Fitting in, Standing out.
The Lakewood Balmoral Residence celebrates thoughtful intersections. Located within a national Historic District on Chicago’s north side, it holds the corner with introspective presence, anchoring a line of wooden four-square homes with gabled roofs and front porches while engaging in dialogue with the juxtaposed brick corner buildings. Beginning with the salvaging of materials from the preceding stucco two-flat to mark the end of its life, the first task was to create a sense of belonging.
What first appears as a familiar form gradually reveals subtle mutations of the surrounding vernacular. The dark finish of the wood siding retains its natural figure, while flush, nickel-gapped, and mitered-corner details create a taut skin, punctuated by strategic apertures for light, view, and scale. The tone of the deep hued cladding reflects the masonry values around the intersecting streets, while the massing recalls the traditional forms of the southern neighbors. Extending the minimal enclosure, the porch knee-wall provides both prospect and refuge, while the turned columns swell out in the middle – playful figures that both borrow from and reinterpret historical precedents.
Designed for a young family of four with a love of daylight, books, and nature, the home’s perimeter embraces a variety of landscape gardens with a strategic ‘L’ shaped plan. These outdoor spaces thrive in pockets of varied elevation, spilling into floor-to-ceiling views from the open first floor and establishing a biophilic presence in the family’s daily life. The library and office hold, overlook the prominent corner, while the bedrooms nestle beneath the gabled roof. Planted gabions terrace down to bring light into the playroom, trees screen the alley, and climbing ivy reclaims the austere concrete planes of the garage with a distinct texture lent by the fly ash and captured carbon minerals in the mix. Without sacrificing function, the landscape minimizes mowed lawn with a biodiverse mix of native and drought-tolerant plantings to greet the street.
In harmony with the family’s love of nature, the residence features a high-performance shell: a ventilated Accoya facade over super-insulated walls, shingled roof, and triple-pane pultruded fiberglass windows. All systems were tested before interior finishes to ensure low air infiltration. These balanced systems, carefully considering both operational and embodied carbon, minimize energy consumption. With all-electric HVAC and a tight envelope enabling reduced perimeter duct distribution, the second-floor balances openness and intimacy with a gentle curving transition where the walls meet the ceiling, a happy outcome of addressing height restrictions. Comfort is maintained with silent radiant hydronic heat on the first two levels and an energy recovery ventilator.
Careful detailing enhances the home’s character: piano-string stair rails, with the handrail providing anti-sway bracing, extend into both front and rear yards. The turned porch column reappears indoors, transformed to support the corner window seat. In the library, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves feature integrated lighting, serving as a visual counterpoint. Coves conceal light sources, and drapery allows the living room windows to read as continuous. A “plastered” living room north wall—stretched fabric over acoustic insulation—dampens sound during social events, while custom-graded film screens views from the street. Millwork volumes at the heart of the home enliven the space with subtle graining in complementary tone to the white oak floors found throughout the residence. Skylights brighten the center of the house, with their curved plaster cutouts amplifying the dynamic play of light from shifting skies.
Fitting in while standing out, the Lakewood Balmoral Residence participates thoughtfully in the historic urban fabric, cultivating a daylit refuge from the city that models good stewardship of environmental impacts in its connection with the surrounding community.
General Contractor: Power Construction
Structural Engineer: Enspect Engineering
Landscape Architect: McKay Landscape Architects
MEP Engineer: Russel Engineering, LLC
Lighting Designer: Lux Populi
Acoustic Consultant: Threshold Acoustics
Interior Designer: Kadlec Architecture & Design
Photography: Steve Hall
