Brick by Brick
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Articles
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Reveal: Studio Gang Architects
At Dwell we've long been fans of the Chicago architecture firm Studio Gang Architects. Headed up by the nation's fastest rising female architect Jeanne Gang, the company is responsible not just for…
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Evergreen Brick Works
Toronto's skyline is speckled with bricks from the former Don Valley Brick Works yard. In the 1960s and 70s, the company produced more than 43 million bricks each year. But after business slowed in…
Products
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Red Brick Print
We are, without a doubt, big fans of Mike Perry. The Brooklyn-based illustrator and designer's online shop is well-worth getting lost in, clicking around through books, zines, patterned Eames…
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Honeycomb Blanket
Trust us when we say this organic cotton throw is ideal for a living room standby. Sturdy enough to handle a restless napper, soft enough to make snuggling up a joy, it comes in a variety of colors…
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Horse Lamp
Designed by Front for Moooi in 2006, the life-size Horse Lamp is polyester and sports a lamp shade, as all good horses do.
Videos
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Dwell and Nate Berkus Tackle Small Space
Dwell Executive Editor Amanda Dameron appeared on The Nate Berkus Show, November 3rd, to share modern design tips with Nate’s viewers. The show was devoted to our November Issue theme, Small Spaces…
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Dwell and Nate Berkus are House Proud
Dwell Executive Editor Amanda Dameron appeared on The Nate Berkus Show, November 3rd, to share modern design tips with Nate’s viewers. The show was devoted to our November Issue theme, Small Spaces…
Tip
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Exposing Brick Walls
Make sure you expose walls first. Pressure wash--never sandblast, because it damages the brick and then you have dust for months afterward. Then frame. —Angel Miller
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Red Brick Print
by Mike PerryWe are, without a doubt,
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Honeycomb Blanket
Trust us when we say this organic cotton throw…
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Horse Lamp
Designed by Front for Moooi in 2006, the…
Amazing. The light brings you to it like a moth to a flame. I love it!
OK, I thought the photos in this article were more contrived than usual, just can't overlook it! Who or what is being featured here, the house or the occupants? (although I do like the dog) Putting the motorbike together on the shag carpet? You'll spend half your time looking for the nuts/washers. More house, less posing!
who would assemble a motorcycle on an expensive rya shag rug? nice house and article, but clearly the supposed activities taking place are bogus.
This isn't Moorish Spain, this is Chicago. The "architects" have completely ignored the surroundings, whether its the rest of the neighborhood or the climate. It has nothing, zero, zilch, to do with Wright. - That brick screened front is useless around Chicago in the summer-time. It retains too much heat from thermal mass and will be too buggy. - In the winter, it's going to be a damp, cold, echo chamber. There's nothing to stop heat loss or drafts. - In ten years, the brick and the steel supports are going to need massive overhauls- that neighborhood is rife with pollution. Everything in the facade is going to rot out.
This house looks wonderful in its neighborhood, an old eastern European neighborhood which is rife with traditional brick homes (new and old). Studio Gang has found an imaginative new way to use a building material so important to Chicago. I live nearby so it was a treat to see the interior of this house.
These are the most pretentious people I have ever read about. Oh, was this article about the house?
I have not read the article yet, but from the comments it does looks promising ...
... spot on CM, this looks like a script for a short movie, rather than an article about a house.
... spot on CM, this looks like a script for a short movie, rather than an article about a house.
This article sorely needs better photos!
Free rein. Not reign. Whoops.
Italian made harley davidson?
Funniest comments ever. Keep them coming guys. Pretentious City! Wow I wanna be this couple. Both of them at the same time some how. mw
this is ridiculous. Nobody lives in a house that clean and tidy. There would be dog hairs everywhere and who works on there "Italian-made Harley Davidson" on a CARPET in a WHITE room!!?? in the same way models make people feel bad about their own perfectly normal bodies, dwell makes us feel bad about our homes!
why are there so many haters out there? this seems to me to be a story about a group of people who used ingenuity, passion and trust to build a house that just happened to be vacuumed of dog hair the day of the shoot because its inhabitants were proud of the fact that what they created was being featured in dwell.
It is sad to see how bitter most of these comments (and commenters) are. Why would someone let themselves be so angry about where a harley was made, what color a carpet is, or why there is no dog hair? Life is too short to be filled with so much hate and aggressively spread it like this. Be happy :) - it looks to me like these homeowners are.
YES. an Italian Harley. I am also a gearhead. I want that garage! FYI: (in the late 1970s, when Harley, under the control of leisure-products conglomerate AMF, decided to test the market with its first-ever motocrosser, the company looked to its Italian-based subsidiary, Aermacchi, to produce bikes.)
Will: i like this house. but it sounds like you dont like yours. (or your body? :) I am a big Studio Gang fan. ( I think you may be revealing more than you mean to about your personal issues of how you live). Dont feel bad - im sure you live in a nice place, too. Dwell doesnt want to make you feel insecure- their intent is to inspire people- keep looking.
t comment above: reign is actually correct. reign [reyn] –noun ie: dominating power or influence: the reign of law. oops.
Love the subtle, clever way the brick weave facade is referential to the vintage, soot-blackened Chicago common brick that is so common to that area. The dark color of the facade and the visual rhythm created by the openings is a wonderful tribute to the hard-working, simple masonry common in turn-of-the-century Chicago architecture. This is very evident in the final image above where the neighbor's home is visible on the right. Delightful, Studio Gang, keep up the great work!
Weighing in on the rein/reign debate: the correct idiom is 'free rein'. The term has to do with leaving the reins on your horse loose, so the beast can do what it likes. Or something like that. Am not a horse fan - last time I was near one it stood on my foot. Talk about 'ouch'.
As with most hateful opinions and comments, the ones above are certainly the result of ignorance. If you were fortunate enough to know these people professionally or personally or both, you'd realize that they are very nice, funny, unpretentious people who happen to be quite stylish and successful.
The motorcycle repair on the carpet was absurd but even more bizarre is the curtain separating the garage from the kitchen. That is surely a breach of the building code. Who wants to smell oil and gas in their kitchen or exhaust fumes whenever someone pulls in or out? Those vintage cars are as dirty as they come. We get yet another picture of an Eames lounge chair but no discussion of the design challenges in making this house liveable. If there is no door separating the garage from the house is the garage heated? Is the garage door insulated? What does it cost to heat a garage in Chicago in January? The worst (or funniest) part of this issue are the comments in the photo captions: page 102 “...the master bathroom... ...is large and elegant enough to serve as a gathering place for parties”, and at page 88 “the deck... ...is often filled with friends enjoying microbrews.” This should go directly to “Stuffwhitepeoplelike”. Make sure these folks don’t see you drinking a domestic beer or riding a Japanese bike!
Ian: i'm also friends with these homeowners- (so having been to this house for parties that overflow to yes- every inch of the house including the bathroom) can attest to the fact that there actually is a garage door (not just a curtain), they own at least Japanese bike that ive seen, & drink PBR like the rest of us. but if you need a real reason to hate them, check out their other place at wandawega.com.
Thanks Mr./Ms. Anonymous for letting me know about the door (It doesn't show in any of the pictures), too bad the house has to be explained by friends on the internet rather than in the magazine. Not sure how you equate criticizing the magazine with hating the homeowners. What a strange insecurity. I'm picturing you, beer can in hand, somewhere near the sink, reassuring your friends how cool you all are.
why so aggressive, Ian? i'm sure you're a nice guy, so no need to be so cynical. Dwell is a great magazine that feature some nice homes, this particular home you dont like, and thats cool. but Dwell articles were not meant to generate such mean spirited commentary. there is enough negativity in the world already. Peace.
I know someone that knows these people and that's not even their dog. They borrowed it for the shoot. That's why there isn't any dog hair. These are the most horribly fake/postured people I have ever seen. I feel bad for them. They seem lonely even when sitting together in the middle of Urban Outfitter (ooops! I mean their house?). In the recess of one of the pictures I thought I saw a book entitled, "Decorating tips for wanna'-be hipsters who were geeks in high school and try really really hard." This article doesn't make me feel bad about what I don't have. It makes me feel that some people don't know when they are way too old to have an orange rug.
I will definitely be writing to Sam Grawe, the editor, about this one - If you haven't read the editor's note, Homework Assignment" for the October Issue, please read it. How is the "Brick by Brick" house any different than the McMansions that Sam "the editor" is skewing in his Editor's Note? And I love this from the editor, "For many years here at Dwell, we have shown that the importance of modern design isn't about being in fashion, but rather, that living with the principles espoused by modernism - using materials honestly, eliminating waste, honoring the environment in which we build - would enrich our living conditions and also the greater context of our lives." "Brick by Brick" was shot as a fashion layout. I would buy Wallpaper or W, if I wanted to see this type of excessive living captured in a slick fashion shoot. Maybe the owners are nice modernists, but the article and photos suggest otherwise - they and their architect honored their egos, not the Chicago neighborhood where this home was built.
Well, I've certainly had my $8.00 worth. One last criticism of this house from me - Who wants to open an Ikea closet door just to get to the fridge?
just read this on studio gang's site: "The walled garden for the house is created by means of subtraction. Removal of the former floor and roof in a section of this existing structure left three sheltering walls to temper winds and frost. A warmer ambient temperature is created within the space permitting plants to be grown that would not survive in the natural climate. The incised section of the house cascades from south to north organizing and reshaping a former conglomeration of "lean-to" structures."- love those guys.
does this place have a backyard? i wish there were more pictures (even befores when it was a horse stable). i like the livingroom wall- it feels like a lightbox.
i also just found this online about the house (or writer of the article) "Blair Kamin is the Chicago Tribune's Pulitzer Prize–winning architecture critic and the co-owner of a suburban home that, despite waves of renovation, will never make the pages of Dwell. Kamin typically writes about large-scale projects and was delighted to turn his focus to a small-scale home rehab for a couple whose lifestyle is anything but conventional. "It was great to observe the direct connection between their quirks and the completed house."
agree with post above: Love the subtle, clever way the brick weave facade is referential to the vintage, soot-blackened Chicago common brick that is so common to that area. The dark color of the facade and the visual rhythm created by the openings is a wonderful tribute to the hard-working, simple masonry common in turn-of-the-century Chicago architecture. (i live in the hood, and think its a great addition. and the owners are nice, too)
I can't believe they were able to do so much on a tight budget. I like the inventive touches from Studio Gang and the non-traditional choices they made together in creating this unique space that seems to me to meet their needs really well. And a 40 foot lot! I wish I had that much lateral room to enjoy (especially being a Chicagoan in a 8x9 foot bedroom.)
What's in that room that's to the right of the kitchen in that picture that looks to the back of the house? More pictures in the slideshow please!
I have known the owners of this house for about a decade and at first really didn't get the house or what there were trying to accomplish. But after spending a weekend in the house as a house guest I truly started to understand exactly what Studio Gang was trying to accomplish. This house may not be what people conventionally think of as house, but it was a wonderful retreat from the noise, smog and pollution of the city. It was amazing waking up to light filled rooms and fascinating to watch the house change as the sun moved throughout the day. It may not be for everybody but anybody who can appreciate beautiful and functional design I'm sure would love it....
Must. Get. That. Orange. Chair. No really, anyone know where the orange chair in the bathroom is from? Is it vintage or new? -Sarah
Gorgeous house. And how clever that you can take something inexpensive like Ikea door frames and make them look so chic! If only I were this creative! Nice job!
This looks like such a unique space! I'd love to house-sit sometime!
Love the outside, so modern!
agree, i like the Ikea doors, too- i have them in my house. they are super cheap but look great.
I love love love the clown painting! Where did you get that. Such a statement piece!
This house is amazing. I am fortunate enough to be great friends with the owners, and have spent many days and nights inside this space. Studio Gang created a living, breathing space that interacts with it's environment. The light that fills the space, thru the Brick Weave wall changes throughout the day and casts incredible shadows onto all the vintage and modern furniture that make the space a home. I love how these photos artistically showcase the architecture and personal glimpse into the home-owners lives. Modern urban spaces may not be for everyone, but I think Studio Gang, along with David and Tereasa, created an amazing piece of art to live in.
I am so jealous of this space. I would take it any day over my 500 sq ft garden apartment:)
Hey folks. While we love to see a lively debate happening within our online community about the articles we post, let's keep the conversation focused on design and architecture. It's not our policy to censor comments, but pointed personal attacks do not bring anything constructive to the table.
I remember seeing the Oprah episode with Nate Berkus' makeover and thought it was a really great space. But this transformation completely takes it to a new level. I could only imagine having a place as gorgeous, streamline, and stylish as this. Exquisite job Studio Gang and the owners!
That suitcase stack is awesome. would be nice to hear more about some of the interior design details. (is that attached to the wall? where can I find these? I am always looking). also love the floors. nice article!
First comment I've ever made on dwell.com. (this article drove me to it.) First, i love the use of brick in this house (a few pics of the use of brick would have been enough for me)...but, other than that... the cover story made me sort of cringe. I felt most of the pictures were advertisements for something other than the architecture. I'm a huge fan of Dwell, but I'd like the magazine to focus on the design and architecture, not the people or objects that describe the occupants. I'm sure the owners are awesome people, but i don't really care..i subscribe to Dwell because I'm interested in design, not staged pictures featuring color coordinated motorcycle parts, manuals and some dude pretending to work on his bike in his living room. (whose idea was that? simply ridiculous) I'm not trying to be a hater...just keep it REAL, Dwell. Pretty please...please...Thanks.
i agree, (lolly)- great use of the brick. It caught my eye, too- Im also a huge fan of Dwell- and also a huge fan of Blair Kamin (the pulitzer prize winning architecture critic Dwell hired to write the story). I applaud them for choosing him to cover this story, and think it was a good balance of architecture / lifestyle. (Metropolis & Arch record focus more on former). Dwell- im still a fan, and will continue to be.
It says this house was built for "$140 a square foot, which comes out to about $450,000" - is this true? i want to figure out how to do that-- have wanted to build for years.
would have been a good idea to shoot the other rooms that we see a glimpse of upstairs- to give a better sense of space. dig the light patterns from that brick facade- (as it is cast on the interior glass)- was that a happy accident?
there is nothing wrong with keeping your house tidy and neat. you should always take care of what you work hard to pay for. i think this is an awesome house. You dont have to build a house that looks like everyone elses in the neighborhood, be a leader not a follower.
Dwell: thanks for keeping it real. in defense of your writers, creative directors, and everyone who contributes to every issue you put out: i love your magazine. i love the variety of articles you produce-- on people, architecture, lifestyles, gadgets, interior design, green living, all of it. pay no mind to those who criticize your content. and keep up the good work. you have a many, many more fans out there with positive feedback about what you do so well. keep doing it.
does anybody know where they got that rug that is in the living room. the colors are perfect for my home.
I love how forward thinking this couple is. Working on motorcycles inside the house on shag carpeting. "Deemphasizing what is celebrated in other homes" like televisions and upper cabinets in the kitchen. And arranging the library books by color rather than the boring tradition of arranging by category. But I especially love their total disregard of political correctness referring to their neighbor's homes as "yuppie townhouses" and "Polish contractor specials". What a couple of jerks.
steven mcdonald: so you know, the way it works with magazines is that they dont let the homeowners write the articles themselves. they hire writers to cover stories, who say whatever they want. (and since i know these people, one of them is part polish, they would probably agree with the political incorrectness).
# Ian: i'm also friends with these homeowners- (so having been to this house for parties that overflow to yes- every inch of the house including the bathroom) can attest to the fact that there actually is a garage door (not just a curtain), they own at least Japanese bike that ive seen, & drink PBR like the rest of us. but if you need a real reason to hate them, check out their other place at wandawega.com. Anonymous 09/21/2009
The house’s name comes from its most distinctive feature, a tall, two-sided, technically adventurous brick screen that shelters a walled garden and gives the owners the privacy they crave while letting honeycomb patterns of natural light pour inside. At night, the brick screen becomes a dazzling light box. (my fav part)
it looks like from the postings that most people dont like that hes working on his motorcycle on the carpet. who cares? cool house. i wish i lived there.
here's some love from the people at apartment therapy: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/inspiration/brick-weave-house-by-studio-gang-101402
found a good article by blair kamin in the trib, too: http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/2009/09/the-gang-file-the-brick-weave-house-in-dwell-and-a-profile-in-business-week-.html The new issue of Dwell magazine has a cover story on Chicago architect Jeanne Gang's "Brick Weave House," an adventurous West Town home that began its life has a horse stable, got a minor makeover from Oprah and then the full architectural treatment from Gang. "It was a pleasure for me to write this piece. The house was a refreshing change from the large scale projects I typically review. At this small scale, it was easy to see how Gang made good living spaces and art out of the idiosyncracies of the owners, advertising executives David Hernandez and Tereasa Surratt. Their dining room, for example, looks directly out onto their garage, where David and Tereasa keep their collection of vintage motorcycles and cars. Not what most homeowners would do, but perfect for them.If you want to read more about Gang, whose 82-story Aqua tower in nearing completion, here's a profile from Business Week by former Tribune reporter Michael Arndt."
jeanne gang just wont the 'divine detail' award for this house from the American institute of Architects When previously unseen fire damage frustrated the homeowners' plans to salvage a century-old stable, the architects decided to make a virtue of the need to cut away damaged sections. It would become an opportunity to create dramatic new spaces. Because they would be weaving together new construction and old, they devised a physical metaphor for that act: a ‘woven' brick screen that surrounds new front garden space that materialized when the old walls and roof were removed. The result is a space that is both indoors and out, both public and private "The light quality in the interior is beautiful," one judge said. By day, the rectangular voids let sun sprinkle inside, and at night, it's reversed: interior light filters out, and the screen wall becomes a lantern for the surrounding neighborhood. "It's a singular gesture," a judge said, and "an inspiration to continue looking at ideas like this."
Architectural Record chose this house as one of 8 in the world as a 'record home'. http://archrecord.construction.com/residential/recordHouses/2009/09brickweave-1.asp "With a construction budget of only $140 per square foot, Surratt and Hernandez sometimes had to make tough decisions, choosing, for example, to forgo expensive finishes and make a 44-foot-long storage wall from Ikea cabinets instead of custom millwork. The strategy allowed them to invest in more important elements, such as the front facade’s meticulously detailed masonry veil. The single-withe screen wall, which is given lateral stability by a steel frame and a custom-designed anchor system, shades the floor-to-ceiling window walls beyond and also provides visual privacy. Within the garden and on the adjacent exposed concrete floor of the house’s interior, the screen creates a constantly changing play of light and shadow."
anybody know who did the lighting design? specifically, what kind of lights are pictured in the kitchen?
Tereasa --- I love it. Sarge
I love that RUG!!! where did you get it from it rocks my world !!
"while open, the garage enables the owners to work on their vehicles while visiting with neighbors who do the same". Talk about stating the obvious. How is this a design innovation?! Almost every garage in America, especially a tightly spaced neighborhood, when open, would let you interact with the neighbors. And sorry, making it sound like they should win the nobel peace prize for being able to look at their vintage cars while eating is ridiculous. This kind of frothy praise of pretension is what is making Dwell into a caricature of itself.
I don't care one way or the other about the occupants, who I am sure are nice. Pity the neighbors and neighborhood, though. For all the light and elegant interiors enjoyed by the owners (and, yes, the interiors are amazing), it is unconscionable to put that wall at the sidewalk. So much for civics 101.
I have to second (or third or fourth) the concerns about the location and composition of the front wall. I live in the neighborhood and appreciate that the house is photogenic, and agree that it is much nicer to look at than much of the block, but it does create a strange social space. If you have an open front yard, you acknowledge that you're in the public sphere; neighbors can wave, say hello, etc. If you don't want this and build a wall at the sidewalk (or a brick fence or whatever), that's fine, too, because it clearly says that you're in a private space. There's nothing unfriendly or unneighborly about this. But this "yard" uncomfortably straddles the public/private line. I walk my dog by here, generally at night, and when the residents are in their yard, they are clearly, 100% visible, but the fence/wall/screen cuts them off, so to say hello would be a strange interaction, since the sidewalk is less lit than the yard and anyone standing out there is essentially in shadows. Maybe if I did say hello the owners would be friendly and wave back, so this is not a critique of them, but when a design veers from the norm it is trying to make a statement, and to me this design results in a space that says, "See me, admire me, but don't bother me". If that's not what they wanted it to say, then the fault lies with the architect, and not with the owners.
to all commenters on the topic of the wall position up against the sidewalk: this was not a design decision, to the contrary, it was as construction / city permit mandate for rehabbing.... the original building was a horse stable from the 1880's... the original brick wall was the same height and width and position over 130 years ago. (when it was the first and only structure on the block) the city's building permits only allowed construction within the exisiting footprint- without losing a good chunk of the actual living space (and as a rehab of same materials- ie: brick). so its not a design intended to exclude folks, but simply an attempt at doing the best with the all of the mandates surrounding maintaining the footprint. jeremy- your point is well taken, hopefully this helps clarify what guided the design. andy- agree that it would have been better if the option were available to leave a front yard. At t least the story appears to be conversation-worthy, albeit a polarizing one.
This images are completely photoshoped... and poorly done. How has no one else pointed this out yet and how has this made it into Dwell? Check out the first image, the coffee table is the worst photoshop job I've ever seen... that car looks like it's really parked in the garage too!
Wow, I absolutely love that house. The modern design, the bold colours in the furniture... awesome. It's given me some inspiration for my own house. Thanks for sharing.
ok...to all the haters out there, I just so happen to have been in this house and know this couple. the photos are NOT photoshopped and this house is beautiful. it is definitely unique and very much them. I am assuming that everyone bashing is just jealous because they don't live in such a nice home.
its great that the car looks like its really parked in the garage - it appears so realistic because it is actually there :)
They should have focused on the Italian-made Harley.
As I am vampire I do not like this house
Pretty rad house!
Is this house in a trailer park?
Oh I wrote too soon, but the pic of him on a shag rug fixing his Harley looks like a trailer in the background.
Just my two cents. I live in this neighborhood and have for years, and have walked past this home and thought various things about it each time. it is a treat to see the inside, i like that the owners can enjoy privacy and sun at the same time. but before i saw the inside or the home at night (the light through the bricks is pretty), i thought that this home said a lot about the gentrification of the neighborhood. the best thing about being in this city is being about to be so close to your neighbors and enjoying your neighborhood. This construction makes both difficult and would feel offensive to me if i lived next door. That is not to say that the owners don't participate in neighborhood culture or know their neighbors, but it definitely sends a message and makes it difficult. And for future owners, it could be abused as such. I just don't think putting a barricade around your home is cool.
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