Randy Heller’s clients were at crossroads. They were debating whether to stay in the longtime home where they raised their children, now grown and out of the house, or move. He, a food industry executive, was enticed by the city; she wanted to stay in the suburbs.
After much back and forth, the couple decided they wanted “something fun,” according to the interior designer. So they hired Heller to reinvent their home and create a place geared toward having friends and family over for drinks and dinner, as well as areas that would function for just the two of them. “They love their neighborhood and all their friends belong to the same country club so they decided to stay,” Heller explained. The home, built in the 70s with Tudor-like characteristics, was in dire need of a facelift. “I walked into a home that had very little architectural interest,” Heller shares. “It was very outdated and had wonky windows. The whole thing was uninspiring.”
She gutted the combined family room and living room and kitchen, paying attention to the architectural landscape of each room before even considering a swatch of fabric or furniture plan. “The first thing I like to do is examine the proportions of the room. The proportions between the heights of the doors and windows and the ceiling heights were so off,” Heller explains. “We have to make that right before we suggest or place a piece of furniture.” Then she allocated a portion of the budget toward ceiling beams sourced locally. “We added beams in the family room where the ceiling heights could handle them. They draw the eye up and provide architectural interest that was sorely missing.” Additionally, in a bold move that took the space from traditional to modern, Heller clad a fireplace wall in steel from floor to ceiling. “It previously had a cherry wood mantel around it. We made it a different color and material from the rest of the room to make it special.” She also added other architectural details such as applied wall moldings to elevate spaces.
To better accommodate her clients entertaining needs, Heller worked on improving flow. A door in the family room only got in the way so she relocated it to the mudroom, where it provides easy access to the courtyard for additional dining and entertaining. Heller shares, “They entertain a lot and their current seating situation was an issue.” Now a beautiful sofa upholstered in a warm gray performance fabric and a barrel-back swivel chair easily host guests. Throughout the spaces, she kept the aesthetic pure and simple – clean lines, natural palette, lots of texture and a focus on art. A drum coffee table and a pair of tub chairs swathed in an outdoor crushed velvet and a wood top table with metal pedestal base provide additional opportunities to hang out and enjoy company or to contemplatively sip on coffee and read in silence. She repurposed existing storage cabinets in the family room by painting them black and installed steel shelves and brackets overhead to modernize the area. The setup now serves as a bar and a display for art and vintage finds.
The kitchen cabinets were in great condition and the clients decided to keep them instead of replacing them at Heller’s advice. A coat of white paint and new hardware brought them back to life. She chose a white quartz with veining for the countertops and backsplash to brighten the room. A new range hood, dressed in plaster, was desperately needed as well as new lighting. Heller opted for two pendants over the island and kept the space above the peninsula bare, saying, “Knowing where not to put lighting is just as important.”
The clients haven’t given another thought about moving to the city. Heller asserts, “It’s a brand-new home for them.”
Photography by Natalie Marotta.
For more like this home from Randy Heller, be sure to check out the transformation of this home in the Chicago suburbs.
Like what you see? Get it first with a subscription to aspire design and home magazine.