Sarah Susanka, architect and best-selling author of the”Not So Big House” books, has just finished her latest example of building a right-sized house.
The house, in the School Street neighborhood of Libertyville, Ill., is 2,450 square feet on 2 floors and sits on a small and narrow lot, 29 feet wide by 100 feet long. The house’s interior spaces are lined up at a row; each has a west-facing window which lets in plenty of sunlight on chilly winter days.
This house is part of the School Street Project, a development which will incorporate both single-family homes and the old School Street school building converted into condominiums. The development is an example of New Urbanism attracted into an small city. It’s within walking distance of schools, houses of worship, town’s Main Street and the commuter rail station for people working in Chicago.
Sarah Susanka
The house’s Arts and Crafts aesthetic helps it fit into its surroundings. Along with front porch provides back to the neighborhood, allowing the house to take part in the public sphere.
Sarah Susanka
The front porch, large enough for a table and chairs, aligns with the other porches in the neighborhood. Spaces such as this encourage friendly neighbors and safe areas.
Sarah Susanka
The front door is actually at the side. This enables a more open layout. The entry axis and flow axis along the back of the house provide the interior with a clear organizing principle.
Sarah Susanka
The living room, to the left after you enter the house, is created particular and spacious with a raised ceiling which incorporates indirect illumination. The display wall keeps the room open into the stairs while supplying enough of a barrier to be sure the distance has its own ethics. From the opinion down the hallway, a piece of art is displayed in a lighted niche.
Sarah Susanka
To the right of the entry, toward the street side of the house, are the dining and kitchen areas. These rooms are open to each other yet maintain their own spatial integrity through the use of walls, ceilings and trim.
Sarah Susanka, FAIA
A dining area is visible from and open into the living room.
Sarah Susanka, FAIA
The light in the large west-facing window of the studying area illuminates the heart of the house, bringing natural light into the living room. The custom muntin pattern makes the window even more special.
Sarah Susanka, FAIA
The kitchen is visible in the entry area and circulation spine. A special feature of the layout is the kitchen’s location at the front of the house, perfect for preparing a snack while watching for the kids to make their way home from college. Also, the front of the house receives the most sunlight so having the kitchen gives this heavily used space a great deal of natural light.
Sarah Susanka, FAIA
The organized flow of the house is evident in this opinion.
Sarah Susanka, FAIA
A backsplash is among those places you might want to splurge on when building a new house or remodeling a kitchen. It’s one of these items you see every day — several times each day — so it should be purposeful and interesting.
Sarah Susanka, FAIA
This is the opinion entering the house from the garage. This mudroom offers plenty of storage for coats, boots and backpacks, and there is a desk for organizing the household’s activities and data. Toward the front of the house, we could see the stairs, living room and kitchen.
Sarah Susanka, FAIA
The stair hall is three stories tall and has plenty of natural light deep into the heart of the house. When open, the windows at the top provide natural ventilation to the house, particularly helpful on warm summer days.
Sarah Susanka, FAIA
Built-in display markets and spaces make journeying up and down the stairs beautiful.
Sarah Susanka, FAIA
At the peak of the stairs is a laundry/crafts room. This room offers plenty of storage space and counters for folding. A sink provides a handy cleanup spot for crafts and house jobs.
Sarah Susanka, FAIA
The master bedroom at the front of the house, incorporates a window seat and taller ceiling for light and spaciousness. The easy, painted trim gives the room a tailored feel.
Sarah Susanka, FAIA
Unlike a lot of houses which have the bedroom closets built at the interior walls, the cabinets in this child’s bedroom flank the window thus a built-in window seat can be incorporated into the room.
Sarah Susanka, FAIA
The identical attention to detail is found in the baths.
Sarah Susanka, FAIA
An outdoor living space obtained from the second floor is over the garage and rear end of their first floor. This place provides a quiet and safe place for kids to play and for outdoor parties.
Sarah Susanka, FAIA
The programs show how the house’s linear strategy of a single room deep distances is set to gather as much light as possible. This approach allows a few passive heating of the house during those cold Illinois winters reduces the house’s carbon footprint and conserves energy bills.
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