Rustic Chic New Construction

Unexpected Touches from Northbrook Architects Make for a Unique Home & First-Ever Barn

It’s not every day Northbrook architects of Scott Simpson Design + Build get to design and build a house like this. With responsibility for both architecture and construction, we were able to infuse every detail with the energy and personality of the homeowners – and there were a lot of both!

From the ground up, a focus on daylighting, new takes on old traditions, and separate but adjacent spaces created a home that flows in a way that is exceptionally innovative and wonderfully connected.

  • The beautiful mix of grey, chocolate and buff stone on the exterior, quarried from a remote rock face in the Carolinas, creates a non-centered focal point on a remarkable bridge that connects the main house to the guest wing barn
  • There is no formal staircase, but instead, a stair in the mudroom (with a distinctive window into the dining room) that establishes privacy between the family suite and guest suite
  • Numerous windows, including a 12-foot skylight shaft in the second-floor hall, bring in dramatic views and light
  • This kitchen is not white! The cabinets are knotty alder with a grey stain that adds extra warmth in the family’s central gathering space
  • Where you might expect a range hood we put windows – to allow for a view of the outside
  • An office and homework room are adjacent to – instead of in – the kitchen
  • A sneaky pop-through laundry chute connects the Primary Closet and Laundry room
  • A hanging closet was added to the butler’s pantry for storing table linens
  • Connected to an outdoor kitchen is an expansive open-air porch with fireplace and TV
  • A barrel-vaulted ceiling, dormer, and chandelier unexpectedly grace the primary bath
  • Timber beams were salvaged from an actual barn – Fiegle’s Wind Mill Barn in Markesan, Wisconsin built in the late 1800s – for a special ceiling in the primary bedroom

Everywhere you look at this Northbrook new construction is a nod to rustic chic design, a commitment to reuse of materials. It is an amazing representation of what happens when Northbrook architects and custom homebuilders of Scott Simpson Design + Build are given the opportunity to go genuinely custom.

Photography: © 2016 Bruce Van Inwegen

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From the Homeowner

"We had a strict budget and you kept us to it while maximizing our priorities. Having Amy Mangold as the architect on the team was integral to making our house come together so perfectly. Thanks for all the personal attention and open process. We should do this again sometime."

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