European Cottage

Home to a family of five children, all under the age of 10, this home needed to be open, flexible and pre-weathered. Although set on two acres in Chicago's North Shore, the feeling of this house evokes the mood of living in a European cottage. The first floor, once divided into traditional rooms was gutted and opened to each other to receive the gathering of family and friends. Reclaimed materials, such as French terra cotta tile flooring, white oak wood beams, salvage mushroom palette wood planks for the ceiling and plaster walls with rounded corners were used throughout the main floor rooms. A new fireplace was created in the family room by reusing brick from the original home. The Master Bath balances the use of old with modern to create a spa-like retreat for well-deserving parents. Reclaimed wood beams create the counter of the vanity and are mixed with the clean lines of the sinks, faucets and tub. With the addition of three large dormers, an old, musty attic transformed into three bedrooms, two baths and a bright, inspiring homework area for the kids.