Shaker Glen Brook Residence

We designed this new home to exist quietly within its suburban neighborhood context, predominantly made up of mid-century ranches. An expansive garden space on the south-facing front buffers the home from the street and takes advantage of increased light on the façade.

In a nod to mid-century modern architecture, we opted to pursue a very simple design consisting of two volumes. These two geometries overlap, creating a cantilever over the entrance and ensuring protection from the elements as one moves from outside to in.

The screen-like façade echoes our previous projects, Lantern Studio and Bridging the Past, but fully embraces this concept. The slatted façade and recessed glass seamlessly extend past the upper level stairwell, gracefully filtering light into an intimate seating area.

The home was designed around Vastu principles which outline a structure’s ideal location and layout in regard to cardinal direction. The entrance to the home is on the eastern side, as is the Puja, or prayer, room. We included many windows on the north and east sides while opting for less glass on the west and emphasizing solar control on the south.

Expansive exposed ledge on the western side and a desire to stay in alignment with the neighbors limited our possible scope for the project, resulting in an intimately scaled project that is not too fussy.