This historic Victorian house is on Chicago’s north side. “It had original bones…and challenges,” recalls interior designer Wendy Labrum. “It needed an update for how families live today.”
Wendy’s clients—a young family with active children—were drawn to the property for its architectural charm, but also one key reason: a beautiful and impressive backyard, an element that Wendy explains is exceedingly difficult to find in the city. “Despite the obvious project that would be involved with remodeling the house, the yard and the bones made it a no-brainer!”
Wendy always lets the original bones of a historic remodel dictate the design direction, and then combines that with the client’s desires for how they live and use their spaces. “We wanted the house to be comfortable but retain some of the formality of the era in which it was built,” she explains. “We mixed items of all periods and origins to make the space feel appropriately collected and cool.”
The clients wanted each room to be usable, without any “off-limits” areas for the children to play. Wendy and the team largely gutted the entire house to expand spaces and eliminate some of the original features that proved problematic, including an exceedingly large masonry chimney stack in the middle of the house. “We kept the original front staircase, refinishing all the wood detailing, but worked extensively to reconfigure the layout of the rest of the house, including the addition of a breakfast nook off the kitchen to give more space to the casual areas of the home,” she says. “We replaced all the windows and enlarged them where appropriate to maximize natural light and views to the backyard. We also widened hallways, moved the kitchen from a small galley in the rear of the home to a larger space that would open to an adjacent family room.”
Upstairs, they combined tiny bedrooms into larger bedrooms and bathrooms with more elbow room. The 3rd-floor attic was reconfigured to be a guest loft and bedroom for visiting family and friends. “In addition, we transformed the basement from a dark and scary place to a bright mudroom, playroom and even original brick wine cellar,” Wendy shares.
The project took two years—not terrible, considering the current construction timelines and the many challenges faced in the historic renovation. “From zoning and historic limitations to architectural challenges, we have become adept at navigating them all,” Wendy recalls. “Every original plaster wall we opened in this house gave us a new surprise. Our clients were smart about the changes and improvements we made as they completely transformed the entire structure of the house. Moving the aforementioned masonry chimney stack that ran from the basement to the 3rd floor was a difficult and costly decision, but ultimately it helped reclaim a significant amount of square footage that helped the dining room flow into the family room and helped make the primary bedroom larger.”
Now, the family couldn’t be happier. “Our clients were thrilled with the finished project,” the designer reflects. “We always know that people enjoy their homes when they never want to leave and always choose to entertain at home instead of going out!”
