Architecture
Modern Marries Traditional in a Chicago 'Shotgun' Home
Empty nesters enjoy a house that blends gable roofs and oak paneling with stainless steel, open spaces and bright interiors
I've long admired the work of the husband and wife architect team of Stuart Cohen and Julie Hacker. Like that other great architect on Chicago's North Shore, Howard Van Doren Shaw, Cohen and Hacker have built some remarkable homes in Chicago and its environs. While most of these houses have been large manor homes, some have been smaller, such as the project featured here, which they call the Shotgun House.
Built for a couple with grown children, this house works as a one-story home most of the time but can expand when children and others visit. By placing the extra bedrooms and bathrooms on the second floor, Cohen and Hacker were able to keep the first floor compact.
One of the things I've always liked about the couple's work is their ability to apply traditional architectural forms and details to modern spatial concepts. The open floor plan in this project is divided not by walls but by trim, color and varying ceiling heights, articulating the approach in their book, Transforming the Traditional.
Let's see how everything comes together.
Built for a couple with grown children, this house works as a one-story home most of the time but can expand when children and others visit. By placing the extra bedrooms and bathrooms on the second floor, Cohen and Hacker were able to keep the first floor compact.
One of the things I've always liked about the couple's work is their ability to apply traditional architectural forms and details to modern spatial concepts. The open floor plan in this project is divided not by walls but by trim, color and varying ceiling heights, articulating the approach in their book, Transforming the Traditional.
Let's see how everything comes together.
The entry is at the more substantial two-story area. This allows the entry door to be recessed, providing shelter as well as giving the entry area more presence. The short column holding up that corner rests on a garden wall, a fun mannerist detail.
While the home certainly has traditional architectural elements, such as the gable roofs, it also uses these elements in more modern ways. For example, the bank of three windows on the second floor turns the corner. The result is neither a solid corner, as would appear in traditional architecture, nor a completely open corner, as might appear in modern architecture.
While the home certainly has traditional architectural elements, such as the gable roofs, it also uses these elements in more modern ways. For example, the bank of three windows on the second floor turns the corner. The result is neither a solid corner, as would appear in traditional architecture, nor a completely open corner, as might appear in modern architecture.
The linear one-story plan is evident from the back. This is where the owners really live. The back deck is accessible from the master bedroom. The large screen wall with an ox-eye window filled with latticework provides privacy in the master bathroom just on the other side of the wall.
As with all Cohen-Hacker homes, the interiors are well detailed and crafted. And while the exterior is an update of the classic American shingle style, the interior is definitely a modern update of English Arts and Crafts. From the vaulted ceilings to the oak paneling, from the window seats and double-height windows to the William Morris reproduction wallpaper, the interior is a celebration of the best of that style.
And the interiors are where we see how traditional architectural trim is used to define modern spaces. For example, while the living and dining area has a vaulted ceiling and tall windows, the kitchen has a lower ceiling. A plate rail, which doubles as a display shelf for the owners' collection of duck decoys, provides, as Cohen points out, "a place for the ceiling to rest."
And the interiors are where we see how traditional architectural trim is used to define modern spaces. For example, while the living and dining area has a vaulted ceiling and tall windows, the kitchen has a lower ceiling. A plate rail, which doubles as a display shelf for the owners' collection of duck decoys, provides, as Cohen points out, "a place for the ceiling to rest."
A view from the library to the dining room and entry hall just beyond shows how the trim elements are manipulated to help define the character of each space. Whereas the main living area has rift-cut oak in a cerused finish, the entry hall and library are painted. And a room divider between the kitchen and living-dining area is open on two sides — ideal for both spatial definition and displaying treasured objects.
Windows along the west wall of the house are tall and wide to take advantage of natural light and views out to the forest preserve.
Windows along the west wall of the house are tall and wide to take advantage of natural light and views out to the forest preserve.
The paneling, trim and built-in cabinetry throughout the main living space are made of the same rift-cut oak, making the design of the kitchen integral to the design of the entire living area.
And just because there are overtures to an Arts and Crafts aesthetic doesn't mean that the home doesn't live in the 21st century. So the oak cabinetry with brackets and other traditional details live side by side with stainless steel hoods and refrigerators.
And just because there are overtures to an Arts and Crafts aesthetic doesn't mean that the home doesn't live in the 21st century. So the oak cabinetry with brackets and other traditional details live side by side with stainless steel hoods and refrigerators.
Just as the library has painted trim, so do the master bedroom and bathroom.
Some separation between the mirrors provides that traditional look and feel while making sure there's a lot of lightness and brightness. The vaulted ceiling also goes a long way toward creating such a bright and spacious bathroom.
Some separation between the mirrors provides that traditional look and feel while making sure there's a lot of lightness and brightness. The vaulted ceiling also goes a long way toward creating such a bright and spacious bathroom.
Even though the lot is narrow and the building's footprint is small, the neighboring forest preserve allows for nice light and views.