turn collaborative

complete with an exposed beam designed to carry a porch swing and a beadboard backdrop for exposed rafters and a ceiling fan, adding a functional front porch after a phase one second-story addition of a primary suite transformed our client's 90's tract home, setting it apart from its nearly identical neighbors. We're especially proud of the porch's semi-public, neighborly feel, which contrasts nicely with the car-oriented, attached garage vernacular. Such a fun and interesting design journey!

hand drawing and sketching is a fun and great way to see, understand proportion, and observe while traveling ...also comes in fairly handy when trying to "see" and envision aspects of our next design project

positioned at a paved seating area next to the new garage we peer back at the resulting transformed rear facade. Its form took shape by prioritizing arriving at the back door while emphasizing a visual and functional reconnection to the outdoors. The visual openness back to the family room, mud room, and kitchen beyond in turn allows the back yard to feel expansive and connected like a 3-season room .📷 photography by:

Sweeping views on a narrow city lot are not easy to come by, but attempted here nonetheless with a careful choreography of design moves that include borrowing north light from a tight neighboring side yard and lowering the new family room floor to arrive closer to ground level. This shift in elevation shifts the gaze downward towards the textured facade and sun shade trellis of the new garage, complete with a pavered seating area anchoring the view with visual interest.

facade openings and textures of a new garage space and opposing rear addition shape the rear yard while a carefully placed deck and paver area with outdoor seating, create space to reconnect to nature while collectively serving as a 3-season room to lounge and entertain in

On narrow Chicago lots, back yards offer an opportunity to visually connect to nature.  A mix of clerestory and full windows curate the visual openness as viewed from the passage between new mudroom and family room making for bright and airy spaces that visually extend to landscaping and new garage/sitting area textures beyond. The larger and more open spaces are a stark contrast to the former rear yard adjacent, interiorly focused, rooms. 📸 

lowering the family room of our two-story rear addition allowed us to step down to a lower deck, creating a more visually open connection to the rear yard. The mudroom entry, with its offset wall and lower floor, effectively separates the rooms while increasing the visual roof span. The soaring cedar soffit extends into the mudroom, accentuating the inside-outside openness

construction progress is happening at our Wicker Park project, where the main design goal was gaining a 4th second floor bedroom by allocating the small amount of allowable additional space the very tight site had to offer to a 2nd story addition. The completely reworded 2nd floor and overall reimagining of the rear facade's views to the yard results in a significant departure from what existed as the composition of larger windows and balconies make for a considerable transformation 🚧🔨➡️

with two projects currently under construction slated for 2025 completion, we look forward to sharing more photography by like this shot of a new garage space, part of a rear yard addition project, which offers a shaded outdoor seating area.