In the western suburbs of Chicago sits a home that has done much more than simply capture the hearts of those who dwell there – it serves with every beam and object to create the healthiest environment possible, and to look good doing it. The owners, who wanted a home designed and built for a family with three children ranging from elementary to college ages, called upon interior designer Amy Storm to serve as the creative visionary and compass for the family’s sustainable interiors and health-first priorities.
From the earliest stages of the project, Storm recalls discussions among the complete team – builder, architect, designer and homeowner – regarding the importance of sourcing healthy materials. “The desire was to use this type of product not only where you can see it but even behind the walls,” Storm explains. For the designer and her team, an outside consultant who specialized in healthy materials became an important resource and litmus test for the products they would research and recommend.
“This forced us to learn the right questions to ask and to find new trade partners who could meet the requirements, while also bringing the quality and design demands we had to the project,” Storm shares. “We were looking for products that were beautiful and durable, that didn’t use dyes or chemicals and didn’t cause off-gassing or other things that could potentially be harmful to one’s health.” Among the upsides of the project, Storm adds, are the new trade relationships her firm developed and the fact that the healthy home concept will stay with them.
Perhaps the greatest achievement of this project is that it isn’t simply a concept house, it is an actual home for a real family. And that means it had to be comfortable, welcoming and functional, as well as beautiful. The designer notes the home is rich with spaces steeped in stories, but that across the board, the family room is a favorite. Though not overwhelming in size, the space is simply designed, using healthy furnishings, fabrics and materials. But the big win here is the floor-to-ceiling windows that drench the room in natural light and offer beautiful views of the backyard.
“The lot is deep and surrounded by trees,” Storm describes, noting that even though the neighborhood is busy, “it feels private and protected.” She points to the family room as a spot where the designers and architect “really engaged as a team…to capture the vision for the house and bring it to life. Collaborative moments like that are what make our job so rewarding.”
Storm admits that while not every homeowner will go to the same extremes to produce a healthy environment, there are many design nuggets she and her team have taken away from this project, ideas and practices they will now consider for all of their clients. She affirms, “It’s all part of the learning and growing process, and it makes us better designers.”
Photography by Stoffer Photography Interiors.
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