The owner’s 1897 NeoClassical house suffered a fire in late 2017. While the fire destruction was limited, smoke and water damage necessitated gutting the entire interior to rid the house of smoke fumes and wet plaster.
The original house takes it’s design from the 1893 Chicago Worlds Columbian Exposition, with grand exterior details and a prominent two-story front porch. Previous owners had altered much of the interior décor and trim, so with the fire, we had an opportunity to restore classical details, update the house systems to be more structurally sound, safe, and energy efficient, and improve the flow and layouts of the rooms. The house itself gave us the language to make a unified design, as we directed mill shops to recreate mouldings found in the house, which were then used to bring spaces back to their original richness. The home is at the same time comfortable and grand, and we hope we’ve helped the owners regain their solace after their tragedy.
Selected for 2022 Luxe Interiors+Design Magazine’s Gold List.
Interior Design by Guinevere Johnson of Third Coast Interiors
Photo Credits: Dustin Halleck