Mike Neil, a Microsoft executive living in Seattle, contacted San Francisco architect Jim Zack in part to prove how easy cloud computing — Neil’s specialty — and the digital sphere make it for people to work together at a distance. Hundreds of miles away, Zack was enlisted to visit a 15-acre St. Helena hillside lot […]
Jeanne Gang, a MacArthur Foundation Genius grant recipient in 2011, has also been included in Make It Better’s Most Powerful Women In Chicago. Her firm Studio Gang won their audience choice Best Architects in Chicago award and has been widely celebrated for its innovative and sustainable architecture designs. Her most famous building is the AQUA […]
Within the last year, Bay Area cities have followed in the wake of others like Portland, Oregon, which led the charge for affordable housing solutions in crowded urban settings. The Accessory Dwelling Unit or ADU ordinances in Portland allowed homeowners to squeeze stand-alone cottages for renters into their backyards within strict guidelines. Lacking the large […]
Within the last year, Bay Area cities have followed in the wake of others like Portland, Oregon, which led the charge for affordable housing solutions in crowded urban settings. The Accessory Dwelling Unit or ADU ordinances in Portland allowed homeowners to squeeze stand-alone cottages for renters into their backyards within strict guidelines. Lacking the large […]
With more than 30 years experience in architecture, interiors, and landscape design, the Morgante-Wilson team delivers a comprehensive and consistent project from start to finish; creating personalized, memorable spaces. We asked Elissa Morgante, president of Morgante-Wilson Architects, to tell us more about the mission and passions that drive their dedicated team: Make It Better: Briefly describe your […]
Equal parts voyeurism and inspiration, home tours offer a peek into the (perfectly appointed) lives of others. There are options aplenty in Chicago this fall, from an architect’s iconic abode in Oak Park to a festival that takes you behind the scenes of more than 250 Chicago-area buildings. The Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio […]
A kitchen renovation can seem like a daunting task, but for local novelist Stacey Ballis it was truly a labor of love. “I walked in,” she says of the first time she visited her house, “and the building gave me a hug. It felt like home in such a warm and visceral way.” That was […]
You don’t have to be a professional chef to have a well-stocked, beautifully designed kitchen. You just have to call the right designer. Home Editor Tate Gunnerson has found three kitchens we love in Evanston, Glencoe and Wilmette. Greener Pastures Eco-friendly finishes cut a classic profile in the home kitchen of Wildfire’s chef partner, Joe […]
New finishes and a fabulous addition completely transformed this ’50s-era split-level home in Glencoe. “I walked in and felt like I could breathe,” says Nancy Newberger of her ‘50s-era home in Glencoe. Newberger bought the split-level two years after she and her husband divorced. While the house was dated and smaller than she envisioned, Newberger loved its midcentury architecture and light-filled rooms, and she […]
When Glencoe’s Writers Theatre wanted to make a statement with their brand-new theater, they turned to hot commodity Jeanne Gang of Studio Gang Architects in Chicago.
