Step Inside A Chicago Victorian Full Of Relaxed Refinement

The geography of where one grows up has the power to influence aesthetic leanings even years down the road. Such was the case for a young couple with two children that were newly settled into a contemporary Glencoe Victorian. Raised on the East Coast, the husband envisioned a preppy, tailored vibe. The wife, who hails from California, was drawn to a more relaxed milieu. To marry their respective styles, the pair hired architect Heidi Paul and designer Hayley Kauffmann. “We went through an evolution to decide the language of the interior,” the wife says. “We call it sophisticated California.”

Paul and Kauffmann began by replacing the home’s overly detailed moldings with more streamlined, contemporary versions. And while the kitchen required few tweaks thanks to its crisp white cabinetry, marble countertops and integrated backsplash, they added a six-inch stainless steel lip around the hood for a bit of bling. A blue grass-cloth wallcovering and Roman shades in a toile-like pattern complete the scene. “It was surgery more than it was demolition,” Paul notes. “The fine cuts made a big difference.” 

As did the addition of a second set of French doors in the family room, flooding the space with natural light and creating direct access to an outdoor kitchen underneath a cantilevered pergola. Set against the new doors, a cloud-like glass bubble chandelier floating over a white marble-topped tulip table surrounded by cane chairs creates a light-hearted backdrop to the space’s main sitting area.

“We wanted to make sure each room had its own personality,” the architect notes. “Yet they all speak to each other.” Kauffmann and Paul achieved this by threading subdued neutral hues throughout the first floor while using decor and architectural details to infuse each space with a distinct character. In the sitting room, for instance, floral draperies frame the verdant views. “It’s a nod to a traditional Victorian parlor,” Kauffmann says, noting that the light-filled room eases Chicago’s months of gray skies and freezing temperatures. “Even in the dead of winter, it feels like you’re in a garden.”

Wallcoverings also helped to facilitate the elevated environment the owners envisioned, particularly a grass cloth with an abstract landscape pattern that buoys the formal dining room. There, a reflective brass chandelier with an olive leaf motif and gray dining chairs with gently curved arms reinforce the ethereal ambience. It’s an ideal space for hosting, but the husband had an even bolder idea for entertaining: a wine-tasting room. Glass doors framed in black steel open to the cool blue space—a color inspired by boat hulls he’d seen at East Coast yacht clubs. Wine storage shelves crafted from rift-cut oak are built into the walls on either side of the doorway, and a quartet of plaid chairs sit atop a hide rug in a chevron pattern. Topping off the warm, Nantucket-esque setting is a trio of barrel-back upholstered chairs that surround a marble-topped pedestal table in the bay window.

This cozy, enveloping feel also defines the lower-level media room, where a pair of floor-to-ceiling murals with a palm motif play off the dark blue ceiling and walls. Low-slung sectionals covered in a complementary hue create a cozy spot for the couple to entertain, while floor lamps with feather shades resembling palm fronds add a sense of whimsy. “This was the first room we designed, and it told me that this client was up for some fun,” Kauffmann says. “The idea was to transport you to a Hollywood lounge. It’s very glam, but it’s also a place where everyone can hang out.” 

In fact, there is hardly a space that isn’t welcoming to guests. During a recent Italian-themed housewarming party, the owners cooked pizzas in the outdoor kitchen as their guests moved back and forth between the patio and the dessert bar in the formal dining room. “We built the house to share with others,” the wife explains. But it’s also a home that they enjoy on a more intimate, personal level. Living there, the wife says, has changed her outlook on life. “I’m focusing more on joyful moments,” she notes, recalling the way the mid-afternoon sunlight reflects off the dining room chandelier’s gold petals. “This home takes my breath away.”