In Evanston, Illinois, mature trees and 19th-century homes line the streets of this charming Chicago suburb. When homeowners Carly Zuba and Andrew Rima moved with their two young sons from the city to the quaint town, they initially focused on finding an existing home they could renovate for their next chapter.

As the house hunt got underway, the couple soon realized that it would be challenging to meet all of their family’s needs in an older home—especially around a more open layout for entertaining and their growing kids. “We wanted more control over our floor plan. That was really important to us,” recalls Carly. “We also learned that we wanted more control over the look of the exterior of the home.” Those two priorities ultimately steered them in the direction of a new build.

Pivoting from historic renovation to new construction, the couple engaged architect Beth DeBaker and builder Tom Kenny of Scott Simpson Design + Build, who collaborated closely with the couple to identify their must-haves. “What they were really looking for was tall ceilings, bright airy spaces, lots of windows, and really being able to capture light from all sides,” says Kenny.

At the top of Carly and Andrew’s wishlist was a design-forward chef’s kitchen. “We spend 90% of our time in the kitchen,” says Carly. Brainstorming concepts for the heart of the home, Carly dreamt up the unconventional idea of incorporating a servery window into the kitchen. “I had seen servery windows done before in warmer climates, like in California, but I had never seen one within the Midwest,” she says. Undeterred, she brought the idea to DeBaker and Kenny, who quickly found a fit in Marvin Ultimate. “I've been putting in Marvin windows for 34 years,” says Kenny, who sourced the large, push-out servery window—a custom offering from Marvin. “One of the advantages of using Marvin is this creative advancement and always designing new things, and we really had the opportunity to take advantage of that here.”

The servery window’s rich black frame and streamlined, narrow profile help to further unify the traditional and contemporary design forms throughout the home. It connects the kitchen to a screened-in porch, where friends and family can gather. When the window is open, the kitchen counter fluidly becomes an outdoor bar with casual stool seating (“The first place that my friends like to hang out,” says Carly) where food and drinks can be passed through. “It gives the kitchen this really cool indoor/outdoor feel,” she says. “So whenever we have it open, it kind of feels like I'm cooking in an outdoor kitchen, which I absolutely love.”

From the start, Carly spearheaded the interior design of the home, leaning on DeBaker and Kenny to help bring her vision to life. “I think I was much more involved in the project than most of their clients, and they kind of took me under their wing and taught me a lot,” says Carly.

The home’s interiors embrace high contrast—light and dark, soft and hard, old and new—for a textural, comfortable atmosphere. “I think it's very important with new builds, to find ways to amp up the charm and make it feel a little bit more lived in and some moments of imperfection,” Carly says. Bold wallpaper and dark, moody wall colors create visually unique hideaways within the home—as in the kitchen’s multifunctional pantry, powder room, and Carly’s closet. “I wanted to implement these more jewel-box, saturated rooms within the home to contrast against the light, bright, and airy spaces,” she adds.

Having a hand in the design of her own home brought out a newfound passion in Carly—so much so that she gave up her career in law to pursue a full-time career in design. “At the tail-end of the design process on this home, I got really sad when I figured out that this was the end of the project,” she says. “So at that point, I decided that I wanted to pursue design in order to help other people with their homes.” After taking night classes at the nearby Art Institute of Chicago, she has since opened up her very own interiors firm—Carly Jo Interiors.

Not only did their new home give Carly and Andrew a comfortable place to live and grow with their family—it kickstarted Carly’s design career. “This home is so special to us because we're raising our family here,” says Carly. “And also, it's a great backdrop for me as I launch into my second act as a designer.”

Make space for what matters at marvin.com/makespace.

Project Credits:

Architects and Builders: Scott Simpson Design + Build / @scottsimpsondesignbuild

Interior Design: Carly Jo Interiors / @carlyjointeriors

Photography and Video: Emanuel Hahn for Dwell Creative Services / @hahnbo

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This Home’s Whole Design Hinged on a Servery Window