A Gut Renovation Transforms an Historic Chicago Colonial Into Contemporary Magic

This historic Tallmadge & Watson-designed Colonial Revival home in Oak Park’s Frank Lloyd Wright Historic District was one Chicago couple's dream home.

November 02, 2020

By: Meredith Rosenberg

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Photo By: Werner Straube Photography

Historic Charmer Enters the 21st Century

This home’s backstory could be a movie plot. The current homeowners admired the historic Tallmadge and Watson-designed Colonial Revival home in Oak Park’s Frank Lloyd Wright Historic District, a suburb of Chicago, for years before buying it. In fact, you could say it was love at first sight. Except, the home wasn't for sale. One day, the couple wrote a note asking to be contacted if the existing owners ever decided to sell, and slipped it through the mail slot. It turns out, they did — about a year later. After moving in, the couple wanted to modernize the interior to match their lifestyle, while maintaining the 1920s exterior.

Best of Both Worlds

Enter Morgante Wilson Architects, who helmed adding a two-story addition, undertaking a gut renovation and providing interior design.

Here, John Potter, a partner with the firm, explains how the entry's leaded sidelites were replicated to match the original. However, the front door received a contemporary update in a rich shade of blue. John points out the gold light fixture and clear lucite bench as additional contemporary touches.

Stylish Meets Practical

The new addition included this mudroom, along with the kitchen, family room, master bedroom suite, rear porch and wood-burning fireplace.

Katawna Tyler (who goes by K.) is also a partner with the company and leads its interior design division. She says the mudroom was a priority for the homeowners. "This mudroom is functional and stylish, with painted cubbies ready to store coats and shoes and swing arm sconces that brighten the room," K. notes.

Martha Stewart Goals

Fun fact: "The fully renovated kitchen was inspired by Martha Stewart’s home in New York," says John. The homeowner is an accomplished home cook, so they chose a navy blue La Cornue range with a custom hood to serve as the kitchen's focal point. They positioned the range beneath a window as a great way to maximize natural light, says John.

Complete Rehab

Speaking of natural light, the owners wanted an airy and open space. K. points out the stained white oak cabinetry, open shelving and clean lines that all help to achieve this look. "The Morgante Wilson team also specified a custom metal and glass cabinet to fit an existing window, providing both storage and light from the outdoors," she says. The team also created a room divider pantry.

Parisian Romance

The range isn't the only feature that makes this kitchen special. The one-of-a-kind light fixtures are actually repurposed 19th-century Parisian streetlights. "[They] fit perfectly with the kitchen ceiling beams and provide a warm glow above the island," says K.

Drink In the View

"An oval window creates a unique design focal point for this alcove bar," says K.

Model Dining Room

"This room showcases the three key elements of any well-designed dining room: a classic table, gorgeous chairs and a killer chandelier," says K.

Comfortable Choices

Modern comfort was the goal in the family room, says K., where rounded shapes and soft lines define the sectional sofa, swivel lounge chair and cocktail table. The room is connected to the exterior garden and porch. "Part of the project’s two-story addition, the family room enjoys light streaming in through a cupola capping the roof," says John.

Major Undertaking

In this part of the family room, John details how the fireplace was moved to the right in order to accommodate an outdoor fireplace on the other side of the wall.

"To visually rebalance the composition of the room, the Morgante Wilson team added a steel plate surround for the fireplace and extended it to the left with a riveted steel panel," K. explains. "The entire wall is softened by panels of oatmeal linen wallcovering framed by metal strapping."

Classic Upgrade

Unlike the family room, the living room's original mahogany fireplace was kept intact, K. says, except for the refaced stone surround.

Silver Touch

Contemporary furniture modernized the living room, while velvet and leather upholstery added warmth. The finishing touch? "The ceiling was given a delicate silver leaf to help the room feel taller and softly reflect light," K. says.

Compare and Contrast

"Fresh and functional, the secondary bath showcases a fun interplay between geometric shapes," says K. She notes the contrasts among the rectangular grid on the vanity drawers and backsplash tile, square mortise ring pulls, light blue hexagonal floor tiles and round mirror.

Soap Opera

Not to be left out, the laundry room also received a dramatic makeover. "Painted cabinetry paired with chevron wallcovering add a bit of style to this workhorse space," says K.

Opening Up Possibilities

Also dramatic? This staircase. "The home’s original stairs were opened up, expanded to the third-floor attic space, and set against a new window wall extending up the entire rear of the home," John says.

Personality Plus

The owners' personalities shine through in the main bedroom, like this custom blue velvet bed. Above it, London artist Graham Stewart created the custom neon art (part of the owners' contemporary art collection) that reads, "Some of my Best Friends are Stones." K. also highlights the recessed arch for the bed, and observes that the ombre curtains and reupholstered vintage chair "add funk and flair." Plus, "the lofty cathedral ceiling brings in natural light, along with a half-round dormer window," she says.

Zen Retreat

Standouts in the main bath include chevron floor tile and a light fixture featuring champagne-colored metal leaves. K. points out how the rich wood cabinetry nicely contrasts with the rest of the bathroom.

Seamless Addition

This angle displays the new two-story addition. "[It] honors the home’s original 1920s exterior," John says. "It's distinguishable from the home’s original architecture, but mirrors its corner masonry blocks, limestone details and brick work."

Of course, this addition didn't come without challenges. The owners wished to preserve the backyard's English elm tree, estimated to be more than 150 years old. This meant planning the renovation around it. "The tree is now the centerpiece of the backyard," says John.

No Detail Spared

Finally, this covered patio near the addition comes complete with an outdoor fireplace. John points out that there's even a storage niche for logs. As with the rest of the house, attention to detail prevailed, creating a modern showstopper without diminishing the home's historic beauty.