Wheeler Kearns Architects Lakewood Balmoral Residence
Description
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. 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 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. An exemplar of the core tension of the project, the front porch draws on an American archetype of liminality to navigate the surrounding traditional language with the taut contemporary interior space. Balancing tradition and innovation, the interiors offer subtle architectural surprises that enrich daily life and well-being for a young family of four with a love of daylight, books, and nature. The turned columns of the front porch migrate within as window seat supports, connecting the interior with surroundings through the corner window. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves slip past the ceiling to elevate scale in the heart of the home without loss of intimacy.
Details
Location Chicago, IL
Year: 2025
Architect
Photography
Steve Hall
Description
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. 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 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. An exemplar of the core tension of the project, the front porch draws on an American archetype of liminality to navigate the surrounding traditional language with the taut contemporary interior space. Balancing tradition and innovation, the interiors offer subtle architectural surprises that enrich daily life and well-being for a young family of four with a love of daylight, books, and nature. The turned columns of the front porch migrate within as window seat supports, connecting the interior with surroundings through the corner window. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves slip past the ceiling to elevate scale in the heart of the home without loss of intimacy.
Details
Location Chicago, IL
Year: 2025
Architect
Photography
Steve Hall
