NDC BLOWING UP IN MEDIA AND AWARDS

The Periscope House, a project that transformed a dark neglected house into a light filled urban oasis has been getting lots of attention lately along with its future neighbor, EDGEBOX and Case Study Houses 2111 coming soon to Highland Park, Ilinois. Construction is planned on both EDGEBOX and Case Study Houses 2111 this summer and pre-construction sales are underway.  Follow the links in the individual project websites for sales information

 

NDC wins 2 Design Awards from the Association of Licensed Architects

We are pleased to announce that Nicholas Design Collaborative won two 2015 Awards of Merit  from the Association of Licensed Architects for The Periscope House, and Case Study Houses 2111.  To see all of the award winners go to the ALA Website. Here is a brief recap of these projects.

CASE STUDY HOUSES 2111 - CaseStudyHouses2111.com

An unbuilt project with construction planned to begin in Spring 2016, this modernist enclave of 4 single family house based around a communal autocourt encourages interaction between residents

Birdseye view of Case Study Houses 2111

Birdseye view of Case Study Houses 2111

View from St. Johns Ave.

View from St. Johns Ave.

A new suburban-urban model located within 2 blocks of goods and services in downtown Highland Park, metra trains to downtown Chicago and K-12 schools, walking is possible for all activities.  Use of the automobile is an option, not a requirement.  Perforated masonry walls provide privacy as well as ventilation for private courtyards.

Front Houses- Entry Court

Front Houses- Entry Court

Private courtyards for individual houses allow floor to ceiling glass and indoor-outdoor living. 

Private Court - Rear Units

Private Court - Rear Units

Auto Court at Front House

Auto Court at Front House

PERISCOPE HOUSE

Located in the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago, iwe transformed this dilapidated 50's era house into a state of the art, 21st century, energy efficient courtyard home

Street view

Street view

Forecourt and Family Room

Forecourt and Family Room

The shell of the existing house and the surrounding garden walls were saved and a series of additions added.  By saving the existing house, we salvaged tons of materials that would have otherwise ended up in a landfill

Living/Kitchen/Dining

Living/Kitchen/Dining

The restoration of existing spaces along with the insertion of new forms make for dynamic spaces.

Rear view

Rear view

The use of commonly used low mainenance cement board cladding on the rear facade add a surprising splash of color to the experience.

Garage from rear patio

Garage from rear patio

Because there was no basement in the existing house, we decided to add a 3 car garage with added mezzanine storage, which also proves privacy from the commercial alley and an extra party room if the owners want to park the fancy cars on the street for a bit.

Master Bedroom

Master Bedroom

Master bedroom sits like a tree house above the street

Peter Nicholas - peter@nicholasdc.com

Flite Series ready for purchase

Following a unusually wet summer, the landscaping and exteriors of the Flite Series is complete.  2 of the units have completed interiors while the other two have been left without interior finishes to give a buyer the opportunity to customize the units to their own specification. 

The Flite Series in the Heritage Harbor Resort Community in Ottawa, Illinois is located 90 minutes from Chicago. Each unit is 3 levels with 2 stories facing the street and 3 stories facing an inlet off of the Illinois river.  The views are peaceful and private.

The scale of the project mediates between the adjacent smaller scale single family structures and the larger townhouse developments.  The Architure is a modern abstraction of the farmhouse vernacular that is present in the development as well as throughout rural illinois

Living, Dining, Kitchen areas are open and lofty with sweeping views to the river.

Living, Dining, Kitchen areas are open and lofty with sweeping views to the river.

Furnished model gives visitors a feel for what it would be like to live here

Furnished model gives visitors a feel for what it would be like to live here

At night the entry halls light up like lanterns

At night the entry halls light up like lanterns

There will be an open house this weekend.  For more information or to make an appointment, please contact Diane Karpman of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices at 847 636-0200 or dianekarpman@gmail.com.

Peter Nicholas -peter@nicholasdc.com

Cary B. Kerbel 1957 - 2015 - A Patron of Architecture

I met Cary Kerbel 17 years ago in the back yards of his brother and my neighbor in Skokie at that time, Darrell Kerbel.  Cary was trained and licensed as an architect with a degree from the University of Illinois but had spent the majority of his career building and developing buildings.  He had a passion for building and good design.  When I met him, he was looking for a property in Chicago to develop and was looking for an architect.  We had a long and detailed conversation of the profession, what we both had been doing and he was aware of a multi unit project that I had designed which had won several design awards.  

Shortly after that afternoon, I received a call from him, asking if I would be interested in designing a 12 unit residential/commercial mixed use project on a property that he had purchased in the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago.  We came to an understanding on price, we moved ahead on the design.  It only dawned on me the other day that on all the projects in which we worked, Cary never tried to negotiate me down on price. Either I have never charged enough on his projects, or perhaps he was just a nice guy.  I tend to think it was the latter. One thing I am sure about Cary, he wanted to create great buildings.

5501 N. Broadway, Edgewater , Chicago IL

5501 N. Broadway, Edgewater , Chicago IL

 

This was the beginning a great working relationship between two people who cared deeply about design and had the good sense to listen to and respect each other's opinion.  It worked out very well as I designed and he tweaked (not twerked) and adjusted our work. Every meeting was a critique and although we didn't always agree, we always were able to work things out.  His final question on most decisions was "Is this what you want to do?", and "Do you feel this is the best design?", and "Would you change anything?" and "Are you sure?".  I never felt as if I had to serve his ego, there was only respect.  During the course of construction, I saw another quality that I came to admire about him: hard work.  He was the owner and developer of the project but on most projects, he also acted as general contractor and chief laborer.  At the end of each work day, he was the one picking up trash and sweeping the floors without complaint.  The margins were tight and he knew if he was to get out of the project without losing money, he would need to perform multiple tasks.  It also helped to have a trained architect with a keen eye managing all of the details on the site.  His attitude and work ethic paid off.  When the project hit the market at about the same time as the start of the gulf war, when other projects were not selling, he sold, 9 of the 12 units sold in the first two weekends it was on the market.  He went on to sell the project out in short order and it also won a design excellence award from the Illinois Chapter of the American Licensed Architects.

Following that project and recognizing an excellent working relationship, we both saw the value of doing more things in the future.  We spoke of working on future projects together and perhaps co-developing projects.  Following the success of the Edgewater project, Cary went on to work with other partners developing larger projects, and like many other developers I know was caught off guard when the great recession hit.  This curtailed his development activities, as it had for so many others for several years while he and his development partners regrouped and re-positioned their equity in the market to more stable endeavors.

Flite Series, Heritage Harbor, Ottawa, IL

Flite Series, Heritage Harbor, Ottawa, IL

In 2013 Cary approached me again about in a  marina development called Heritage Harbor in Ottawa, Illinois where he had the opportunity to purchase waterfront property that could support 4 townhouse units.  We visited the site and the land cost was reasonable, so he decided to move ahead.  We agreed that the product should be compatible to what existing already in the marina, but would be a modern interpretation of a farmhouse vernacular.  He wanted the project to be distinctive and in scale with single family residences nearby.  The townhouses are mostly complete with sitework and interior finishes on two of the units yet to be installed but the form is complete and it is distinctive and accomplishes his vision without being confrontational.  He labored and obsessed over the details and the results are spectacular.  It just recently went out to market and unfortunately, he was unable to see it completed.

Case Study Houses 2111, North Front House

Case Study Houses 2111, North Front House

The last project I worked on with Cary is the Case Study Houses 2111 in Highland Park, Illinois which is a 4 single family house complex organized around a common autocourt.  it is in close walking distance from downtown Highland Park and the Metra train to downtown Chicago. It is also within a short walk of all schools from K-12.  Cary had been keeping an eye on this property for the past couple of years as it had gone under contract and fell out of contract several times as buyer after buyer would try to build out the maximum amount of units.  Our approach was to do what would be the most comfortable fit for the property which although surrounded by multi unit properties to the north and south, was located on a block with several other single family residences.  Our project acts as a hybrid between multi-family and single family, tightly organized around a main public space but with private outdoor walled spaces.  Cary loved this project and was instrumental in asking all the right questions and helping to guide the vision of the project to the best possible solution.  

Chase Study Houses 2111, North Rear House

Chase Study Houses 2111, North Rear House

It had become so comfortable working with him that even when he didn't feel well and didn't have the energy or time due to treatments, we were able to accomplish a tremendous amount regardless of the brevity of our meetings.  The Highland Park project is located right on the road that Cary and our group of road cyclists rode past hundreds of times over the years.  We visited the site for the last time together a few weeks before he passed, on bikes.  He had the kind of spirit that although he was weakened, he still wanted to get out on the bike and walk the site with me, ask all the questions he liked to ask, be the devils advocate to get a reaction, imagine how it would sit on property, look to the future when it was built.  Unfortunately for all of those who were fortunate enough to have their lives touched by the wonderful, elegant and generous man that day will not come for Cary, but his spirit will definitely be present and we continue to work hard in seeing that his legacy is complete.  The City of Highland Park asks for and accommodation of "public benefit" from developers who ask for zoning relief when applying for Planned Unit Developments, which our project is.  We offered as our public benefit a custom designed bike rack in Cary's memory.  The proposal and the project was accepted unanimously.

Peter Nicholas

peter@nicholasdc.com

Urban-Suburban - Innovative Single Family Homes planned for Highland Park

Project Entry

Project Entry

We are currently working on a new project near downtown Highland Park, Illinois which is a unique house type for the area.  The name of the project is Case Study Houses 2111, inspired by the ground breaking program initiated by Arts and Architecture magazine in 1945 which produced experimental modern prototypes during America's post-World War II housing boom.  We share the spirit of these visionary thinkers and are committed to a reductive,  yet experimental residential design and construction.  We are also committed to energy efficiency, sustainability and durability.  The project contains 4 single family residences in a tight configuration around a center auto court.

Private Courtyard  - Rear House North

Private Courtyard  - Rear House North

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The project consists of 4 single family residences constructed of low or no maintenance materials, manageable and usable gardens, and ease of access for both residents and visitors.  The houses are pushed to the edges of the site, and private outdoor rooms are created and extend adjacent interior spaces.  These private indoor/outdoor spaces are protected by an 8' tall brick wall which protect these spaces which allows for expanses of picture windows and doors and free flowing open plans. Views are directed  toward controlled space, while screening view from adjacent neighbors.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Floor plans are designed for all walks of life, but with special attention paid to the aging in place population.  first floors are located at grade level for easy access and contain the usual living, dining, kitchen and mudroom that one would expect, but also the laundry room and master suites with double bathrooms and closets. Additional bedrooms and bathrooms are located on the upper level.  The houses are between 3,300 and 3,500 square feet with an additional 1,200 square feet of unfinished basement.

Front House North from Autocourt

Front House North from Autocourt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Located within two blocks of downtown Highland Park and the Metra Link to downtown Chicago, all goods and services imaginable are located within a short walk. Use of the automobile is minimized, however plenty of resident and visitor parking is provided with a 2 car garage per house and 6 additional open visitor spaces.

Front Houses, brick privacy screens

Front Houses, brick privacy screens

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The project is being developed by Domain 3 LLC, which consists of myself and my good friends Cary Kerbel and Candace Casey.  Both Candace and Cary have a long track record of producing successful and well designed residential developments.  I have worked with both Candace and Cary for decades while they were working for other companies and their vast knowledge brings a tremendous amount of depth to the development team.

Rear Houses from Autocourt

Rear Houses from Autocourt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are currently in the process of gaining zoning approval for the project, so we cannot disclose the exact location as of yet, but we will be releasing more information over the coming weeks as the design is being refined.

If you are interested in the project and would like to be contacted when more information is available, please contact

Diane Karpman                

dkarpman@KoenigRubloff.com                

847-636-0200

 

Peter Nicholas                                    

peter@nicholasdc.com    

 

Overall Site Plan

Overall Site Plan

People That Make Our Projects Great

An increase in new work at NDC has allowed us to recently bring in new staff.  Our current roster of staff has brought an incredibly talented, qualified and dedicated staff who understand what a team effort looks like.  Not only that, they couldn't be nicer or more pleasant to be around. We look forward to our clients meeting and working with our fun and interesting group.  

Peter Nicholas     peter@nicholasdc.com

Gavin Bardes

Gavin Bardes

Gavin Bardes

Gavin joined Nicholas Design Collaborative in 2014. Leading up to this position, he was a member of the Loewenberg Architects and Magellan Development team that developed and built the Jeanne Gang designed Aqua Building at Lakeshore East Park in Chicago, among other high-rise residential buildings in Chicago, Miami, Minneapolis and Nashville. Before moving to Chicago, Gavin worked for KMD Architects in San Francisco and Alexander Gorlin Architects, Lindy Roy Design and Open Shop in New York City. Gavin also collaborated on the design of a video game titled Ornament & Crime, where he explored 3-dimensional experiences that he now translates into 3D architectural models.

While a student at Columbia University in New York City, Gavin served as a teaching assistant and was the recipient of the L. Smyser Lowenfish Prize for his final semester design. Following graduation, he taught design studios at the University of Pennsylvania and the Parsons School of Design.

Outside of work, Gavin enjoys spending time with his wife and traveling to new destinations when he can. As a college undergraduate, Gavin was a varsity letter winner on the nationally ranked University of Wisconsin rowing team. You can often find him on the Lakeshore path and commuting on a bicycle to and from work, while he trains for the annual American Birkebeiner cross-country skiing marathon in his native state of Wisconsin.

Education

Columbia University GSAPP, Master of Architecture

University of Wisconsin-Madison, Bachelor of Arts, Economics and English

Lori Day

Lori Day

 

 

 

Lori F. Day   - AIA/Leed AP 

After graduating with a Bachelor of Architecture and Bachelor of Environmental Design from Ball State University, she worked at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill where she developed her technical and design skills by working on projects through all phases of design and construction. She later transitioned to Perkins & Will where she gained valuable experience designing learning environments in their education studio. Although she enjoyed K-12 design, her interests shifted to modern residential design which drew her to firms such as Wood +Zapata in Boston, Booth Hansen & Brininstool + Lynch in Chicago. While at B + L, she worked on several AIA award winning projects including the Claremont Residence and Coffou Cottage. Joining Nicholas Design Collaborative realigns Lori with her true passion of designing, developing and detailing modern residential projects. 

Education

Ball State University, Bachelor of Architecture

 

Zafiro Papastratakos

Zafiro Papastratakos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zafiro Papastratakos  

Zafiro Papastratakos joined NDC in 2015 to focus on residential design and construction after gaining experience in multiple project types. Originally from Chicago, she moved to Portland, Oregon ten years ago in order to work within a culture steeped in the value of ecologically sustainable design and construction. While there, Zafiro authored a comprehensive sustainable strategy that anticipated carbon neutrality by the year 2030 for the master plan of a five block, mixed use development in downtown Portland. She coordinated an integrated design process among design professionals, consultants and contractors for this and other mixed use projects to facilitate the production of architecture that works synergistically with its environment. While earning her masters degree, Zafiro conducted building daylight research at the Energy Studies in Buildings Lab at the University of Oregon, and worked as a design team member in Athens, Greece, on the Museum of the Hellenic World,  a project subsequently published in Art Center Basel's "Museums in the 21st Century". As an undergrad, she served as president of the American Institute of Architecture Students.

A cycling aficionado, Zafiro bicycled solo across 3 continents.  She also entered an urban design competition to promote inclusion of a high speed rail network in the U.S. transportation fabric. Having danced semi-professionally with a Chicago based folk dance troupe for years, she now teaches dance to young children. She enjoys riding bicycles and rollerblading with her 4 year old son.

Education

University of Oregon - Portland, Urban Studies Program, Master of Architecture 

University of Illinois at Chicago, Bachelor of Architecture

 

Erin Srebinski

Erin Srebinski

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Erin Srebinski

Erin started at Nicholas Design Collaborative as the Office Manager in 2014. Prior to NDC, Erin worked for Blick Art Materials as a Retail Merchandiser and traveled all over the country to open new stores. She also worked for a few start-ups in Boston and Chicago in business development which is a huge passion of hers. She graduated from Michigan State University with a BA in Advertising. Following graduation she attended Northwestern University's Pre-Medical program. Ultimately she chose not to attend medical school and pursued her business interests.

When she's not working, you can find her spending time with her husband and toddler, running through the city or testing a new recipe always with her camera and a cup of coffee in hand.

Education

Michigan State University, Bachelor of Arts, Advertising

West Town Mixed Use Project encounters opposition

Corner View at night

Corner View at night

Our West Town Mixed Use Project, formerly referred to as Mystery Project 01 has been presented to the presiding neighborhood organizations and has been recommended not to proceed to City Council for a zoning change.  The project is located in the Grand Avenue Design District, which has been organically developing on Grand Avenue for the past several years.  This block now contains several design oriented businesses and stores.  Many of these businesses are located in buildings that are zoned as Manufacturing, including our proposed project, which would need a zoning change from manufacturing to mixed use in order to move forward. 

The location of this project on Grand Avenue is adjacent to the rapidly changing Ukrainian Village Neighborhood to the north and the Kinzie Planned Manufacturing District to the south. It is our belief that Grand Avenue should be allowed to develop as a higher density, mixed use zone.  This will provide a critical mass of residents who will require conveniently located goods and services which will support the retail spaces that currently exist as well as enhancing those businesses with new businesses. Unfortunately the Chicago Grand Neighborhood Association (CGNA) and the Industrial Council do not share our view.

The neighborhood where this design is being proposed just happens to be near my office.  It is close to downtown, but not in downtown.  It is far enough away from downtown that you can park on the street without having to feed a meter or have a zone sticker, which is one of the reasons we like it here.  Although there are some 3 and 4 story buildings on the block, but most of the older buildings are 1 and 2 story.  What we are proposing is 5 stories, so we felt the need to break down the scale of the building to work better with the scale of the surrounding area.

Grand Avenue Facade

Grand Avenue Facade

Grand Avenue is the mediating commercial street between manufacturing and residential and ideally should provide goods and services that provide for the surrounding area.  In the 13 years I have had my business on this street, it has slowly been changing to include some restaurants and some new businesses.

I have found in my many encounters with neighborhood groups that typically, they fight any increase in density.  I believe that people are scared of change, in whatever form it takes.  Parking and traffic is always their bellwether and although I understand their concern, I am left to wonder why they chose to live in a major metropolitan area in the first place.  Surely the suburbs would be better if what you are looking for is lower density and abundant parking.  

Personally, I live in a city because I prefer to walk to get what I need.  Having a vibrant, dense environment with goods and services located in close proximity is not only convenient, but also environmentally friendly.   I am typically frustrated to hear residents who clearly attend meetings for their  own self interest.  It is rampant and it is changing the shape of our cities.  Ironically after the project was presented to the community groups, members approached me afterwards and told me that they loved the architecture.  This was a reminder of what I can control.  I can control the architecture but not the politics.

Peter Nicholas                                                         
peter@nicholasdc.com

 

Grade Level Plan

Typical Residential Plan

Typical Residential Plan

Top Floor Plan - Office, Green Roof and Tenant Amenities


Flite Series soars with the Eagles

Project view from north east

Project view from north east

I took a short 90 minute ride from Chicago down to Ottawa, IL with my friend, business partner and client Cary Kerbel to check the progress of construction.  It is eagle season downstate and it was fun to see the eagles soaring about despite the frigid conditions.

Exterior Volumes close to be clad, all the windows are in and entry bays are looking great.

Entry bays from the west

Entry bays from the west

The project is progressing well, despite the Siberian temperatures.  Many thanks to Matt Juntannen and David Krupp of Juntannen Construction,  for being great General Contractors and stewards of the design.  David studied architecture in college and comes from a legacy of architects, so the details are carefully built.  Matt is an expert field general with many years of experience and has kept the project moving despite a dearth of skilled labor, a byproduct of the great recession in the area.

Balcony framing is in place, projecting towards the view of the water.

Water side of project 

Water side of project 

The Project is coming together well with drywall under way.  Unfortunately due to the winter conditions, the site improvements are pending.  Finished grading, landscaping, and fencing will be starting once the ground thaws.  We are looking forward to these improvement which really enhance the look of this distinctive project.

East end of the project

East end of the project

Intersections at landings of open stair

Intersections at landings of open stair

Landing at top of stair

Landing at top of stair

Steel stairs are coming along, light and skeletal, beautifully working with the two story volume.

Stair hall entry looking toward street

Stair hall entry looking toward street

Living room looking south west towards mouth of cove 

Living room looking south west towards mouth of cove 

Units are now for sale.  For more information, call  Tammy Barry at (815) 433-5000.

Peter Nicholas

peter@nicholasdc.com

 

 

Mystery Project 02 - A great site by the river

We have the privilege, and  are in the process designing a custom house on a property that fronts the north branch of the Chicago river in the only area where a homeowner is allowed to maintain a private dock.  Sounds good, right?  Being right on the river unfortunately comes with baggage, mainly soil that is has the compressive strength of quicksand.  Most people don't know that some areas in Chicago, including the loop, are a filled swamp, and when you go to build a building, you sometimes have to extend the supporting piers down to China.  In this case it is not quite China; we don't actually get to hard packed soil for 35'.  That's a lot deeper that 42 inches, which is the minimum to get below the frost line. Bummer.  Especially for our client, who has to pay for it.

View of front with neighboring bungalow

View of front with neighboring bungalow

The property is much larger than the neighboring properties, so although we are complying with the zoning requirements, the house is going to be something like 3 times the size of the the neighboring properties on the block. That is not to mention that the majority of the other houses on the block are Chicago Bungalows which people are rightfully protective of.  

Street Elevation

Street Elevation

Being good neighbors, we feel that it is necessary, as much as possible to reduce the apparent scale of the house from the street.  This is achieved by reducing the bulk of the building in the front, and pushing the third floor towards the rear of the site, where it is largely hidden from view at the street.

Side yard view with neighboring house dashed in

Side yard view with neighboring house dashed in

 

                                                                                  

 

Riverside Perspective

Riverside Perspective

Fortunately, he is committed to the project and the beautiful wooded piece of land on which it will sit.  It's a pretty rare situation to have a riverfront property in Chicago, so the client understandably wants to take advantage of the river view.  We love that guy and his commitment!

View from Alley

View from Alley

Because the soil conditions are so poor, what would normally be basement functions are placed on the third floor, which is a nice place for a recreation room; with a sweeping view of the river and a large roof deck with an outdoor fireplace.

Fall Perspective

Fall Perspective

This project has just been submitted for zoning review, so its fate thus far is indeterminate.  We are positive and like our chances of it getting built.  Time will tell.  We will keep you posted.

Peter Nicholas  

peter@nicholasdc.com 

www.nicholasdc.com

Are we having FUN yet?

Who says that Hardie Panels are boring?  The installation of the rear elevation at the Periscope House proves otherwise. Using ordinary materials in an extraordinary way is something we always try to do.  Charles and Ray Eames had that philosophy, so why not us?  Not one to be too demonstrative, it seemed like a good opportunity to put in something surprising into one of our projects.  Primary colors will make the rear of the property a festive place and very different from the more sophisticated material palette in the front of the house.

Primary colors enhance the rear of the Periscope House

Primary colors enhance the rear of the Periscope House

Concrete Floors can be beautiful too!  Vera Floor Systems just finished grinding, staining, and polishing the entire first floor of the house and it has a wonderful depth and shine.  Owner Tony Vera worked hard with us to get the color right and it has a nice warm grey tone to it and our buyers could be more pleased with the results.  I have searched for years to find the right concrete company that could achieve this result and Tony is the guy!

Polished concrete in the Living Room

Polished concrete in the Living Room

It going to get even more fun!  Tile starts tomorrow followed by wood flooring upstair and cabinetry.  Stay tuned!

Peter Nicholas

peter@nicholasdc.com

Old Friends, New House

Front Facade - Natural stone, stucco cladding, slate roof and copper gutter and downspouts

Front Facade - Natural stone, stucco cladding, slate roof and copper gutter and downspouts

Old friends Mary Beth McGinnis and Vance Scott of Skokie, Illinois, (where my children were raised) have a new house that we designed for them. Well... it is actually a couple of years old now, it just took a while for us to get around to shooting it!  Many thanks to my Filmmaker son Andreas Nicholas and his willingness to do something that is outside of his normal line of work.  Mary Beth and Vance are successful, but modest people and we wanted the image of the building to be an expression of their personalities.  This did not call for a challenging design expression, but a studied and comfortable use of high quality materials that fits its site like a glove.  Or goal was a building that articulated strength, solidity, and quiet character.  It also needed to open, informal and welcoming; an environment that responded directly to the way that they live and who they are.  The house also needed to be a backdrop of their lives to be filled with the artwork and artifacts of the three generations of family members that would be occupying it.  This is a family that cooks, paints, makes music, when they aren't breaking swimming records at the local high school. 

 

 

View from above, Lorel park to the left

View from above, Lorel park to the left

Located across the street from Lorel Park where their children Konner, Edan and Erik liked to spend time with their friends spending afternoons playing vigorous games of Ultimate Frisbee.  Mary Beth and I worked together on her vision of an "L" shaped footprint that both directed views toward the Park (and a watchful eye towards the kids in the park!) and embraced the expansive side yard of this generous property.  I admittedly didn't immediately love the idea, but kept an open mind to my client's vision.  After looking at the way it addressed the site, framing the side yard and focusing on the park, I realized that she was correct and we started developing the project from there.  The functional diagram is the first step of every house that we design and this was one turned out to be a good one.  Its always good to listen, especially if it is the client who is speaking to you!

Entry Foyer

Entry Foyer

The Entry Foyer is the pivot between the 2 legs of the "L" shape.  It is defined by floor to ceiling glass on the front and back, creating a through-building view from the front to the side patio and side yard.  The flanking walls are covered with anigre wood panels, strenthening the openness of the ends with the solidity of the sides.  The floor is covered with a flamed finish, Lagos Blue liimestone and antique copper mosaic, bordered by a honed finish of the same stone, providing the effect of a throw rug and giving the space a nice texture. The Foyer also separates the guest suite (from the Dining Room and the rest of the first floor.  The Guest Suite is occupied by Mary Beth's mother and we provided a nice level of privacy for her.

Dining Room and Stair

Dining Room and Stair

Moving from the Foyer to the Dining Room, the stair provides a dramatic backdrop. The Dining Room is the most formal room in the house due to it placement in the front of the house, separated from the Kitchen and Family Room.  Wide plank walnut floors give a rich base for lighter anigre panels  and the stair tread and risers provide a material flow from the first to the second floor.  The stair picks up on the material choices of the Foyer with anigre panels, and an antiqued copper rail, but also adds patterned silk screened glass and a solid walnut top rail.  An expansive modern chandelier anchors the dining room table and defines the space.

The stair separates the Dining Room from the more informal Kitchen,Family room and informal eating areas

The stair separates the Dining Room from the more informal Kitchen,Family room and informal eating areas

Kitchen with Family Room beyond

Kitchen with Family Room beyond

Kitchen and Family Room face a wall of glass oriented to the yard the Lorel Park beyond.  The kitchen palette consist of German made cabinets with a light vertically grained hardwood, manmade quartz countertops a linear limestone mosaic backsplash and stainless steel and aluminum accents.  Kitchen, Breakfast and Family Room share one large open space tied together with large format 24" x 48" porcelain tiles floor tiles which is hydronically heated below the tile.  The hard floor surface resists scratches from the nails of the big dogs and the heated floor is always a big hit during the brutal winters here.

 

 

Master Bathroom

Master Bathroom

The Master Bedroom suite is an expansive and sequestered environment conceived as an appropriate escape from the hectic life of raising 3 active, opinionated, wonderful, but all consuming children.  The Master suite contains to the expected large bedroom, bath and closet that is standard for a house on this level, but also Vance's office and recessed balcony, tucked int the shadows with a view of the yard the park beyond and an eye on the activities of those kids.

Side view from the park

Side view from the park

Tremendous gratitude goes out to Vance and Mary Beth for their vision, intelligence, patience, resilience. kindness and grace to handle the pressure of building a family homestead during an economy that did a back flip in the middle of the project, staring down that beast and making it happen.  Did I mention grit?  And grit.

 

 

Side Patio - Park to the right, kitchen and Family Room to the left, Entry Foyer straight ahead

Side Patio - Park to the right, kitchen and Family Room to the left, Entry Foyer straight ahead

Peter Nicholas                                                                                                                     peter@nicholasdc.com