The RightStep

A HISTORIC CHICAGO HOME RECAPTURES ITS CLASSIC CHARM WHILE ALSO TAKING A BIG STRIDE INTO PRESENT TIMES

- JODY GARLOCK

Fate may have been at play for Lisa Cotton and her husband to end up in their 1800s Chicago home. Lisa had spent a day looking at homes as the couple contemplated a move from Michigan.

The historic house that sat on a large lot on a quiet street was the final one on the list. Uninspired by photos, Lisa was ready to call it a day until her real estate agent persuaded her to at least take a quick look. That was all Lisa needed. "We walked in, and immediately I knew," she says. "It just felt right." It wasn't what she saw that gave her that feeling, but rather what she could envision. The grand home had lost some of its luster with millwork that had been stripped and additions that didn't suit the era. Yet the home's classic bones were there, its old soul waiting to emerge. "My husband and I have a passion for old homes and the craftsmanship that goes into them," Lisa says. "I knew in the back of my mind it had potential." A second fateful move brought the Cottons together with the Chicago firms of En Masse Architecture and Design and Michael Abrams Interiors. In a collaboration that spanned more than two years, architects Mike Shively and Lucas Goldbach restored character and better integrated the additions.

The design team of Michael Abrams and Gina Valenti brought in what Abrams describes as "layers of luxury" through surfaces, textures, and furnishings.

The goal was a home that respected the past but had livable ease for the couple and their two kids. "We didn't want anything to be too precious," Lisa says. "We wanted it to feel comfortable and be functional."