The owner of this condominium in downtown Chicago envisioned an open and serene living environment with expansive views of Lake Michigan and nearby Chicago landmarks. The biggest challenge in fulfilling that vision was to remove existing walls that enclosed structural and mechanical systems and established traditional room layouts, to transform a less roomy three-bedroom apartment into an airy two-bedroom unit.

The original partition walls were removed between the kitchen, dining room, living room, and library to establish an entirely new, open, internal organization. These new interior spaces were defined with a carefully chosen material palette of plaster-finished ceilings and walls and translucent glass. Stained maple wood floors visually distinguish the living areas from the circulation and utility areas, which are French limestone. The translucent glass walls defining the master bedroom create a luminous interior volume visible from the entrance hallway, and bring natural light into an otherwise dark interior. The custom steel and French limestone bath fixtures are both aesthetic focal points and utilitarian objects. The dining table, which is cantilevered from the wall, is designed to give the appearance of a stone slab floating above the sill. Similarly, a custom light fixture above the dining table appears to float below the ceiling beam.

All of the custom millwork and storage units were designed and detailed as parts of the walls—rather than free-standing cabinetry—to reinforce the idea that an entirely new architectural volume has been inserted within the shell of the existing apartment.