10/08/2026
For this installment of What We’ve Been Cooking Up, we’re taking a look at Chuck’s family home in Wilmette, Illinois. Some houses are designed once. This one grew and evolved alongside his family.
In 1998, the roof and entire second level were removed down to the hardwood floors, making way for a new second and third floor. The goal was to nearly double the livable space without increasing the footprint of the home. New roof forms, window compositions, and trim were carefully designed to relate to the original first-floor architecture so that the addition would feel as though it had always been part of the house.
The renovation came with a few memorable moments. During construction, while Chuck’s wife Tricia was pregnant with their third child, the family was sleeping in the basement. One morning, they woke to what they thought was a sound machine—only to realize it was actually raining inside the house. A torrential storm had blown the tarp off the roof!
A few months later, their first call from the delivery room—before calling family—was to the general contractor: the first-floor guest room needed to be finished immediately so Tricia and their new baby would have somewhere to sleep the next day.
Fast forward to 2006, and three growing boys created the need for a mudroom. As renovations often do, that one need snowballed into much more: the existing family room was removed, the kitchen was relocated and expanded, a new larger family room and mudroom were added, and the basement was extended.
The result of these renovations is a Craftsman-style home that blends brick, stucco, and white trim while creating a seamless relationship between the original house and its additions.
Throughout the home, details were designed to tell the story of the family. One of Chuck’s favorite examples is a recurring motif of three squares, representing his three boys. The detail appears throughout the house—in the mudroom tile floor, fireplace surround, boys’ bathroom, shelving, front shutters, and even a wooden chair.
More than anything, this project is a reminder that the best homes aren’t simply designed for a family—they’re designed to grow with one.
