When envisioning the perfect home for their family, Kiley and Jim agreed that accessibility was paramount—access to the outdoors, and access for their daughters, Langley and Boelyn, who have special needs and rely on their wheelchairs to get around. After purchasing a narrow lot in Downers Grove, Illinois, the couple reached out to Chicago-based firm Kuklinski + Rappe Architects to design a residence that would serve their daughters, their son Huck, and their own various needs. Crafted to adapt to the family's lifestyle over the years, the home will provide lifelong health and happiness.
A wood-burning fireplace with a playful house-shaped surround anchors one end of the main living space.
To flip the house, they eliminated the second story, taking the ceilings high and the windows wide. To make up for the lost square footage, they added on a wing, built a separate garage with a guest apartment above it, and brought the hangout spaces to the front to capitalize on the views. "The original house had good, solid bones,” says Jennifer.
“What if the whole wall was windows?” the homeowner asked, and that certainly worked—sunlight pours in through entire house from the front floor to ceiling window wall.
RIGI Design reshaped the form and functionality of the interior layout.
Platte Architecture + Design ensured that the family's art and heirlooms would be the center of attention by using a cohesive palette of wide-plank wood floors, crisp white walls, and black accents throughout Pleasant St. Urban Abode.
Sliding door panels between the kitchen and dining room allow the spaces in JB Apartment to be easily rearranged.
The windows feature high-gloss interior paint trim. “In Holland, they use high-gloss white; we used black,” says Sara.
The dining area's Salt Chairs are from DWR. The Factory Light 9 Pendant is from Schoolhouse.
Oliver and Sara Fritsch’s Mount Hood getaway—not far from Mount Hood Meadows, one of the largest ski resorts in Oregon—is tall and skinny, reminiscent of the canal houses in Amsterdam, where the Fritsch family lived for three years. Also notable is the facade, painted in a custom shade of soft black. Inside, the house is arranged in a reverse layout, with the open living space located at the top.
In Texas, where everything is bigger, Ryan McLaughlin is placing his bets on something small. Specifically, a simple 160-square-foot cabin that he hopes city-dwellers will book to get away, find some focus, and reconnect with nature. The result is a laidback, pitched-roof cabin in which every inch of space is thoughtfully allotted so that guests can spend the maximum amount of time outdoors.
Rear view of the home
“At night, the chalet is transformed. When it is dark, the mirror effect of the reflection of the interior space in the windows completely changes the cabin’s relationship to its site and makes it appear larger,” adds Rasselet.
In the kitchen, White Oak floors, inset walnut cabinets, Fireclay subway tile, and Caesartone countertops read more classic vibes, while the furnishings—such as the Reno Table from Structube, Channel Chairs by Industry West, and ADAM Stools by Frama Denmark—are modern counterpoints. Appliances include a Thermador 36" Freedom Induction Cooktop and an inconspicuous Thermador 36" Downdraft Ventilation, as well as a Miele Dishwasher, convection oven, and speed oven.
