Better Magazine
Expansive Lakefront Ode to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Style

by TATE GUNNERSON View Article | June 26, 2022 Architect Scott Fortman has designed buildings in a variety of styles, from traditional to Richard Meier-inspired modernism, but it was Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie Style dwellings that first sparked his imagination. When Fortman was courting his wife, he often took her on tours of Wright-designed homes. They married in Wright’s former home and studio in Wisconsin.  …

Great Lakes by Design
Lakefront Prairie oasis

On the western shores of Lake Michigan, a composition of brick and stucco, leaded glass windows and overhanging eaves, emerges from its sloped landscape in an artful celebration of geometric abstraction. Surrounded by planted sumac and prairie grasses on a blufflike dune ecosystem, the home is respectful of the iconic Prairie Style where principles are adapted for its site, purpose, …

Preservation Magazine
Seaworthy House in Highland Park

From our interview with Lydia Hankins and Ted Chung: View Link Lydia: Our house is called the Battledeck House. It was built by the architect Henry Dubin for himself and his family in 1930. Dubin had gone with Mies van der Rohe to Germany, where he was exposed to the Bauhaus style. He came back to the United States with the …

Chicago Magazine
A Glassy Highland Park Abode Takes Prairie School Literally

A conservationist and an interior designer created a place that embraces their interests: namely, untamed nature. BY HEIDI MITCHELL As if on cue, a red fox erupts from the ravine and saunters up to the living room. “We know her!” exclaims Bruce Boyd, co-owner of the glass-enclosed home at whose walnut slab dining table we sit. “She’s the one with …

DeZeen Magazine
Low-lying Ravine House for nature lovers

Originally written by Jenna McKnight | 22 October 2019 American studio Wheeler Kearns Architects has completed a single-storey residence on a wooded site outside of Chicago, featuring black facades and large windows that engage the landscape. The Ravine House is located in the suburban town of Highland Park, situated about 25 miles (40 kilometres) north of downtown Chicago. The dwelling sits quietly within a forested property, where …

Chicago Magazine
A Gothic Revival in Kenwood With a Killer Art Collection

How two devotees created a haven worthy of their stunning private stash BY HEIDI MITCHELL When you live in the kind of house that requires you to restore 90 leaded glass windows and replace a copper roof (twice) plus seven headless gargoyles, curious strangers tend to come knocking on the door. Such has been the experience at a Kenwood mansion …

Preservation Magazine
Couple Restores a Spacious Gothic Revival, Inside and Out

Jay Dandy: We bought the house in June of 2002 and moved in that November. We had been living in a big, Victorian-era house, and this one was equally grand, if not grander. It had soaring 12-foot ceilings. Melissa Weber: Also, the rooms were very open and square, as opposed to long and narrow, which is typical of Victorian houses. We were …

Luxe Interiors & Design,
Cover Story, A Bright Chicago Home

View article here Designer Jessica Supera has a passion for historic homes. “I love them,” she says. “But they get torn down all over Chicago.” So when a three-unit 1886 building in Lincoln Park became available, she jumped at the chance to make it a home for her, her three children and the family dog. Together with architect Seth Romig …

Luxe Interiors & Design,
Cover Story, Nature Muse House

View article here Years after falling in love with a home designed by architect Celeste Robbins, a Chicago-area homeowner and her husband tapped the professional to configure a modern dwelling for their family. “Our weekly team meetings were exciting, as it was fun to work through challenges and make creative design decisions based on our collective vision,” she says of …