Lakeside Midcentury

Robbins Architecture 976 Green Bay Road Winnetka, IL 60093 T. 847 446 8001 info@robbins-architecture.com The clear form sits in harmony with the lakeside landscape, honoring nature with its materials and design. This renovation of a midcentury gem designed by Winston Elting respects midcentury design principles, but feels modern and fresh, not weighed down by the past. The utter simplicity of the original design is admirable. Although it’s a straightforward rectangle, with under 3,000 square feet of living space, it feels like so much more, incorporating the two-and-a-half-acre property and making the most of its small footprint. The front of the house is rigorous in its composition of brick walls and wood louvers, but the lakefront facade is completely transparent and opens to the sparkling water and soaring beech trees. That idea of transparency is knitted throughout the house’s interior, with a series of courtyards tucked into the layout. Quirky moments of nuance are integrated throughout the space, such as the living room fireplace constructed of Chicago brick. With its beautiful shade of pink, the fireplace sits asymmetrically in the room, sliding to one side to form an intimate relationship with the built-in seating nook. The renovations are complementary to the house but not absolutely period – while the design has been reshaped, the aesthetic is closely tied to the home’s architectural vocabulary.