Luxe Chicago Magazine - Morgante Wilson Architects

chicago
$ 9.95
a sandow publication
volume 11, issue 3
display until 10/14/13
architecture Elissa Morgante, AIA, and Fred Wilson, AIA, Morgante-Wilson Architects, Ltd.
interior design Elissa Morgante and Fred Wilson, Morgante-Wilson Architects, Ltd.
home builder Brian Goldberg, LG Construction + Development Group
landscape architecture Bill Eiserman, Eiserman and Associates
bedrooms 5
bathrooms 8
square feet 13,000
welcome home
ACTIVE AND FUN-LOVING HOMEOWNERS WITH FOUR GROWING CHILDREN BUILD A RELAXED
A N D CO M F OR TAB L E W I N N E TK A H OU S E TO F I T TH E I R D Y N AM I C , E N E R G ETIC WAY OF LIFE.
w r i t t e n b y JOANNE FU R I O
p h o t o g r a p h y b y M I CHA E L R O B I NS O N
luxe interiors
+ design
211
W
ith four sons ranging in age from 7 to 14, a
couple increasingly felt as if they were starring
in a film called The Incredible Shrinking House.
The 3,000 square feet of their charming 1916
house in the Chicago suburb of Winnetka—and its quarter acre—
was starting to become smaller and smaller as their boys grew
bigger and bigger. As luck would have it, an old estate less than a
mile away, subdivided into three separate lots, went up for sale, and
after buying an almost 1-acre parcel, the couple set out to make the
house a reflection of who they are and how they live.
“They’re very nice, casual people with a big extended family,” says
architect and designer Elissa Morgante, who, along with her
husband and business partner, Fred Wilson, and an extensive team
that included America Garcia, Krista Petkovsek and K Tyler, worked
closely with the couple to create a seamless design that, starting
at the curb, would emphasize their friendly, relaxed lifestyle.
“They didn’t want the house to feel big and intimidating,” says
Morgante, “but like an old familiar home you could just walk up to
and ring the doorbell.”
212 l u x e i n t e r i o r s
+ design
Architects and designers Elissa Morgante and
Fred Wilson created a relaxed vibe in the family
room using a soft-hued palette. The charcoal
Sherrill Furniture Company sofa upholstered in
a J. Robert Scott tweed is adjacent to a Hancock
& Moore leather sofa. The swivel barrel chairs
are by Michael Berman Limited.
Parkwest Furniture
reupholstered the clients’
heirloom dining chairs in
Calvin Fabrics silk. Set
over the Kravet fruitwood
table is a wrought-iron
Julian chandelier, with
both cascading crystal
beads and candelabra
lights, by David Iatesta.
c o n t i n u e d f r o m p a g e 212
For the exterior, the couple chose the Shingle style—a historic
approach popular in the Northeast at the turn of the 20th century.
With its use of varying materials, including cedar shake and stone, and
The round library is a place for quiet contemplation
and features four J. Marshall Design leather
chairs that encircle a custom table designed by
Morgante-Wilson Architects and fabricated by
Lambright Woodworking. The fireplace’s soapstone
surround and hearth is from Stonecutters.
differing window sizes, the design was the perfect choice to break up
the large exterior and keep it from looking too massive from the curb.
Inside, the couple rebelled from formality, deciding to forgo a
living room. “That was one of the bigger rooms in our old house,
and we never used it,” says the wife. They did, however, end up
creating a library, which contains a quartet of deep-seated chairs,
custom cabinetry and little else. There is also a dining room used
mainly for the holidays. Combined, these formal rooms take up
only 425 square feet of the first floor. More than three times that,
around 1,400 square feet, was devoted to informal living areas
where the family spends most of their time: the family room,
kitchen and breakfast area, and screened porch.
luxe interiors
+ design
215
Just off the breakfast area, a pair of wicker
chairs by Kravet upholstered in Architex
Smartsuede fabric sets a casual tone. The
ottoman, by Kisabeth Furniture in Dallas, is
covered in Carnegie fabric. The wood side
table is by Oly Studio.
c o n t i n u e d f r o m p a g e 215
Thoughtful space planning is also evident in the kitchen, where
the boys can grab snacks from the custom-designed alder
island without infringing on the so-called “work triangle,” the
refrigerator, sink and stove, where cooking takes place. Also
designed with the boys in mind were the furnishings, upholstered
in “very forgiving fabrics,” says Morgante, such as the Hancock
& Moore leather sofa in the family room and indoor-outdoor
fabrics in the breakfast area and screened porch. A calming palette
of soft golds, greens, blues, grays and white reigns throughout,
while lighting in each room indulges the wife’s penchant for
substantial light fixtures made of iron.
216 l u x e i n t e r i o r s
+ design
In the kitchen, custom mullion-patterned cabinetry with
antique mirrored doors, designed by the architects and
crafted by Lambright Woodworking, becomes a dramatic
design feature. The Bausman & Company breakfast
chairs and table, from the deAurora Showroom, are
topped by a Dana Creath Designs wrought-iron light
fixture through Melvin Wolf and Associates.
The large master bedroom includes two
seating areas. The clients’ own chairs were
re-covered in a Donghia outdoor fabric for
durability and a Robert Allen damask. Zirlin
Interiors fabricated two layers of Roman
window shades made from a Pollack silk.
Sconces are by Visual Comfort in Houston.
A light palette continues into the master
bathroom, which boasts his-and-hers sinks,
topped with Carrara marble and outfitted
with Rohl faucets. The mirrors are by
Karesh Mirrors Unlimited, and sconces by
Urban Archaeology illuminate the space.
c o n t i n u e d f r o m p a g e 216
In the backyard, landscape designer Bill Eiserman created a series of
bluestone terraces broken up by walkways and plantings. The result:
The smaller spaces feel just as comfortable with a party of four or
40. “Designing the terrace layout to support the clients’ entertaining
needs was done to allow for large traffic flow over the terraces and
through the home, but was also designed to have a smaller group
feel very comfortable in the space,” explains Eiserman. “We used the
architecture of the house to create a garden that matches in feel and
allows the kids enough space to still have fun in the yard.”
luxe interiors
+ design
219
The large master bedroom includes two
seating areas. The clients’ own chairs were
re-covered in a Donghia outdoor fabric for
durability and a Robert Allen damask. Zirlin
Interiors fabricated two layers of Roman
window shades made from a Pollack silk.
Sconces are by Visual Comfort in Houston.
A light palette continues into the master
bathroom, which boasts his-and-hers sinks,
topped with Carrara marble and outfitted
with Rohl faucets. The mirrors are by
Karesh Mirrors Unlimited, and sconces by
Urban Archaeology illuminate the space.
c o n t i n u e d f r o m p a g e 216
In the backyard, landscape designer Bill Eiserman created a series of
bluestone terraces broken up by walkways and plantings. The result:
The smaller spaces feel just as comfortable with a party of four or
40. “Designing the terrace layout to support the clients’ entertaining
needs was done to allow for large traffic flow over the terraces and
through the home, but was also designed to have a smaller group
feel very comfortable in the space,” explains Eiserman. “We used the
architecture of the house to create a garden that matches in feel and
allows the kids enough space to still have fun in the yard.”
luxe interiors
+ design
3
The large master bedroom includes two
seating areas. The clients’ own chairs were
re-covered in a Donghia outdoor fabric for
durability and a Robert Allen damask. Zirlin
Interiors fabricated two layers of Roman
window shades made from a Pollack silk.
Sconces are by Visual Comfort in Houston.
A light palette continues into the master
bathroom, which boasts his-and-hers sinks,
topped with Carrara marble and outfitted
with Rohl faucets. The mirrors are by
Karesh Mirrors Unlimited, and sconces by
Urban Archaeology illuminate the space.
c o n t i n u e d f r o m p a g e 216
In the backyard, landscape designer Bill Eiserman created a series of
bluestone terraces broken up by walkways and plantings. The result:
The smaller spaces feel just as comfortable with a party of four or
40. “Designing the terrace layout to support the clients’ entertaining
needs was done to allow for large traffic flow over the terraces and
through the home, but was also designed to have a smaller group
feel very comfortable in the space,” explains Eiserman. “We used the
architecture of the house to create a garden that matches in feel and
allows the kids enough space to still have fun in the yard.”
luxe interiors
+ design
5
The large master bedroom includes two
seating areas. The clients’ own chairs were
re-covered in a Donghia outdoor fabric for
durability and a Robert Allen damask. Zirlin
Interiors fabricated two layers of Roman
window shades made from a Pollack silk.
Sconces are by Visual Comfort in Houston.
A light palette continues into the master
bathroom, which boasts his-and-hers sinks,
topped with Carrara marble and outfitted
with Rohl faucets. The mirrors are by
Karesh Mirrors Unlimited, and sconces by
Urban Archaeology illuminate the space.
c o n t i n u e d f r o m p a g e 216
In the backyard, landscape designer Bill Eiserman created a series of
bluestone terraces broken up by walkways and plantings. The result:
The smaller spaces feel just as comfortable with a party of four or
40. “Designing the terrace layout to support the clients’ entertaining
needs was done to allow for large traffic flow over the terraces and
through the home, but was also designed to have a smaller group
feel very comfortable in the space,” explains Eiserman. “We used the
architecture of the house to create a garden that matches in feel and
allows the kids enough space to still have fun in the yard.”
luxe interiors
+ design
7
On the second floor, an octagonal covered porch
off the master bedroom is furnished as an outdoor
space for lounging. Below is a screened porch
that opens onto the backyard, where a series of
terraces are interspersed with plantings.
c o n t i n u e d f r o m p a g e 219
Because the family wanted to be in their house by the start of the
next school year, a one-year construction timetable put pressure
on the team, including home builder Brian Goldberg. In addition to
being completely automated, the house boasts two subterranean
levels that include a pool room with geothermal heating, a gym
with high-impact drywall and a home theater with surround
sound. Goldberg met the goal by making an “aggressive schedule
and working with everybody cohesively as a team.”
In the end, the finished product was well received. “I love how it
came out,” says the wife, “It’s a calming house, very peaceful—and
with four boys, that’s important.” L
220 l u x e i n t e r i o r s
+ design
Off the combined kitchen and breakfast area,
the screened porch contains sturdy woodframed chairs by Design Within Reach, a
woven-rattan sofa by Veneman Group and a
metal drum coffee table by Arteriors Home.
The four hanging fixtures are by Troy Lighting
purchased at Lightology.