Rethinking A Classic Georgian For Artful Living
The living room’s eclectic mix of furnishings includes a velvet Donghia sofa and a 1970s Brutalist table by Silas Seandel. Next to the fireplace is a midcentury rosewood burl credenza with book-matched panels; above it hangs Kara Walker’s The Keys to the Coop. The rug is 1920s Chinese Deco, which–along with the two Almudena Rodriguez paintings above the fireplace–is from Pagoda Red.
hicago antiquities dealer Betsy Nathan and her husband, Daniel Goldberg, lived in their north suburban 1926 Georgian-style home for years before deciding to remodel the residence.
When it came time for the task, however, they tapped architect Carlos Martinez, a principal at Gensler who’s highly regarded for his commercial work — but who also has a passion for art.
Working with fellow architect Fred Wilson, Martinez decided to leave the dwelling’s front facade and rooms intact and focused, instead, on the back of the home, which sits on a ravine.
The team relocated a freestanding garage to allow for a new screened porch and family room, along with an expanded kitchen and breakfast room that overlook a new courtyard. A guest bedroom and several hundred feet of lower-level space — which includes a spa, game room and media room — now also make up the home.
When it came to the interiors, Betsy brought on designer Daniel Krause to incorporate her Asian pieces, along with midcentury furnishings and contemporary art, throughout the abode. “He was the secret sauce,” she says.
The new and old spaces were furnished with a rich blend of Chinese antiques, a bronze Brutalist cocktail table from the ’70s, Italian and French lighting, Pop art and more.
“It’s an amalgam of rooms that succeeds,” says Wilson.
Indeed, the finished product is a celebration of design.