The house sits on a double lot on a picturesque street in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago. To maintain the character of the street, von Weise Associates chose early on to maintain the original house structure on the North side of the lot and add a perpendicular addition to the South. This planning move activates the house in many interesting ways, dividing the South yard into public and private areas, separating the character of the spaces between traditional and modern, and allowing many diagonal views inside to outside throughout the residence.

A four-season exterior space and a summer terrace connect to each other through the kitchen and family room, adding to the many interlocking spatial experiences of the residence.

A glass enclosed floating stairway connects all levels of the house and the house to the garage, physically providing a vertical and horizontal link while also creating a connection between inside and outside as one travels through the residence.

The stairway is an element of the new addition, built on the back and perpendicular to the original house. Designed to be more open and transparent to better connect to the landscape, the arrangement of the addition separates the large side yard into two distinct outside spaces. Emotional wellness is emphasized through connection to nature. Planters and green roofs integrate into the circulation to ensure visual access to nature, natural light and provide cross-ventilation. The glass enclosed staircase is a prime example of this strategy.