MARRIED WITH TEENS
PREVIOUS RESIDENCE: A smaller home in Riverwoods.
WHAT THE CURRENT HOME HAD TO HAVE: A studio with a separate entrance for the wife, who runs a graphic arts business from home.
All of us want some space to call our own. But in a family with teens, that desire can become even more intense. Kids crave privacy and autonomy, while parents yearn for that and more (like a little peace and quiet, and maybe a room or two devoted to their own pursuits).
Such dreams became reality for a Bannockburn couple when they built a home from scratch. Both husband and wife are artists and needed separate studios, and their two young teens were hoping for a little more latitude at home. Plus “we’re all accumulators and needed a lot more space for our projects, activities and storage,” says the wife.
The result: An 8,000-square-foot spread that has it all. The husband has his large studio, which is built over his wife’s 1,500-square-foot office; she runs a busy, home-based graphic arts business, so her office has its own entrance.
A series of informal areas for the kids, from a study center between their rooms to a pool, are accessible by a back staircase and give them some “breathing space.”
What the home didn’t have was warmth and intimacy, because it “ended up being so big,” says the wife. And though the space was appreciated, “we’re casual people and didn’t want it to look ostentatious,” she says. Something “light-hearted, colorful and inviting” was what she wanted. Interior designer Stephanie Levinson had to achieve it.
Like the space, the mandate was substantial, so Levinson developed a game plan, based on “creating the illusion of intimacy in each room for warmth, and developing continuity throughout the home, since the spaces are relatively open.” It was accomplished by deftly manipulating scale, color, texture and genre throughout the home.
Levinson anchored rooms with straightforward layouts featuring relatively large pieces, and used bold bursts of color (such as a pair of turquoise dining room breakfronts) to reduce their massive proportions. Walls were coated with dark tints and faux finishes, then finished off with oversized moldings to diminish their magnitude. Furnishings are a combination of opposites–old and new, rustic and refined. Textured textiles provide added depth.
Thanks to these tactics, the members of the house say it now works effectively for them.
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RESOURCES
PRIVATE LIVES
Pp. 44-45: Family room: Sofa–R. Jones at Holly Hunt Ltd., covered in Henry Calvin chenille at Donghia Furniture, both at Merchandise Mart Plaza; sea-grass area rug–Village Carpets, Winnetka; hard-back chairs–Callard & Osgood Ltd., Merchandise Mart; Queen Anne chairs covered in kilims–Stephanie Levinson Design; pillows–Osbourne & Little and Kravet Fabrics–both at Merchandise Mart.
Pg. 46: Dining room: Hutches–designed by Stephanie Levinson, fabricated by Rob Lock, Prairie View; reproduction dining set–Caledonian, Winnetka; ironwork chandelier–Ironware International at Holly Hunt Ltd.; pottery–personal collection; wallpaper–The Fine Line.
Pg. 46: Foyer: Antique French provincial breakfront and antique writing table–Stephanie Levinson Design.
Pg. 48: Living room: Sofas–R. Jones, covered in Great Plains fabric, both at Holly Hunt Ltd.; Ralph Lauren leather chairs–Baker Knapp & Tubbs, Merchandise Mart; antique pine armoire –Stephanie Levinson Design; coffee table–The Fine Line.
(Home Design Magazine, Page 67.)
