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Urban Renewal
Interior Design 07.08

IDlynchhousewindowPIC.jpgThe new home of Chicago architect Brad Lynch, of the firm Brininstool + Lynch, was recently featured in Interior Design. In the article "Urban Renewal", Nancy Ganiard Smith, writes "Tidy wood-framed bungalows and brick three-flats line a sleepy residential street on Chicago's North Side. Stirring things up, the new kid on the block is a house boasting a startlingly open, geometric facade constructed from traditional materials, combined in a decidedly untraditional way...

 
 

...Imagine a Piet Mondrian painting brought to life, with glass, brick, aluminum, and zinc replacing swaths of white, red, yellow, and blue."

IDlynchoutsidePIC.jpg

She continues, "On each level, oak cabinetry separates the main space from a floating staircase of heroic length. The oak volumes take on a sculptural presence while housing bookcases and, on the lowest level, a powder room."

IDlynchkitchen.jpg

IDlynchhousedoorwayPIC.jpg

We love the amount of natural light the house receives and the beautiful lines throughout. Lynch also designed some of the furniture, as well.

IDlynchhousechairs.JPG

Read the full story, by Nancy Ganiard Smith, at Interior Design: Urban Renewal.

(Photos by Christopher Barrett)

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Comments (20)

Gorgeous, but the lack of privacy would freak me out.

posted by Lisa Hunter (Montreal) on August 14th 2008 at 10:47am
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All I keep thinking is how uncomfortable/stiff that first room looks. It's beautiful, but it looks like you would need to sit up straight... every where you sit.

posted by TCMB on August 14th 2008 at 10:48am
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Yeah privacy would be an issue. There's something very comforting about being able to sit around in boxers reading a book without getting arrested for indecent exposure.

posted by modernguy on August 14th 2008 at 10:52am
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It sort of feels like a foundation headquarters, or a small museum, rather than a home.

posted by Lisa Hunter (Montreal) on August 14th 2008 at 11:21am
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Some nice lines, a bit too rectilinear.. This house could use a "smart glass" or "switchable glass" application for the privacy issue while keeping the architectural integrity.

posted by LoriSF on August 14th 2008 at 11:39am
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Great house--inside needs to be a bit more comfy.

posted by poptart on August 14th 2008 at 12:23pm
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This is perfect design and represents a perfect synthesis of minimalism and modernity. What is compelling is that this interior is also quite comfortable and warm. Its fabulous. However, I can imagine that an untrained eye would not 'get it' as they'd likely find it 'cold' or uncomfortable. How droll.

posted by ManhattanMark on August 14th 2008 at 12:29pm
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beautiful but, as others have said, you do need something to block the view from outside, especially at night. :)

posted by brokoli on August 14th 2008 at 12:39pm
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wow, stunning. The facade reminds me of a university library, but it's still great design. It definately takes guts to build that in what looks like a traditional neighborhood.

posted by RandyModern on August 14th 2008 at 1:17pm
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Absolutely love it!!

posted by williamsweyr on August 14th 2008 at 2:56pm
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i agree with loriSF - that smart glass stuff is super awesome. First saw it used in a bathroom in brussels - a unisex bathroom w/ smart glass on the stalls! those crazy belgians... but anyways, that switchable glass would be really neat in a house! i still have no idea how it works - its magic!

posted by sizetoosmall on August 14th 2008 at 3:31pm
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I love this. The exteriors too! I've always believed that it's hard to do modern (or post-modern) exteriors well with brick. This works extremely well. I am really swooning over the lighting fixture in the kitchen. It reminds me of that long ring that Zaha Hadid wears. Love it!

posted by charlenemcbride on August 14th 2008 at 5:16pm
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i love (and want) that bertoia bench.

this place is great. modern and clean without feeling too austere.

posted by eightdouble on August 14th 2008 at 5:57pm
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I like how the windows reveal the sunken bottom floor, disrupting the continuity of revelation as expected from such large windows. And the two windows at either ends of the living room makes the window look like a rennaisance painting: a square box that looks small and limited except for the perspective tricks played by the window at the background. I don't understand these windows however as "contemporary version[s] of the front porch." You see the outside, yes, but you aren't outside. I guess contemporary reality would rather accept a virtual representation of that reality instead of the thing itself. All in all, great idea, but stiff and uncomfortable. (To ManhattanMark: when did comfort ever became a value judgement reserved for the "trained eye"? And given that the builders picked red bricks to reflect the neighborhood, large windows to recreate--porly--the idea of a porch, and mixes designs from Knoll, Bertoia, and Lissoni, this house is more postmodern than "modern," as you so loftily proclaim. Get off your high horses.)

posted by somedudeinvicenza on August 14th 2008 at 11:32pm
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We love the house, but that Arclinea kitchen is just OUTSTANDING. Really gives life to the place.

posted by MasterBuilder on August 15th 2008 at 5:08am
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True, true, true…it’s an absolutely gorgeous house. Good execution and good finish from what I can see. BUT, what’s not being shown here is how it looks in relation to everything else on the block. I suppose it’s a case of whether or not you want your house to “pop” but I would think it would disrupt the rhythm of the neighborhood you live in. I think a lot of people (designers included) think of only their space as if they were on a deserted island. I find it quite jarring at times.

posted by G&D on August 15th 2008 at 10:18am
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True, true, true...it's an absolutely gorgeous house. Good execution and good finish from what I can see. BUT, what's not being shown here is how it looks in relation to everything else on the block. I suppose it's a case of whether or not you want your house to "pop" but I would think it would disrupt the rhythm of the neighborhood you live in. I think a lot of people (designers included) think of only their space as if they were on a deserted island. I find it quite jarring at times.

posted by G&D on August 15th 2008 at 10:25am
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Stunning....

posted by Devyn on August 15th 2008 at 5:22pm
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what's the high horse word for post-postmodern?

couldn't resist

posted by charlenemcbride on August 16th 2008 at 5:16am
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still love this

posted by charlenemcbride on November 8th 2008 at 5:52am
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