As a lifelong Evanston resident, builder Walter Kihm has always been awed by the lovely old homes that line the streets of this historic town. Many architectural styles exist here, ranging from pretty Victorians to grand Queen Annes to quaint English Tudors to classic Prairie-style bungalows.
So it was only natural that when it was time to build his own abode in his hometown, Kihm and his wife, Audrey, wanted to borrow a page from the past. The couple chose architect Christopher Thomas to create their new “old” house.
“We wanted something that would showcase the beautiful neighborhood,” Walter Kihm explains.
The Kihms’ three-story house, which is essentially English country in feel, blends in neatly with the neighboring older homes. But for the interior, the Kihms wanted something contemporary and comfortable for their children and grandchildren.
The couple selected designer Christine Garrett to bring the new home to life. The idea was to update the furnishings from the Kihms’ previous home, but make it all look new. Essentially, says Garrett’s partner, Tom Ferguson, “Christine made it dressier,” using much of the furniture the family already owned.
Garrett brought that sophistication mainly through her use of wallcoverings and lighting. The dining room’s centerpiece is its dramatic Shaker-style chairs and table. To highlight that centerpiece, she simply hung a large English lantern overhead. She also hung a terra-cotta-colored stucco paper on the wall. “I wanted to dress it a little because the pieces are a little more country,” she says.
She carried that same philosophy into the living room, which is small but seems larger thanks to a soaring ceiling. Garrett used a coffee-colored paper as a backdrop for the dramatic limestone fireplace and piano. The Oriental rug visually anchors the whole tableau — and makes it comfortable for the couple’s dog to sleep beneath the piano.
The Kihms especially liked the way Garrett made the kitchen accessible and elegant. Built-in cabinets hide everything except the microwave. One cabinet even serves as a divider between the kitchen and the family room.
Two sinks, one by the window, another in a marble-topped island, make it easy for the extended Kihm clan to cook together.
“In the past, we liked to cook (dishes featured on) the cover of Bon Appetit,” says Walter Kihm. “It was a great way for everyone to get together. It still is.”
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RESOURCES
Architecture: Christopher Thomas. Interior design: Christine Garrett Interior Design Inc., Evanston.
Dining room: wallpaper — Osborne & Little Inc., Merchandise Mart; lantern — Charles Edwards, London, England; sconces — Ball and Ball, Exton, Pa.; tables, chairs and rug — personal collection.
Living room: Library ladder — Samlesbury Hall Ltd., Lake Forest; bull’s-eye mirror — Mountain Valley Antiques, Telluride, Colo.; sconces — Koch & Lowy Inc., Merchandise Mart; candlesticks, artwork and piano — personal collection.
Powder room: Sconces — New Metals Crafts; mirror — The Federalist, Kenilworth; wallpaper by Maya Romanoff — Cowtan & Tout, Merchandise Mart; sink — Barclay Products Ltd., Gurnee.
Kitchen: cabinets — Wood Mode, Smart Rooms Inc., Merchandise Mart; stove, Viking, ABT Television & Appliance Co., Morton Grove; sink — Kohler Co., Kohler, Wis.
Family room: Tables and chairs — Sawbridge Studios; lamps — personal collection.
