Sweet Success: Balancing Work and Pleasure in a Multistory

Sweetsucccss
LocarroN, LocATroN, LocATIoN.
It remains the mantra for homeowners seeking a resrdence.And when the owners are real estatedevelopers
and property managers,the right location takes on an
even greater lmportance.
When Jeff Grinspoon, cofounder of Maven Management
in Chicago,looked for an urban
lot to build a new home, he
quickly recognized the value of
one site in the ciry's chic Lincoln Park neighborhood. Not
only did it havea house that was
ripe for a teardown, but it was a
corner lot with great light, oneand-a-half times the size of the
average local area parcels and
adjacent to a parking lot that
was unlikely to be developed.
But that was just part of its
appeal.The lot also was within
view and earshot of a railroad
line that brought sugar rwice a
day to the PeerlessConGction
Company factory.
"The locomotive would pass
by what was the kitchen window of the existing house,"
Grinspoon says."I loved that."
After having worked successfully with designer
David Kaufrnan of Kaufrnan Segal Design on a prior
home, Grinspoon hired Kaufinan and his colleague
Tom Segal to execute his vision and gave them almost
carte blanche with budget and design decisions."I asked
them to run everything by me, but rhey have impeccable taste,"explains Grinspoon.
Early on in the project, Grinspoon also mer his businessand life partner,Jon Foley, who helped rweak the
emerging design.'Whilethe pair
envisionedan unadorned classic facadethat would fit into its
vintage neighborhood rather
than resemble another showy
post-teardown, they imagined
the rear as a stark, contemporary contrast.The homeowners
alsowanted spaciousrooms and
multiple terracesto accommodate the large charitable events
they regularly host, with a fair
shareof intimate spacesaswell.
That settled,the designerswent
to work, one room at a time,
ensuring that each reflected
a similar juxraposition of traditional and contemporary.
Architectural features, detailed
millwork and luxurious materials ofler a timeless sensibiliry
while furnishinss and colors
are clean and modern.
The front foyer setsthe mood with a sweeping elliptical stairway that rises three stories and is worthy of
a Scarlett O'Hara descent.Thirty-three "S" balustrades
were brought back from a Paris flea market and spaced
throughout the winding metal stairway that has a cordovan-colored, Spinneybeck leather-wrapped railing.
BernxcrNc woRK AND pLEASURErN A MULTrsroRyCurcaco HoME
By Barbara Ballinger + Photography by Bruce Van Inwegen
R O BB R EPO R T LU XU R Y H O ME 5 9
Left: Bec aus e both ow ner s a re a v i d
c ook s , they r eques ted an ope n k i t c h e n
and fam i l y r oom for food pr e p a ra t i o n
and c as ual enter tai ni ng. T he c u rv e d
c onc r ete i s l and w as des i gned t o a l l o w
gues ts to s i t and w atc h the c h e f s . Th e
room, which holds Umbra Lala
by Wade
H oefer , has s ev er al s eati ng a re a s a n d
opens onto a m ul ti l ev el ter r a c e .
Bel ow : T o hel p bal anc e the o p e n , i n f o rm al natur e of the fam i l y r oom-w h e re
the ow ner s s pend m uc h of th e i r t i me -a n
i nti m ate di ni ng ar ea w as add e d t o t h e
for m al l i v i ng r oom . Shel v i ng a n d re c e s s e s
w er e bui l t to ac c om m odate
G ri n s p o o n
and F ol ey 's c ol l ec ti on of ar t, w h i c h
i nc l udes ov er IO O s am pl es of p e t ri f i e d
w ood on s tands and thei r pr i z e d 1 , 1 6 0 pound petr i fi ed m apl e tr unk , a t ri g h t .
R oBB R EPoR T LU XU R y H o ME
6i
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER
2007
The flooring
consists of large rectangles ofJerusalem
limestone frarned in mahogany. "I wanted people's jaws
to drop when they walked in, not because the designs
were over the top, but because everything was so beautiful," Grinspoon says."I wanted everyone to say,'Oh,
I'd love to live here' rather than,'It's nice, but I could
neuer irnagine living here."'
Every space in the house includes sufficient roonr
to display the owners'varied
artworks and antiques-
glove molds, 120 samples of wood
on stands, a 1,160-pound
petrified
species mounted
rnaple tree that
required the floor beneath it to be reinforced, and ar-r
outdoor copper sculpture weighing 900 pounds. Santos
mahogany flooring and a palette of earthy tones both
reference the art and provide a sense of cohesiveness
throughout the home.
Since the men like to cook intimate dinners as well
as large ones that sor-netimesnecessitate bringing in a
catering staff, they requested two work zones. A long
colulter with stools serves as the stage in their main
il
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workspace within
the large open living area; the sec-
ondary one is arranged in an efhcient butlert pantry.
The top floor, originally designed as a home gym,
becarne a media room when Foley suggested that one
hour of exercise a day should not determine the function of the space that has the best views of downtown
Chicago. The gym was relocated to the lowest level,
and the media room received a terrace for taking in the
sweeping views of the ciry skyline.
I
ROBB
REPORT
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" fl oati ng"
oak c o u n t e r
i n a pow der r o o m. Th e o v a l
m i r r or ec hoes t h e o t h e r
c ur v es In Ine sp a c e .
F ar l eft and bel o w : N e w
World Flag Xl by Kris Cox
hangs i n the m a s t e r s u i t e .
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oppos it e a n d b e l o w : T h e
c ouple ca l l e d u p o n A n d y
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linesof t h e f u r n i t u r ea n d
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NOVEMBER/DECEN4BER
2OO7