Old Friends, New House

Front Facade - Natural stone, stucco cladding, slate roof and copper gutter and downspouts

Old friends Mary Beth McGinnis and Vance Scott of Skokie, Illinois, (where my children were raised) have a new house that we designed for them. Well... it is actually a couple of years old now, it just took a while for us to get around to shooting it!  Many thanks to my Filmmaker son Andreas Nicholas and his willingness to do something that is outside of his normal line of work.  Mary Beth and Vance are successful, but modest people and we wanted the image of the building to be an expression of their personalities.  This did not call for a challenging design expression, but a studied and comfortable use of high quality materials that fits its site like a glove.  Or goal was a building that articulated strength, solidity, and quiet character.  It also needed to open, informal and welcoming; an environment that responded directly to the way that they live and who they are.  The house also needed to be a backdrop of their lives to be filled with the artwork and artifacts of the three generations of family members that would be occupying it.  This is a family that cooks, paints, makes music, when they aren't breaking swimming records at the local high school. 

View from above, Lorel park to the left

Located across the street from Lorel Park where their children Konner, Edan and Erik liked to spend time with their friends spending afternoons playing vigorous games of Ultimate Frisbee.  Mary Beth and I worked together on her vision of an "L" shaped footprint that both directed views toward the Park (and a watchful eye towards the kids in the park!) and embraced the expansive side yard of this generous property.  I admittedly didn't immediately love the idea, but kept an open mind to my client's vision.  After looking at the way it addressed the site, framing the side yard and focusing on the park, I realized that she was correct and we started developing the project from there.  The functional diagram is the first step of every house that we design and this was one turned out to be a good one.  Its always good to listen, especially if it is the client who is speaking to you!

Entry Foyer

The Entry Foyer is the pivot between the 2 legs of the "L" shape.  It is defined by floor to ceiling glass on the front and back, creating a through-building view from the front to the side patio and side yard.  The flanking walls are covered with anigre wood panels, strenthening the openness of the ends with the solidity of the sides.  The floor is covered with a flamed finish, Lagos Blue liimestone and antique copper mosaic, bordered by a honed finish of the same stone, providing the effect of a throw rug and giving the space a nice texture. The Foyer also separates the guest suite (from the Dining Room and the rest of the first floor.  The Guest Suite is occupied by Mary Beth's mother and we provided a nice level of privacy for her.

Dining Room and Stair

Moving from the Foyer to the Dining Room, the stair provides a dramatic backdrop. The Dining Room is the most formal room in the house due to it placement in the front of the house, separated from the Kitchen and Family Room.  Wide plank walnut floors give a rich base for lighter anigre panels  and the stair tread and risers provide a material flow from the first to the second floor.  The stair picks up on the material choices of the Foyer with anigre panels, and an antiqued copper rail, but also adds patterned silk screened glass and a solid walnut top rail.  An expansive modern chandelier anchors the dining room table and defines the space.

The stair separates the Dining Room from the more informal Kitchen,Family room and informal eating areas

Kitchen with Family Room beyond

Kitchen and Family Room face a wall of glass oriented to the yard the Lorel Park beyond.  The kitchen palette consist of German made cabinets with a light vertically grained hardwood, manmade quartz countertops a linear limestone mosaic backsplash and stainless steel and aluminum accents.  Kitchen, Breakfast and Family Room share one large open space tied together with large format 24" x 48" porcelain tiles floor tiles which is hydronically heated below the tile.  The hard floor surface resists scratches from the nails of the big dogs and the heated floor is always a big hit during the brutal winters here.

Master Bathroom

The Master Bedroom suite is an expansive and sequestered environment conceived as an appropriate escape from the hectic life of raising 3 active, opinionated, wonderful, but all consuming children.  The Master suite contains to the expected large bedroom, bath and closet that is standard for a house on this level, but also Vance's office and recessed balcony, tucked int the shadows with a view of the yard the park beyond and an eye on the activities of those kids.

Side view from the park

Tremendous gratitude goes out to Vance and Mary Beth for their vision, intelligence, patience, resilience. kindness and grace to handle the pressure of building a family homestead during an economy that did a back flip in the middle of the project, staring down that beast and making it happen.  Did I mention grit?  And grit.

Side Patio - Park to the right, kitchen and Family Room to the left, Entry Foyer straight ahead

Peter Nicholas                                                                                                                     peter@nicholasdc.com

Nicholas Design Collaborative named as "Best of Houzz 2014"

We are pleased to announce that we have been selected as "Best Of Houzz 2014" in both Design and Service Categories.

Houzz provides homeowners with the most comprehensive view of home building, remodeling and design professionals, empowering them to find and hire the right professional to execute their vision,” said Liza Hausman, vice president of community for Houzz. “We’re delighted to recognize Nicholas Design Collaborative among our “Best Of” professionals for both customer satisfaction and design as judged by our community of homeowners and design enthusiasts who are actively remodeling and decorating their homes.”

We are happy for the recognition and will continue to strive to be the "Best" at design and serving our customers as we move towards our 25th year in business.

New Project - Rosc02

Nicholas Design Collaborative in conjunction with our Design Build entity, NCA Build are embarking on a new project, Rosc02 in the Roscoe Village neighborhood of Chicago. Known for its high quality schools, thriving commercial district and convenient location, Roscoe Village is an ideal place to raise a family.  Our property is located less than a block from Roscoe Blvd., within a few blocks from the Brown Line El and less that a block from the outstanding Audubon Elementary School.  This is just a teaser, but it will be available for purchase within a month or two, so stay tuned.  We will be posting more details as they become available.

Rosc02 - Street Elevation sketch

The building exterior will be unlike anything found in the area, but will be respectful on the context in which it sits.  We have bay windows, porches, entry steps and covered porches, they just don't look like the ones next door, but there is definitely and thoughful connection.  We will mix traditional materials (brick, wood siding) along with more contemporary ones (aluminum, fiber cement board panels) and all materials specified will be utilized using the most advanced and logical methods, ensuring the health and safety of the occupants and their guests.  One of these methods is rain screen technology which allows exterior walls to be ventilated, resisting mold and providing clean and healthy interior air.

Roof Deck and outdoor dining - Urban - NDC 2010

As in many of our projects, Rosc02 will place an emphasis on a connection to the outdoors and the incorporation of functional, usable outdoor spaces with interior spaces.

Rear Deck - Urban Residence - NDC 2010

Rosc02  will have a rear deck that will be raised to connect seamlessly with the kitchen and outdoor dining as well as allowing a closer connection with the outdoor living space on the garage roof deck

Kitchen - Roscoe Village 01 - NDC 2010

The house is designed for the lifestyle of the modern family with the kitchen as the epicenter of house. Gone are infrequently used formal dining, living spaces and sequestered servants spaces. 

Kitchen Pantry and Desk - Roscoe 01 - NDC 2010

Need storage in the Kitchen?  You will have it in this house, more than you can imagine.

Living/Dining Room - Long Avenue 1 - NDC 2006

What will be included are consolidated elegant but casual spaces for people that love to entertain, cook and involve all of their guests and family members in the process. Beautifully open and uncluttered spaces not only allow for easy communication but also allow for open sight lines for parents to keep track of the activities of their children.

Persicope House - Forecourt, Master, Family Room, Living Room - NDC 2013

Unique?  Need something that speaks to you?  Want to live in the house that all your friends what to be invited to?  Yep, that's what we do, its all we want to do.

We do custom houses and you won't find one on the market that comes close...  More details to come!

Peter Nicholas

peter@nicholasdc.com

Periscope Crew Forges Ahead Despite Arctic Conditions

Happy New Year Readers!

Below zero temperatures cost us some days but did not stop progress on the framing of the Periscope House.  

Head on view from the west of the Master Bedroom

View from North

The Floating cantilevered piece is an appropriate counterpoint to the surrounding masonry buildings. The thing that I have always found to be interesting is the shift of the new piece to the west of the garden wall (which was done to be within zoning compliance) and space between the garden wall and the piece, which will be filled in with windows and a leaning skylight on the north edge that spans the offset. 

Roof sheathing on the addition

All the exterior walls and the majority of the roof sheathing is in place, and the form of the house is rapidly nearing completion.

Junction of fireplace and master bedroom piece

The chimney was extended and reclad with new brick due to the fact that the existing brick is impossible to match.  I like the way the fireplace is allowed to go from inside to outside with windows on the edge to allow one to see edges of the brick mass penetrate the exterior plane

The rear of the project has changed significantly.  The addition of a large beam is not providing support so that we could remove the back wall at the new dining room when a floor to ceiling sliding glass door will fill that opening.  the projecting south bedroom box is cantilevering at the second floor and the walls for the mudroom, also projecting form at the first floor is in place.

Rear Elevation

View from the Master Bedroom

View of Front from the South

The weather this week has been less than cooperative and coupled with the holidays made it a bust, but the windows are ready to be delivered and the framing crew ready to jump on it as soon as the weather gets a little warmer and less snowy.

Peter Nicholas

peter@nicholasdc.com

Periscope House Construction Report - Now the fun starts!

In a race against the elements, the construction team is making significant progress in an effort to achieve an enclosed structure by the end of 2013.

pouring the new slab in the family room over the radiant heating tubes

With underground plumbing complete a coordinated effort was needed between the concrete and heating trades.  Slab areas needed to be prepared by the concrete crew, followed by the heating crew placing their heating tubes in the slab.  The existing floor will have a 2 1/2" layer of concrete poured over the existing slab while in the new areas, we poured a 4" slab the matched the level of the topping slab.

Heating tubes are laid on top of the existing slab awaiting the topping pour.  Tubes are evenly distributed to provide an even level of heat

Heating tubes are run to a common manifold. Tubes will be split off into six separate zones to provide fine tuning for in separate areas on the first floor

In preparation for insertion of the cantilevering "Periscope" piece off the front of the house, a large portion of the existing roof needed to be removed.  In addition to this, the existing chminey and fireplace was reclad with new brick

The Steel Framing also went up this week, which is very exciting.  This piece of the construction will form the backbone for the signature cantilevered "Periscope" piece on the front the on project

Framing has started in earnest, which has been a lot of tearing out of the bad old lumber and insertion of heavier laminated posts and beams that can handle the longer spans we have designed to achieve a more open feel.  More to come soon?

Peter Nicholas

peter@nicholasdc.com

Ottawa Townhomes design rounding into shape

Our design of a 4 unit townhouse project in the Heritage Harbor development in Ottawa, Illinois is nearing completion and is proving to be a unique product for this resort community.

View from street

A major decision in the design was our attempt to create a courtyard and to activate outdoor space on the street side of the main structure.  By detaching the garage and pushing it as close to the street as possible allows that space to exist between the the house and the garage.  A 4 foot high cedar fence with 1" spaces between the planks provides a measure of security for the Owners while allowing passersby on the street to get a glimpse of activity within the courtyard.  It is a fine balance to strike between privacy and community.

Courtyard View

From a sales perspective, the courtyard adds a space that exists nowhere else in the Heritage Harbor.  The one story, flat roofed garages add scale to the street and helps to break down the mass of the complex and provide a frame of view leading to the entry of the townhouse itself.  The screen porch for each unit is oriented towards the courtyard and visually support the entry piece.  The entry piece is a two story, glass faced rectangular mass that reveals a open rail metal stair and a glimpse of the view to the river beyond.  It will look like a beacon at night.

On the river side of the project, each unit steps back to follow the profile of the property along the lake and orients the view of each unit through a corner window towards the mouth of the cove to the Illinois River to the east.  The profile on the land drops 10 feet from the street side to the river side, providing the opportunity to add a lower level walkout.  The main living level presents panoramic views through continuous bands of floor to ceiling windows and access to an adjacent projecting balcony.  The two end units have first level master bedroom suite that also in directed towards the river view. All other bedrooms are located on the second floor and also face the river.

River side view

We are still working on and making adjustments to the project, but at some point we have to stop designing, finish the drawings and build it!  City of Ottawa is currently reviewing the design, which is a departure for anything that has preceded it in the development, thus a little challenging for them.  We are getting full support on the design from Rich Bridges and the entire Heritage Harbor team, who see this as a positive progression from the first generation of development.

Peter Nicholas

peter@nicholasdc.com

Periscope under siege

Armed with bobcat and willing de-constructors, demolition has begun on the Periscope House.  The existing garage was knocked down in about 2 minutes and we are saving bricks for extending the garden wall in the back.  All the concrete will be recycled.

Rear of the house under attack

What it will look like after the mayhem

The wood structure and masonry enclosing the existing structure will be preserved and reused, the windows and cladding will be removed and replaced.  Hard to imagine that it will end up like the rendering!

The forecourt, which will be reduced in size to accommodate the new family room, needed to have the concrete broken up and removed so that we can put in concrete footings and foundations for the new room.  We also are going to need to get access for the new utilities that we will be bringing including the new water service.

opening cut through the front wall of the existing house to allow access for the bobcat to break up the existing concrete

approximately 50% of the courtyard will be enclosed for the family room

Next up, footings and foundations, followed by underground plumbing. 

A vacation spot with a (point of) view

NDC is pleased to announce that we are currently working with our friends at Entre' Partners on a new 4 unit townhouse project in the Heritage Harbor Development in Ottawa, Illinois.  http://www.heritageharborottawa.com/

Positioned overlooking an unspoiled cove off of the Illinois river which is protected by an untouched wooded penninsula, we will be creating a project that takes full advantage of the water view afforded by it's elevated perch.  Units will be offered as 2, 3 and 4 bedroom unit pre-construction with construction anticipated to start this fall.

I took at hiking trip with my son Willy to Starved Rock National Park, which is a short drive from Heritage Harbor where I discovered the beauty of the area and convenience from Chicago, which is 90 minutes away.

Heritage Harbor Townhomes - Entry courtyard, screen porch, Entry

The product we will be offering is unique, some would say with a bit of an urban edge; I would say as a studied derivative of farmhouse vernacular so prevalent in rural Illinois. Our project will take full advantage of the site and will offer flexible space, courtyards, great views, lots of space for entertaining and a design provides a private meditative environment to unwind in.

Although we are in the early stages of development, we are excited to working on a project with such great potential.  Heritage Harbor teams members Rich Bridges, Mike Sitterly and Tom Heimsoth have been supportive and sympathetic to our ideas which we are appreciative of, and it will help us to take advantage of the potential this setting has to offer.

Heritage Harbor Townhomes - South elevation facing water views

Periscope Down - Under Contract!

Within 2 weeks after listing the Periscope House on MLS, we have a signed purchase agreement with a wonderful and excited couple. Construction of the project will begin mid-October with an anticipated completion date of June 1 or before. 

The buyers are looking forward in participating in the process of construction and selection of finishes with us as we tune it to meet their level of style and taste.  They see themselves as stewards of modern architecture and are anxious to start living in a house that effectively takes advantage of exterior space as an extension of the interior.  We are thrilled to have people that appreciate and understand the house, how it was designed and want to take advantage of what it offers as a living experience.

This is a custom house on every level, except that it was designed not to a specific customer, but instead to most favorable use of the existing conditions of the site and the surrounding context.  The scale and composition of the building was considered as a direct response to the surrounding neighborhood; not to blend in, but to create a counterpoint.

The fact that the form of the building and the layout of the rooms was designed prior to having a buyer in an ideal situation for many buyers in that the majority of the decision making has already been made, however, because it has not yet been built, it allows us to be flexible on the selection of finishes.  The design process can be a time consuming and difficult process for a client and many (I would guess most) buyers would like to eliminate the uncertainty by seeing a finished house.  Because of the tools that we have as architects, we are able to create accurate, lifelike renderings shown in context, so although the buyer can't walk through the finished product, they can get an accurate feel for what the project will be.  That worked for these buyers and as we found out during the sales process and the enthusiastic response by potential buyers, it also worked for several others.

We love the way the process has worked on this project and we are actively looking for new projects to create other one-of-a-kind modern projects.  As soon as we figure out the next one, we will post some images.  In the meantime, we will be posting images as Periscope is being build.

Peter Nicholas

Work on 507 W. Roscoe begins

Front Facade

NDC is starting on this new project located at 507 W. Roscoe in Chicago. The project is the renovation of a 3,400 square foot, 5 bedroom, 4 bathroom vintage condominum. The size and width of the unit is highly unusual in Chicago and we are very excited to get started on the update, which hasn't been done in many, many years.

Existing Kitchen

Our clients love to cook and the expansion of the existing kitchen is the first priority.  They "keep kosher" in the kitchen and we have lots of experience with kosher kitchens, so that it will be fun to combine the ancient religious requirements with modern living and entertaining for this young active couple.

Living Room

In general, we would like to open the unit up to gain more daylight, but would also like to keep the character and proportion of the grandly scaled living and dining spaces.

We have measured and documented the existing conditions and have started on the creating preliminary design options to help our clients establish their budget and priortiies.  Stay tuned. 

More Pub for PERISCOPE

This article was published this morning on the Online Magazine, DNAinfo Chicago. Edgewater, the community in which the Periscope House will be built is an amazing, vibrant, diverse area. I have watched the commercial area along Broadway change overnight. It is becoming the new Andersonville. My kids are pissed at me because they want to move in. Ha!

for more information go to periscopehouse.com 

PERISCOPE UP (for sale)!

Front Elevation

 The Periscope House, located at 5833 N. Magnolia Avenue in the Edgewater Glen neighborhood of Chicago is officially available for purchase!  This transformation of an unremarkable 1970's era house into a green, one of a kind 4 bedroom, 3 bath single family residence that takes full advantage of its over sized urban lot and existing garden walls into a completely unique city compound. Steps from every city convenience but private and peaceful, its the perfect mix for the urban dweller.

Forecourt at night

Designed by NDC, developed by NDC founder Peter Nicholas and to be built by our Design-Build entity, NCA Build, the Periscope House will be meticulously detailed and built to meet the vision of what infill development should be.  We are looking to partner with a buyer that would like to participate in the selection of interior finishes and the construction of an iconic piece of modern architecture.

Living Room as viewed from Dining Room

For more information visit www.periscopehouse.com 

Architectural Burlesque

Burlesque is not about what you see, but about what you don't see.  Architects would be wise to abide by the rules of an effective burlesque routine when designing a house. Why give it all up right away when the anticipation of an architectural strip tease is much more exciting and satisfying to the the audience?

The Washington Place Residence performs this architectural act by using the procession from public to private as the vehicle of revelation for this house which closely conspires with the site to let the drama of discovery unfold.

Anyone who has visited San Diego know the reason that people love to live and vacation there is due to the mild climate which many believe is the best in the world.  It stands to reason that when designing a house in such a place, one should, whenever possible, incorporate and take advantage of this desirable environment.

The property of the Washington Place Residence has a large level area which fronts the street on which it sits, but approximately 1/3 of the property is on a steep slope into a canyon lined with Eucalyptus trees with open vistas,  The program for the house is large (close to 5,000 sf.), and given the size of the property, would need to be planned on two levels.

There were two ideas that need to be addressed in the design; how to take advantage of canyon views while providing a visually private outdoor area.  Essentially the house needed to embrace two different personalities, open and closed; introverted and extroverted; protected and unprotected.  When approaching the house from the street, the visitor is presented with a garden wall with two separate 2 car garages that engage this garden wall.  This entry area ground plane, which would otherwise be an impervious paved area, due to the access requirement for the garages is instead paved with a landscaped driving surface which retains water and presents a landscaped area while allowing a drivable surface for vehicles which is good environmentally as well as attractive  The initial approach to the property is decidedly closed, concealing little of what will unfold behind the front wall, much in the tradition of a traditional Mexican courtyard house.  Once the visitor is allowed access beyond the centered front gate a private, enclosed courtyard unfolds. 

​Courtyard

This introverted courtyard provides protection from the street and is framed by a one story guest house and what appears to be a one story main house, set 43' back from the street wall. A linear fountain reinforces the symmetrical approach to the main house beyond.  Little is revealed about the size of the house or the presence of the Canyon that lies beyond.  When entering the house, the entry foyer is fronted by a large natural stone faced fireplace that anchors the center of the house.  It is not until one ventures beyond the Foyer that the view of the canyon is revealed.  The canyon view is reinforced by an ascending ceiling plane that guides the eye toward the expansive canyon.  On the entry level, living, dining and kitchen spaces flow freely and open to a large balcony that spans the width of the building, encouraging opportunities to take advantage of this compelling extension to the interior spaces.  The master bedroom suite is is also conveniently located on this floor.

​Canyon Elevation

The second level, which is positioned below the main living level contains an additional 3 bedrooms and 3 bathroom, an additional living space and other support spaces.  The decision to place the bedroom level below the main level is consistent with the experiential unfolding of the project which starts from the arrival at the street.  The size of the house and the property, which are much larger than the its older neighbors is presented in a modest way.  Our approach is to blend in, not to dominate.  The house is about the living experience for the Owners and their guests and the embrace of the land and site conditions.  

The intention is not to be demonstrative, but discrete. Architectural burlesque indeed.

For more information go to: https://nicholasdc.squarespace.com/projects/canyon-house