A New Build Mixes Prairie Style With Contemporary Design

Photography by Emily Minton Redfield | Styling by Erika Engstrom

Frank Lloyd Wright fans might be forgiven for doing a double take when they see this new Wash Park home. The two-story, Western cedar–clad house, about a block from the park, pays exquisite homage to the Frederick C. Robie House on the University of Chicago campus, considered the culmination of the architect’s signature Prairie Style. “We are fond of contemporary houses,” says homeowner Adam Winter, “but we wanted this house to fit in to the neighborhood.” And this re-envisioning of Wright’s early-20th- century style blends seamlessly with the surrounding older homes.

“Prairie Style really stretches a house out,” says Bryan Bozeman, principal of Stone Cloud Design Build, which designed the home. “The horizontal levels make it feel wider, as do the rows of horizontal windows and the massive cantilevered, low-pitched roof system. We were the first to do this style in Denver, and clients have loved it.”

But the house is not all Prairie. “We like to take a style and make it our own,” Bozeman says. “And because this house sits on a double corner lot, we wanted to design at least two sides of the house to be really visible. That’s why we did a big glass feature on the corner.” The result is a massive, two-story window that makes a stunning statement both day and night.

Step inside and you enter a two-story-tall foyer, meant to “set the tone for the whole house,” says Susan Schwab, principal designer and co-owner of company kd, which advised on interior finishes throughout. Large enough to accommodate a grand piano (homeowner Melissa Winter plays), the entry features a steel-frame- support stairway with walnut treads and three turns. Around the corner is the home’s main entertainment space. “We wanted an open floor plan, with a kitchen, living area and dining room,” Melissa says. “We knew that when our family gets together (she and Adam have two daughters), people gather in the kitchen, so we wanted a warm, open space, including a large fireplace.”

“It’s just so livable everywhere,” Adam says. “And it’s so functional and intuitive,” Melissa adds, “with great flow all the way through. It’s open, yet there are spaces you can go if you need to have some quiet time to yourself. It’s got the best of both worlds.”

Entryway The huge floating stairway and orange Link Pendant Light by LZF are beautiful to look at from the street in the evening through the corner wall of windows. “When we go walking at night, we leave the light on so we can see this orange glow when we return,” Melissa says. “We love that.”

Living Room The Winters love all things Italian. The living room reflects that passion, with its sleek, custom walnut paneling and shelves, as well as the “wow factor” Dune Carved Stone tiles from Decorative Materials around the fireplace. “Susan pulled out an Italian design book and said, ‘How about something along these lines?’ and then sketched it all out,” Adam says.

Kitchen Fixed-transom windows let lots of southern light into the kitchen, which features custom white cabinets (topped by Caesarstone countertops on the perimeter and Bulthaup stainless steel on the island), Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances, an Orsay Petite Waterjet pattern backsplash from Decorative Materials, and a hood over the island that can be raised into the ceiling at the push of a button to accommodate Adam’s tall height.

“We have a home in Italy, and we have a modern sense in terms of decorating. We like things simple but nice.” — Homeowner Adam Winter

Dining Room Built-in floating shelves that bookend a large window give the family a place to showcase knickknacks from their travels. Throughout the home, Stone Cloud included select-grade walnut floors and a level-five gallery finish that provides super-smooth wall textures, Bozeman says. “All of these clean interior lines, without crown moldings, have to be perfect when you are finished.”

Master Bedroom Though the family does much of its living on the main level, the upstairs has three bedrooms, including this master, with its giant-peony wallpaper over the bed. The upstairs also includes what the couple call “the dog house,” a rooftop deck with a sink and refrigerator and a hot tub, perfect for cooler evenings.

Master Bathroom Studio Collection penny-round Calacatta-gold marble polished tile offsets a free-standing tub and accents the shower wall. Large-format, matte- white tiles line the rest of the shower walls, while Cloud deep-vein-cut mosaic tiles cover the shower floor. The bathroom floor features Cloud deep-vein-cut stone in a brushed finish.

Rear Patio The living room opens through a NanaWall onto an intimate outdoor-living space, which showcases plantings that include pear trees and buckthorns. “It really expands the space and brings the outdoors in—and the indoors out,” Adam says. To the right is a huge detached garage, where Adam, an avid climber, can store his gear.

Photography by Emily Minton Redfield | Styling by Erika Engstrom

Front Exterior The choice of brick accentuates the exterior’s horizontal lines. “The brick blend is almost identical to the one Frank Lloyd Wright used on the Frederick C. Robie House in Chicago,” says Bryan Bozeman of Stone Cloud Design Build, which oversaw the design-build process. “It is a mix of Cherokee and Crimson, in an unusually skinny and long size. We used Texas limestone as the base stone and capstone.” For the home’s approach, Stone Cloud chose a sand-finished concrete in staggered stones, surrounded by Mexican pebbles. 

DESIGN DETAILS
ARCHITECT Bryan Bozeman; Dan Hackett Stone Cloud Design Build INTERIOR DESIGNER Susan Schwab company kd BUILDER Bryan Bozeman Stone Cloud Design Build LANDSCAPE DESIGNER Ben Browne Browne & Associates Custom Landscapes