Lakewood Balmoral Residence is a contemporary single-family home designed by Wheeler Kearns Architects in Chicago’s Lakewood Balmoral Historic District, completed in 2025. Sited on a corner lot within a neighborhood of early twentieth-century wooden four-square houses, the project addresses the challenge of engaging both the context’s traditional forms and the brick masonry buildings along the intersecting street. It was conceived for a young family seeking a home attuned to natural light, proximity to books, and a strong relationship with its urban surroundings.
The design maintains the gabled roof and porch typologies of the district, but interprets them with a minimal, modern sensibility. The exterior features dark wood siding with a prominent natural grain, installed with precise nickel-gapped and mitered detailing. Strategic window openings are sized and placed for daylight and views, while the deep finish of the cladding references nearby masonry structures. The front porch is expressed as a threshold space; its turned columns reappear inside the house as supports for a window seat, reinforcing continuity between interior and exterior. Interior spaces are defined by restrained materials and joinery, with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves extending beyond the ceiling plane to enhance vertical scale within the home’s central living area.
Architect Wheeler Kearns Architects Location Location Chicago, IL · Chicago architects Year 2025 Photography Steve Hall Images 49 Style Contemporary , Minimalist Materials Blackened Steel , Brick , Concrete , Glass , Marble Features Balcony , Black Window Frames , Built-In Bench , Built-In Shelving , Corner Windows Hand-drawn sketches outlining massing, wooden cladding, garden connections, and garage placement for a residential design. Floor plans depict the basement, first, and second floors of the Lakewood Balmoral Residence with designated functional spaces and outdoor areas. Living room featuring extensive wooden bookshelves, a built-in bench with cushions, large black-framed windows, and a gray upholstered lounge chair. Living room interior features built-in bookshelves, a navy-blue sofa, armchairs, and a marble coffee table on a blue rug. Living room features floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, a window with black metal framing, and a seating area with sofa and armchairs. The Lakewood Balmoral Residence features a kitchen area visible from a hallway with built-in bookshelves and artwork. Hallway with curved ceiling and frosted glass windows looking toward a room with large windows at Lakewood Balmoral Residence. Office space featuring corner windows and a vaulted ceiling with minimal furnishings. Bedroom featuring a skylight, landscape painting, and a window with a light fabric roman shade. Bathroom features a freestanding tub, tiled walls, and large windows with Roman shades. View from the patio through large floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors into a living room with modern furniture. Side exterior view of the Lakewood Balmoral Residence showing wood siding and large black-framed windows. Modern exterior window detail with black frames and mixed frosted and clear glass, revealing an interior staircase with wood steps. Front view of Lakewood Balmoral Residence showing a gray wood exterior with large windows and a covered porch. Large double-height windows reveal a floating wood staircase with vertical metal railings inside a modern dark wood exterior facade at dusk. Long, narrow skylight with angular forms brings natural light into the white interior ceiling. Side exterior of the Lakewood Balmoral Residence showing large black-framed windows and surrounding trees. A bedroom with corner floor-to-ceiling windows, a single bed, bookshelves, and varied decorative elements. Hallway in Lakewood Balmoral Residence features light wood floors, white curved ceilings, and black trim around windows and stair railing. Modern residence patio with mesh seating and floor-to-ceiling glass windows revealing living room furniture inside. Modern hallway features floating wood stair slats with black vertical metal railings and a built-in wooden bookcase with seating at the end. Dining room features a dark table, wooden chairs, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a linear pendant light. Living room featuring extensive built-in bookshelves, seating, and natural wood flooring. Living room of Lakewood Balmoral Residence features built-in bookshelves, a sectional sofa, and floor-to-ceiling glazing connecting indoors to outdoors. Kitchen area featuring a large black marble island and floor-to-ceiling glazing. A covered balcony with wood plank walls, wood floor, a wooden bench, and black metal support column overlooking a tree-lined street. Concrete terrace with black metal railing and garden at Lakewood Balmoral Residence. Interior view from hallway featuring a bookshelf and kitchen island with stools illuminated by natural light. Living room featuring built-in wooden bookshelves, a corner window with black frames, and seating with cushions. Living room features floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors with black frames opening to a garden area. Office space featuring floor-to-ceiling corner windows with black frames and minimalist furniture. Front elevation of the Lakewood Balmoral Residence showing a two-story stucco house with large windows and a covered front porch. Living room and dining room with floor-to-ceiling glazing and light wood flooring. Covered front porch with wood slat flooring and walls, black window frames, and black vertical supports. Living room featuring large black-framed windows looking out to a garden and a gray sectional sofa on a geometric rug. Side exterior view of the Lakewood Balmoral Residence featuring horizontal siding and large black-framed windows. Site plan highlighting the layout of the two-story house with outdoor spaces including a raised patio, backyard, and green roof. Detail of the staircase with floating wooden treads and black metal balusters and handrail. Stone patio with seating surrounded by landscaping and birch trees beside a house with extensive glazing. Floating wooden staircase with vertical metal railings adjacent to a built-in wooden bookshelf in a residential interior. Hallway features recessed downlights, framed artworks, a built‐in wooden bench seating area with cushions, and a small round table with a plant. Bathroom featuring a freestanding tub and gray travertine tile surfaces at Lakewood Balmoral Residence. Bright bedroom interior featuring a skylight, a rectangular window with a roman shade, and minimal decor with a plant and a landscape painting. Modern bathroom with wood vanity, blue faucets, abstract wall mural, and terrazzo flooring. Detail of a staircase showing black metal vertical balusters and wooden floating treads. Interior residential library space with floor-to-ceiling bookshelf and large windows. A skylight integrated into a white interior ceiling with angular geometry. Living room with floor-to-ceiling glazing overlooking a garden, featuring a sectional sofa and geometric rug. More from Wheeler Kearns Architects Similar homes by other architects 
