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The pergola provides plenty of space for outdoor dining and Francis’s collection of cacti and succulents.

In the updated powder room, Hemlock walls compliment white Oak cabinetry and a faucet from Watermark.

In the primary suite, a new sliding glass door allows for cross-ventilation. A Noguchi pendant hangs above a bed from Design Within Reach and a custom couch. The rug is from Armadillo.

In the dining room, enlarging the window opening brings more light and connections to the exterior, while a new wet bar creates opportunities for entertaining. The table is custom, and chairs and rug are from CB2. The pendant lights are Design Within Reach.

Adding storage under the new stair maximizes the kitchen's footprint. Hemlock wood on the stair was stained to complement the casework. The faucet is from Brizo and the green backsplash tile is Heath.

The kitchen underwent the most dramatic change, being relocated to the back of the house adjacent to the living room. White Oak floors and casework and new Kolbe windows warm up the space. The pendant light is from Design Within Reach, and the bar stools are custom from Sean Woolsey.

The design team specified durable, easy-to-maintain, nontoxic, recyclable, natural, and regenerative materials. The kitchen island is engineered quartz and the cabinets are from a local cabinetmaker.

Architect Jonathan Solomon and city planner Meg Gustafson had experience designing houses, but not together, which made renovating their late-1800s home in Chicago’s Uptown all the more exciting—particularly when you consider their style is anything but traditional.

The couple relied on architect Keefer Dunn for structural changes, like the bright red I-beam that runs next to original wooden ceiling coffers and nods to Mies van der Rohe’s Chicago work.

The tight, orange hallway upstairs is packed with art, including Meg’s grandmother’s drawings of the Chicago skyline. A zigzagging light that Meg assembled with components from a commercial office supply company leads the way to the primary bedroom and library.

The NanaWall glass walls offer maximum transparency and stacks neatly out of the way when open.

The couple loves to entertain, and the oversized kitchen island is the perfect place to prep. The countertop is quartz; the backsplash, hot-rolled steel. Barstools are from Pottery Barn. Lighting was sourced from West Elm.

The home is oriented to the south to take advantage of the light.