See The Transformation Of This 19th-Century Chicago Town House

"I knew it was my house from the start,” recalls the owner of this Queen Anne-style townhome facing Lincoln Park, just a stone’s throw from Green City Market. She and her husband, both Chicagoans returning from New York City, immediately saw its potential as an idyllic family retreat. One five-way bidding war and a very complex renovation later, the late-19 th -century home, which was previously converted into a multiunit property, is once again a stately single-family residence. “We’d done flips before, but this was major,” she continues. “It’s even better than I could have imagined.”

Bringing the house back into harmony meant a renovation that stretched from the basement to the roof deck, so the couple brought on seasoned architect Mike Ryan, who understood navigating the approvals a historic property requires. “There were considerations with the façade, the old entry vestibule and carefully matching new windows to the original, but we really took it down to nothing inside,” Ryan explains. The architect also reworked the back of the house, connecting the garage and extending the family’s living space. “That addition brings a contemporary look, with tall windows and skylights that let in a ton of natural light,” he adds.

Working closely with builder David Pike, Ryan also redesigned the existing third-floor roof to support a deck and hot tub. “There were technical challenges and some pretty tense times—especially when it rained for two weeks with no roof,” Pike says. “But the family really wanted that open space up there. It’s a great place to watch fireworks with the kids!”

For the interiors, the couple turned to longtime friend and designer Dan Rockenbach. “This project was really about preserving the house while taking some chances on the inside without going too modern,” Rockenbach explains. “I didn’t want a home that made me think at the end of a long day,” the wife continues. “I wanted one that creates a sense of tranquility and comfort.” To foster an unfussy feel, Rockenbach put an emphasis on natural woods and local limestone to enhance the neutral palette and celebrate how sunlight moves through the rooms. “Light lets a material speak for itself and allows imperfections to shine,” he says. “It’s a very wabi-sabi approach.”

Rockenbach also emphasized form and shape to cultivate rooms that feel both expansive and intimate. The living room’s sofa and chairs are softly sculptural, and its arched niches echo the shape of the passageways. In the adjoining dining area, an oak table and low-slung barrel chairs ground the space, while the nearby kitchen’s ceiling beams “inspire a rustic charm and contemporary elegance,” the designer muses. To enhance this warm and authentic atmosphere, he sourced hammered-metal pendants and caned chairs to provide “textural contrast and traditional craftsmanship,” he explains.

Proceeding upstairs (or downstairs to functional spaces like the mudroom and wine cellar), there are subtle shifts in materials that give each level its own feel. The second floor, occupied by the couple’s bedroom and the wife’s office, is even more monochromatic but with a bit more ornament. “It took a lot of work to design the bedroom paneling’s size and scale because of the different angles of the walls,” she reflects, “but we just wanted it to feel a little more traditional.” She also took an interest in sourcing meaningful accents, including her office light fixture—a leather chandelier handcrafted in Africa—and paintings found with the help of her artist sister.

“Light lets a material speak for itself and allows imperfections to shine. It’s a very wabi-sabi approach.”

–DAN ROCKENBACH

Farther up the stair are the children’s bedrooms and playroom, the latter a space even grown-ups envy. “I spend a lot of time in there, so I didn’t want it to look so childlike,” the wife says, noting their clever eschewing of a kids’ table for a coffee table, albeit one with a playful energy. But it’s the scenic wallpaper that truly defines the room. “It reminds me of Peter Pan!” Rockenbach enthuses. “It’s such a cool space up there, like you could just wander and get lost.”

The finished home—soothing, sophisticated and comfortable—makes the complicated renovation worth all the effort. “A historical conversion can be beautiful, livable and incredibly functional,” the husband observes. “You don’t have to compromise.”