This new house in an up-and-coming neighborhood on Chicago's southwest side is modern in appearance, yet fits into the neighborhood fabric. The area consists of predominantly frame 1 1/2 story single-family homes. At some point in its history, the streets and sidewalks were raised, presumably for flooding reasons, causing the houses to appear below grade. The basements of the surrounding homes essentially sit on grade, five feet below the sidewalk. We embraced this condition and put the entry to the home at grade, eliminated the basement, and made the house only as large as it needed to be. This preserved major outdoor space for backyard entertaining, and allowed us to save money on construction. The result is an extremely efficient yet accommodating single-family home.
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The entrance to the home features a sunken court below sidewalk level, allowing space for a small garden.
The home office looks out to the garden entry.
This free-standing, wood-clad cabinet anchors the open floor plan of the first floor and houses a coat closet, pantry, and powder room, as well as the working walls of both the kitchen and home office.
