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Park & Oak brings new life to a storied Wilmette manor./h2> Architect George Maher designed dozens of fine homes throughout his career in the early 20th century, fielding all kinds of special requests from clients who wanted things “just so.” One of his most unusual commissions was the twin houses he and his son Philip

The historic Exmoor Country Club gets a fresh, tradition-worthy makeover. It’s easy to be radical, to toss away the playbook, to rip things up and start over. It’s something else to make your mark while exercising restraint, to read the room, so to speak, and respond with unalloyed originality. When designers James Dolenc and Tom

A design team transforms a Winnetka midcentury ranch house into a warm, contemporary retreat. Some homes always stay with you. For one former realtor, it was a 1957 ranch in Winnetka she had sold to her best friend’s parents 25 years ago. Returning to the house several years later to help her friend pack it

Designer Claire Staszak transforms this 1990s North Shore home with 21st-century panache. There’s nothing a designer loves more than a client who is both design savvy and trusting. Fortunately for Claire Staszak of Centered by Design, a North Shore couple who turned to her to transform their 90s-esque contemporary home into a transitional abode were

Escaping the City’s Hubbub in a Highland Park Haven. Distance is measured in more than miles. A break in routine, an afternoon lost in a book, recreating that dish you tasted on your first trip to Paris—all can be a welcome escape. And getting away from it all doesn’t have to begin with a trip

Margaret Stender left the city and Victorian style behind when she commissioned Evanston’s first certified Passive House, a marvel of efficiency and modern design. For many of us, there comes a time when we look around our houses and think, “How can I live better?” For some, this means going hard on the decluttering. For