Residential · Contemporary
The Prairie Residence
Lake Bluff, Illinois. An office and library added to a house of 1988, glazed on three sides so that most of what encloses the room is the fifteen acres around it.
and roof deck
The original residence was constructed in 1988 on a 15-acre prairie framed by mature stands of oak trees. The addition was designed to provide the owner with a new office and library adjacent to the family room and kitchen. The primary objective was to create a highly transparent space that would establish a strong visual connection to the surrounding landscape.
Upon entering from the kitchen, the view is directed toward a terra-cotta-coloured feature wall, where a sculpture provides a carefully composed focal point. Within the office, floor-to-ceiling glazing on three sides creates an immersive connection to the prairie. A second-floor viewing deck extends the living space outdoors and offers expansive views across the surrounding landscape.
Books on one wall,
glass on the others
One wall carries the bookcases and the sculpture; the others are glass, with the deck running outside them. The smaller drawing above is the deck on the roof. Click to enlarge.
A glass room
in tall grass
Three sides
of prairie
