Wolcott Project

The Wolcott Project consisted of an approximately 2,500 square foot, 2-story, masonry building constructed in 1912. The floorplan of this building was a classic, Chicago-style layout with long, rectangular living spaces and bright sun rooms or “winter gardens” in the front of the units. Our scope included replacement of all utilities, a new roof, and new contemporary finishes throughout the building. Having resided in a single family home for the past 15 years, our client desired a new urban landscape to call home which also served as additional household income.

The primary challenge of this project was determining a modern, luxury kitchen design in each unit without removing the bedroom adjacent to each kitchen. These restrictions forced our team to think critically regarding functional utility – assessing the literal series of movements in the space to determine the optimal layout while affording contemporary luxury.

Conforming to a modern aesthetic also required respecting the original design of the building. Chicago 2-flats are an iconic structure in a city boasting rich architectural history. It was important that our final product not compete with history. Instead, it should enhance it. We navigated this paradox by maintaining the traditional layout and strategically selecting interior finishes.

The bathrooms included large scale tiles laid in a subway brick pattern and contemporary, free-standing sinks hovering over square tiles. The kitchens included straight-line cabinetry featuring glass subway tile backsplashes laid in a traditional offset pattern. All of the rooms displayed a traditional two-piece, wooden baseboard trim which was finished with straight, rectangular doorstops as opposed to curved base-shoe. Traditional oak flooring was installed as wide planks, stained a dark hue, and balanced by the intentional natural light flooding into the rooms. LED lighting up-lit straight-edge wooden crown-moulding to blend the space from the floors up to the ceiling with one sweeping glance.

We began with a traditional Chicago 2-flat, we ended with two iconic living spaces designed for contemporary lifestyles. By respecting the original architecture and carefully improving the interior finishes, our final product boasted a coziness deep-rooted in traditional architecture and combined with a sleek, contemporary elegance.