In the suburbs of Chicago, a contemporary ranch house was visualized by homeowners who wanted a spacious, creative floor plan meant to keep kids, friends, and extended family entertained and comfortable at all turns. Amy Storm & Company handled the interior design for the project, while bespoke cabinetry throughout the home—kitchen, walk-in pantry, butler’s pantry, wine room, primary bath, mudroom, and great room—was designed by O’Brien Harris.
The home is occupied by a husband and wife, with busy careers and a young family, who love to open their kitchen and home to guests. With that in mind, a 14-foot kitchen island was designed to accommodate seating for six and as a general gathering place for family and friends. Rift-sawn white oak cabinets with a custom finish make purposeful use of the large kitchen.
“One of our goals when designing a kitchen—in addition to making it beautiful, of course—is collaborating with our clients to make their space functional,” notes Ann Stockard of O’Brien Harris. “Every interior accessory and its location was carefully considered during the design planning phase.”
Throughout the home, Storm and her team set out to create both public and private spaces for the immediate family and frequent visitors. For added enjoyment of the spacious kitchen, a custom table pulls up to a booth seat covered in durable, dark green vinyl that pulls the colors of nature visible through the large windows inside. The wraparound bench is fashioned with legs, to feel more like furniture.
Contemporary comfort is achieved throughout the home with a careful combination of modern and natural elements. Vaulted ceilings in the great room, dining room, and primary bedroom enhance the scale of the spaces, each of which enjoys fireplaces and tall, often floor-to-ceiling, windows. A sliding glass wall opens off the great room, connecting it to the outdoor space and enlarging the entertaining capacity.
The home’s overall black-and-white color scheme reaches dramatic heights in the dining room that would be just as at home on a Hollywood movie set. Here, as in the kitchen and other spaces in the home, a pop of emerald green—in this case in the lush area rug—makes a striking statement.
The six stylish bedrooms were designed to be serene and restful oases from the hectic world and are tucked into a separate wing. The blush pink bedroom, an exception to the predominant black and white color play throughout the home, was designed with a mission in mind. “The soft color will allow this room to morph from little girl to tween to teen without having to change much,” says Storm. “The blush wallcovering and brass accents are timeless. Just a few bedding and pillow updates will make it easy to transform this bedroom over the years.”
The covered back porch extends the entertaining space outside and enhances the great outdoors with heated flooring and heaters in the ceiling as well, plus roller screens, a fireplace, lounge and bar areas, and a mosaic tile-clad pizza oven. Combined with the home’s glass-enclosed wine room and amenity-rich common areas throughout, plus quiet and luxurious spaces for the family to enjoy privately, the home completes its mission of being a perfect place for both living and entertaining.
“You can make pizza in the dead of winter and still sit ‘outside’ to enjoy it,” Storm says. “And when you enter, you can see the wine room from the foyer. Lit up at night, it’s like its own piece of art.”
Photography: Stoffer Photography
Builder: Nicholas & Associates
Architect: BOX Studios
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