Untitled No. 3
Chicago, IL | 1986
A project built in the piano nobile of an 1891 Stanford White mansion, the client fully appreciated the grandeur and craftsmanship of the great old rooms but did not want the re-create the late Victorian lifestyle and cluttered spaces of the original owners. Instead, the client wanted a spartan interior within which one could easily move around and be comfortable.
We focused on first restoring the spirit and elegance of White’s 19th century classicism through meticulous attention to detail. This was a very deliberate and elaborate process, one which included undoing what an unsympathetic developer had done in pursuit of sales. Having accomplished this we introduced a different vision, one integrating historic elegance with the modern vocabulary of the late 20th century. The furniture and cabinets within the harmonious and restrained container were finished in contemporary materials befitting the richness of the house. The underpinnings of both the container and the contained are of the same sensitivities, establishing a real understanding and creating a whole.
