Bernard Interiors

We've been working on the interiors of a beautiful home on Bernard. We've worked with the owners to select new furniture, lighting and paint colors as well as reusing and relocating existing furniture to function better in the spaces. We've removed and fabricated new window trim and cleaned up the walls to provide for the homeowner's vibrant artwork.  A major move was to install the new hanging light fixture in the entry hall. The spheres work very well to compliment the intricate detail of the stair's wooden balusters. The couple continues to make changes to update the home and we hope to have more photos soon.

Before View of Den

After View of Den

Bambi Lane Addition

We're pretty far along on the addition in Haverford, Pa. Windows are in. Electrical is coming along and we've broken through the exterior walls showing us what the new spaces are going to look like. 

View of New Breakfast Room from Kitchen

Exterior View. Standing seam roof is covered with snow. Our screened porch is to the right.

Mudroom Entrance view. The large overhangs will help shade from the early afternoon summer sun.

Piggy-Back House

The second floor of the Piggy-back house is completed.  Some of these photos were taken right before we added towel bars, shower rods, and some other accessories.

Second Bath and Master Bedroom entry/office

Master Bathroom

Mudroom Addition - Completed

The Mudroom Addition project on the North side of Chicago is completed. It adds an fantastic light to the space and provides a great spot to keep the clutter of the everyday out of the kitchen. Click on the images to enlarge for better quality.

SPS Marble Bath

It's amazing what a makeover can do. Some simple changes to this master bathroom resulted in major impact. New radiant heated floors are underneath the new marble tile. We removed the wall between the vanity and the toilet and designed a new custom vanity. The sconces are by Vibia. We reused the sliding glass doors and the bathtub and kept the layout the same. In addition, the shower was bumped out just a bit to give a proper ending to the tub corner.

Piggy-Back Plans

We are just about completed with the Piggy-Back house second floor rehab. Here is a plan showing the before and after layout. As you can see, we reduced the size of the secondary bathroom to fit a 4th bedroom into the plan. We also made better use of a hallway connecting the master bathroom to the master bedroom by building custom desks and file and book storage. In the master bedroom, we raised the ceiling to match the small cathedral portion they already had so that the entire master bedroom has a peaked ceiling. In addition, we better utilized the shape of the room and created 2 large master closets behind the bed wall. 

The big trick in all of this was figuring out how to tackle the house plan changes while keeping the original West exterior wall intact.  This wall, which now separates the two bathrooms, is crucial to the structure as it carries much of the roof weight down to the foundation. 

Piggy Back House

We're almost there. Master Bedroom is finished with furniture still to arrive.

The secondary bathroom is almost there as well. Better photos coming soon. 
The new raised ceiling in the master bedroom makes a huge difference in the perception of the space. At the entrance to the master bedroom we've created a small office area with built-in file storage, bookshelves, and a desk. 

Mudroom Addition

The Mudroom Addition project is well underway. The framing is mostly up and you can now see how the porch will be transformed into an enclosed and glassy addition.

We kept the addition up on piers instead of using a full foundation to keep costs down and leave the space underneath the addition for outside storage. 

Lake Shore Remodel in Progress

The furniture is mostly in for our remodel on Lake Shore Drive near Division. We are still waiting on some lamps and other items, but it's all filling in nicely. Black chairs are the owner's original chairs that have been recovered. The leather chairs and sofas are all new as is the coffee table and rug underneath. The bookcase is a custom piece we designed and had fabricated by Joliet Cabinet. 

 

Piggy-Back House Progress

The latest shot of the expanded master bedroom area. The new windows are in on the north wall. The master closet is tucked in behind the bed wall. To the left are the nooks. The larger openings below will be filled with custom built-in dressers. 
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Evanston Lair

We were asked by our client to do something with his small home office. More storage, a cooler space and maybe a place he would like to hang out. We came up with the "Lair" concept. Not the typical "Man-Cave" but instead, a place to easily move from working to relaxing.

Lakeview Bedroom Remodel

We are finally posting pictures of the bedroom remodel we completed about a year ago. The project consisted of shifting walls and adding and moving doors in order to turn a three bedroom condo into a four bedroom condo with the arrival of our son, Oliver.  In order to save space we lost the walk-in closet and instead built a custom wall of closets. The bump out you see is the closet for the new bedroom beyond. 

EXTERIOR BEFORE

Lakeview Coffee Shop

A prominent and fast growing coffee company based in Chicago was looking into expanding their store. MPink was asked to solve the issue of creating a temporary space with the feel of an art installation. The resultant design included prefabricated wood boxes that could be used as seating, lighting, and display. These boxes could be repositioned at any time. Striking images related to the coffee's origin would be printed on translucent panels. These panels would act as artwork while at the same time providing information about the process that occurs before you put that first sip of coffee to your lips each morning, a focus that is important to this local store. 

LAKESHORE DRIVE INTERIOR

This Lakeshore Drive apartment need a quick interior remodel and update for a new owner. We designed a bookshelf piece to anchor the corner of the room. Furniture selection included a new dining table and chairs, sofas, nightstands, lamps, and club chairs. A new coat of paint makes a world of difference and expands the space. Other updates included new kitchen cabinet handles, a new toilet, electrical updates, and some major patching and refinishing of the parquet floors to match the existing floors.

Lake Bluff Makeover

We wanted to share this project we finished in Lake Bluff a while ago but it has yet to make it onto our blog. The addition of the new front pergola was a great way to celebrate the entrance to the house. New windows in the dining room open up the home to a beautifully landscaped front yard.  Flagstone was used for an enlarged front walkway and a new deck made from ipe wood replaced the original crumbling concrete pad.

Piggy-Back House Remodel

We're well underway what we're now calling the "Piggy Back" House.  This late 19th century balloon frame house has been changed, gutted and renovated over time. The original footprint remains with a newer addition "piggybacked" over the top of the roof and walls. We even uncovered the original siding and windows inside an interior wall. It truly is a layered home which makes this renovation very special. The new owners have asked us to reconfigure the second floor and add a bedroom. The master suite will now be more efficient and elegant.  We've also completely re-structured the ceiling in the master suite area to both stabilize it and provide a dramatic space. 

Ravenswood Green Garage Update

The Green Garage is complete. These photos are taken just before the final staining of the deck and wood has occurred. We'll update with new pics as soon as we take some of the final stain and wood sealing. We encountered some issues with using "green" wood sealants but the new product seams to be working better. We are still fine tuning some drainage issues with our floating planters but should have that worked out soon. 

Great shot of our clients in front of the garage. Green Cross installed a burnt wood fence. The shadows from a tree across the way really provided an unexpected but beautiful effect on the west side.  

The work on the garden itself continues. We can't wait to see it all in full bloom, but it's already looking great!

The green roof has filled in very nicely. You can see how the floating planters on the left and right will tie in to the green roof.
The benefits of a green roof inculde: energy conservation, reduction of storm water runoff, absorbing carbon dioxide, filtering air, and protecting the roofing membrane from environmental effects such as ultraviolet radiation. In our case, we've done all of this as well as providing the owners with an extra bit of real estate to use as a backyard in the air.