout. “To me, a water ring, an etch or a scratch show that people are doing what they are supposed to do in a house: live,” Taylor muses. “It’s beautiful and what you would see when traveling in Europe.”

What makes the home a great place for all are the spaces where members of the family can retreat or gather. For the parents, the primary bedroom is a calm, adults-only haven that includes a muted, creamy color palette and a cozy fireplace whose floating hearth runs underneath an adjacent window, offering a place to perch and gaze outside. The glass-wrapped family room, on the other hand, features a large, double-sided sofa with one side designated for reading and the other facing a screen so everyone can enjoy movie night.

By keeping the couple’s wish for comfort at the forefront, the design team created a residence that’s so cozy, everyone feels at ease within its walls. As Taylor notes, “In the end, it’s a serene place to come home to after very busy days.”