Reinvigorating A Classic Vintage Beauty For A Chicago Family
Designers Kristen Ekeland and Kristin Luber streamlined the living room’s original brick fireplace. Pierre Frey-upholstered chairs from Neven and Neven Moderne, a Snelling Studio lamp and a coffee table from South Loop Loft sit atop the rug by Oscar Isberian Rugs. The artwork is by Monika Morito.
This classic North Shore home showcases its architectural roots while serving as a family haven.
It was a chilly January day on the North Shore when a young couple toured a 1914 home that at first glance looked about as dreary as the weather. The wife, who was three weeks away from having her second child, took in the brown stucco exterior and wasn’t feeling optimistic. But the moment she and her husband stepped into spacious rooms filled with natural light, they knew their search had ended. “I wasn’t really expecting to like it,” she recalls, “but I had a very visceral, emotional reaction to it.”
They had no doubt who could transform the place into a comfortable, classic dwelling for their soon-to-be family of four: Kristen Ekeland, who’d designed their historic row house in Chicago a few years earlier. In fact, there’s almost nothing Ekeland likes better than bringing out the best in an old abode. Sizing up the structure and listening to what her clients loved and didn’t love, she took note of original details like the generous windows, brass hardware and moldings and resolved to bring the house back to life. “If an old home isn’t maintained, it can start to feel sad, and this one felt very tired,” she says. “But it had great bones, so it was just a matter of anticipating how it was going to work for them and then building on that foundation and bringing in color and texture.”
Home Details
Interior Design:
Kristen Ekeland and Kristin Luber, Studio Gild
Home Builder:
David Van Osdol, MacPherson Builders
The den is wrapped in moody hues courtesy of Portola Paints’ Beachwood. Julian Chichester chairs covered in a Schumacher stripe join a pedestal table by Hedge House Furniture. The vintage painting above is from Gillian Bryce Gallery.
Artwork by Jean-Baptiste Besançon makes for a dramatic contrast against the subtle warmth of the dining room’s walls, painted Benjamin Moore’s Stone Hearth. Adding texture are a Four Hands credenza accented with cording and Julian Chichester chairs, which surround a custom table by The Chicago Furniture Studio.
Ekeland specified a leathered Dolomite stone for the kitchen and updated the wall and cabinet color from white to Benjamin Moore’s Natural Cream. Lostine stools sit at the island, while The Urban Electric Co. flush-mount fixtures illuminate the space.
A table by The Chicago Furniture Studio and a vintage chair from Chairish—both pieces that Ekeland found for the couple’s previous home in Chicago—grace the kitchen dining nook. Overhead is a pendant by Cuff Studio.
In the den, the custom sectional wears an olive-colored Perennials fabric. Underfoot is a vintage floor covering from Eliko Rugs. The table and floor lamps are by Victoria Morris and Visual Comfort & Co., respectively.
A Fayce wallcovering, Kohro drapery and a Lawson-Fenning bed with a Pierre Frey-covered bolster pillow lend a quiet luxury to the primary bedroom. The lighting includes a Meredith Metcalf lamp and an alabaster fixture from 1stdibs.
Set atop the primary bathroom’s mosaic tile floor, a clawfoot tub nestles into a windowed recess. The café curtains, made from a Rose Uniacke linen, offer privacy while still allowing sunlight to stream in.
Working with senior designer Kristin Luber and general contractor David Van Osdol, Ekeland began by tweaking the main floor layout. First up was recasting the sun room—converted by a previous owner into an office-mudroom—as a cozy den for relaxing and watching TV. This meant closing off a large cased opening to the living room, which gave the designers the opportunity to create a bar area with built-in millwork on the other side. Opposite the new bar, they subtly streamlined the living room’s chunky brick fireplace flanked by bookshelves into something more graceful and proportional. “My clients didn’t want the room to be just for when they have company over,” the designer explains. Her solution was to divide the room into distinct seating areas that she unified with a large custom rug in a textural checkerboard pattern.
“We made the most of the architecture to create an interior that’s a little new and a little old. It all comes together to feel fresh and inviting.”
–KRISTEN EKELAND
From there, it was a matter of emphasizing the home’s architectural features and removing the country farmhouse details added in an earlier renovation. The kitchen got a makeover, with a new Dolomite stone backsplash and countertops as well as an expanded island. In the dining room, she painted the original panel moldings in a warm stony tone. “Since this is a room that you pass through or see from so many different angles, we wanted it to be bathed in a color that wasn’t too dark,” Ekeland says. “It had to tie in to all the palettes of the other rooms.”
Designing for a family with small children can be tricky, but the team made sure that the interiors were beautiful while standing up to day-to-day life. “There are no barriers in this house in terms of the kids,” Ekeland observes. “We used fabrics and furnishings that will age nicely. Nothing feels like it can’t be touched.” Perfection, the designer emphasizes, was not the goal. “Houses are meant to be lived in,” she continues. “Things will get dented and patina over time, and you just have to let go and appreciate that it’s going to age and that someone is going to spill wine. Life can be messy.”
“The home had great bones, so it was just a matter of anticipating how it was going to work for them and then building on that foundation and bringing in color and texture.”
–KRISTEN EKELAND
The transition from living in the city to their first single family residence in the suburbs has been a surprisingly smooth one, according to the wife. “My husband and I really like old homes and are not as into modern-concept living,” she says. “We love having a dining room and a little family den. It’s cozy and works really well for us. It’s kind of amazing how Kristen and the team could make these massive changes and yet it still feels like this is how they intended for it to be in 1914,” she adds. Ekeland believes that feeling all comes down to the details. “We made the most of the architecture to create an interior that’s a little new and a little old,” she says. “It all comes together to feel fresh and inviting.”