A brick carriage house, circa 1906, was a diamond in the rough but a North Shore couple was charmed by its twin-gable Arts & Crafts aesthetic and its history of once housing carriages and horses for a large lakefront estate. They knew that major remodeling was required.
A frame garage addition dating from the 1960s destroyed the integrity of the original design. The first-floor layout lacked an adequate-size family room, important for a couple with three young children.
After studying houses and furnishings from the same period, including those pictured in “In the Arts & Crafts Style,” by Barbara Mayer (Chronicle Books), the owners and their architect, H. Gary Frank, decided to be true to the period, yet make the house family-friendly.
In his design for reconfiguring the interior, Frank removed a platform in the living room that had been used for dining and converted that area to a library-cum-music room. He set up a dining area at the end of the 35-foot living room. Frank had plaster removed from beams and columns, then he clad them in quartersawn white oak planks. On the floor he laid white oak planks, and he had Arts & Crafts-style bookcases built.
Where the garage once stood, he fashioned a large family room and new foyer with slate flooring. An artist designed stained-glass doors to close off the family room yet allow in light.
The owners, who had never been interested in antiques, began collecting Arts & Crafts and Mission furnishings.
“I didn’t know the term Arts & Crafts or who the Stickleys were, but I was determined to learn,” said the husband, who began attending auctions, visiting galleries and reading (about Gustav Stickley, for example, and his Arts & Crafts artisan brothers). In the family room, he opted for reproduction furnishings that would take hard wear and tear.
A new two-car garage was surfaced in a multicolored-red brick the owner found in North Carolina. Also on the exterior, the architect had three sets of 4-by-9-foot mahogany doors installed; he felt they recaptured the look of the large openings that once allowed horses and carriages through. Final touch: A new curved canopy provides a gracious welcome for family and friends.
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RESOURCES
Architecture–H. Gary Frank Architects, Winnetka. Landscaping–Chalet, Wilmette. Cabinetry, doors and millwork–Monticello Design, Monticello, Ill. Antique furniture–Toomey Auctions, Oak Park. Wood floors–Turk Floor Co., Elgin. Rugs–ORI, Merchandise Mart. Interior light fixtures–Arroyo Craftsman, Baldwin Park, Calif. All other furnishings–personal collection.
Living room: Tile around fireplace–artist Melanie Liss. Exterior: Metal canopy–Western Architectural Iron Co.
On pg. 2: A view into the family room.
