A Worker’s Cottage
+ Smart Updates
Chicago, IL (Ukrainian Village)
3500 sq ft
Full gut renovation with Studio Code
On a narrow lot and an even tighter budget, a Chicago workers cottage found a new life that reflects both the simplicity of its origins and its owners’ crisp, contemporary style.
The constraints of Chicago’s city lots — typically 25 feet wide — don’t offer architects an expansive footprint to play with. But within the limits of a historic worker’s cottage in the city’s Wicker Park neighborhood, En Masse found room to create an imminently livable floor plan and a style that nods to both the home’s humble roots and a modern sensibility. The kitchen was opened to the backyard with full height glass, while the family room becomes a central hinge point in the main living spaces.
“Houses naturally change over time, and this project allows us to tell that story of evolution.”
- Lucas Goldbach
Keeping the budget in mind, stock cabinetry was cleverly customized to allow a refined look, creating clean lines along a long expanse of cabinetry that extends into the family room. Simple details such as slab front cabinets and judicious use of natural wood speak to the home’s origins, while statement lighting adds personality to the mix. Dark painted woodwork throughout brings graphic effect to a traditional element, and a restrained use of detail on upper floors subtly follows historic precedent, in which family spaces were designed to be more simple than spaces that might entertain guests.
