Below we’ve complied a list of the top 15 Chicago Architects based on data collected earlier in 2017.

The Best Architects for You

Not all of these firms would be suitable for your next design project. Typically their availability will vary and they can be quite selective regarding the projects they take on.

To ensure you find a suitable architect for your next home project it’s always best to start with our architect matching service to obtain your own personalized shortlist of firms.

Architectural History in Chicago, IL

Chicago has a rich architectural history that has influenced and been influenced by, the history of the country’s architecture. Throughout the Windy City’s history, some of the world’s most famous architects have made their mark here and pushed the practice of architecture and design forward. As the country’s third most populous city continues to grow, it’s architectural tradition grows with it.

The city offers diverse opportunities for housing, from homes set along the magnificent Lake Michigan coast to luxury condominiums. Although there are plenty of opportunities for new home construction in many of Chicago’s suburban areas, there are also abundant historical homes that provide the opportunity for renovation and restoration. In a city known as a global architecture capital, much is expected from its current architects.

Including in this list of the 15 best residential architects in Chicago you will find firms who have designed award-winning homes across the world, two of the original Chicago 7 Architects, a famous group of first generation postmodern architects, and architects who excel at turning beautiful unused buildings, such as churches, into sophisticated, modern homes.

15) Burns + Beyerl

Featured Principal: Gary Beyerl

Burns + Beyerl is an award winning high-end residential architecture firm based in Chicago. They have built a range of homes, including classic Georgian style townhouses, large lakefront cottages, and modern sustainable city homes. Their work has been featured in regional and national magazines including LUXE and won numerous AIA awards.

Photos Courtesy of Burns + Beyerl

Gary Beyerl and partner emeritus Steven Burns co-founded Burns + Beyerl Architects in 1993. Their mission is to “enhance our culture through the art and practice of architecture.” In addition to their high-end single-family residences, Burns + Beyerl also designs beautiful restaurants. The firm is committed to sustainable building practices and has built multiple LEED homes in the Chicago area, including an impressive LEED Platinum house. The firm has also designed multiple AIA award winning homes. Beyerl received his Bachelor of Architecture from Syracuse University. There, he served as president of the architectural student government and was recognized with the Alpha Rho Chi Medal for leadership and service. In addition to his architectural knowledge, Beyerl has designed and renovated several homes himself, allowing him hands-on construction experience and the ability to experiment with different techniques and mixtures of design elements.

Photos Courtesy of Burns + Beyerl

Featured Projects

Burns + Beyerl completed a beautiful LEED Gold Home in 2011. This home was carefully designed to match the timeless traditional character of the surrounding Ravenswood neighborhood, but with sustainable features throughout. This was all achieved without sacrificing any elegance in the design. Spaces in the home are centered on a beautiful wooden staircase that blends contemporary and traditional elements with its geometric pattern and which is lit by a second story sky lit gallery. This home won a “Gold Key Award” for Best Architectural Design: Custom Home 5,601 – 6,500 square feet. Burns + Beyerl also designed a new classic Georgian home in Chicago, inspired by row houses on the streets of London. The elegant exterior of the home is made of brick coursed with an English bond pattern meticulously spaced between floor to ceiling double hung windows. The standout feature of this home is an elliptical stairwell joining all three levels together in grand fashion. This home was the 2016 AIA Small Project Award winner.

14) von Weise Associates

Featured Principal: Chip von Weise

The award-winning firm von Weise Associates creates uniquely simple and universal designs on residential projects in Chicago’s most prestigious neighborhoods. In addition to their sophisticated new builds, the practice has been trusted to breath new life into many historic homes and apartments. Their designs respect the city’s rich architectural history while creating modern spaces that suit the needs of their clients. Their work as been featured in many local and national publications, including Modern Luxury CS, Architectural Digest, Veranda, Green Building & Design, and Chicago Home + Gardens.

Photos Courtesy of von Weise

Von Weise Associates was founded in 1999 by Chip von Weise. Their diverse portfolio includes commercial, hospitality, institutional, and office buildings. But their true genius shines the strongest in their residential projects. When approached with a new challenge, the practice explores multiple options in a studio environment, and involve all parties directly involved in the creative process. The result is spaces that are uniquely tailored to clients’ needs and style, with the firm’s creative expertise. The firm’s style is forward-looking, flexible, and modern, with a contemporary twist. von Weise himself has completed more than 70 single-family residential projects in 8 states. He earned his Bachelor of Arts at Amherst College and his Master in Architecture with Distinction from Harvard University, Graduate School of Design. Prior to starting his own practice, he was a founding principal at VPR Architects and before that a project manager at Booth/Hansen and Associates. He is a member of the AIA Chicago chapter, the Architecture and Design Society at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Francis Parker School Construction Committee, and the Racquet Club of Chicago Facilities Committee.

Photos Courtesy of von Weise

Featured Projects

von Weise Associates recreated the vintage feel of a 7,800 square foot 1920’s Gold Coast Penthouse for a European venture capitalist and his American wife. Through a series of awkward renovations over the years, the original character of this grand apartment had largely been lost. Undertaking a complete renovation, von Weise Associates returned this apartment to a state of glory. The project included the transformation of maids’ rooms into a large kitchen and family room on the ground floor. The elegant second floor features a vaulted marble bathroom and an oval domed entry rotunda with an inlaid wood floor. This project was featured in House & Garden. In a historic apartment on Lake Shore Drive, the firm renovated and restored a unit originally designed by Benjamin Marshall in the 1930’s. Their client’s had slowly purchased all units on their floor over time, giving von Weise Associates the task of combining the units back together, while adhering as closely to the original design as possible. Period details were restored, and modern amenities and accents were working in to bring the home into the 21st century. The outcome is a sophisticated, modern home with an air of historical character for a family of five.

13) Dirk Denison Architects

Featured Principal: Dirk Denison

Founded in 1990 by Dirk Denison, Dirk Denison Architects has made a name for itself in the architectural field with their superior residential designs. The practice has been recognized both nationally and internationally through publications and awards, including from the Chicago Architectural Club, the National Association of Home Builders, and the AIA.

Photos Courtesy of Dirk Denison

Although Dirk Denison Architects is best known for their residential work, the practice has a broad range of experience including in multi-family, institutional, and commercial projects. They also offer interior furnishing and furniture design. The firm is guided by the belief that architecture can construct experience. Their work creates a poetic narrative between the site, building, and purpose. Most of their projects are decidedly modern, defined by clean lines. Denison was recognized as an AIA Fellow in 2005. He has held multiple positions as a full-time faculty member at the Illinois Institute of Technology, including as the Director of Graduate Programs, Director of Undergraduate Programs, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Supervising Campus Architect, and Design Studio Professor. In these capacities, he led a series of joint design studios between the College of Architecture at IIT and Harvard’s Design School.  He was trained at The University of Michigan, the Illinois Institute of Technology, and Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. He serves in various roles supporting the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and several other Chicago arts organizations.

Photos Courtesy of Dirk Denison

Featured Projects

The practice extensively renovated a Streeterville co-op overlooking Lake Michigan. The apartment was originally designed by Benjamin Marshall in 1925, but previous owners had stripped away much of its character. The firm was tasked with restoring a common vision to the apartment, arranging a home office along the wall with the best views of the Lake, and making space for the client’s extensive art and furniture collection. Denison’s design for the revitalized space was deceptively simple. He made the space feel open and airy. The home’s neoclassical roots were brought forward in the details, with modern, contemporary aspects infused throughout. A standout design piece is in the living room, where Denison suspended a sleek, floating glass and onyx fireplace screen on a stainless steel frame over half the wall. This project was featured in Elle Decor. For an empty-nesting couple, Dirk Denison Architects renovated a 1920’s 4,000-square-foot Streeterville apartment that had not been significantly changed since it was built. The couple’s needs for the space are perfectly reflected in its final minimalistic design. There is space to entertain their many grandchildren, two home offices, and a workshop. True to the client’s desires, the home’s design is clean and streamlined, with many built-ins, and sliding wood panels that can open up rooms to each other, or close them off for privacy. The practice’s Todd Webb also designed custom furniture for the apartment that echoed the larger design scheme.

12) Kipnis Architecture + Planning

Featured Principal: Nathan Kipnis

The award-winning practice of Kipnis Architecture + Planning (KAP) was founded in 1993 by Nathan Kipnis and quickly earned a reputation for excellence in design and sustainability. The practice specializes in environmentally responsive residential and commercial projects and sustainable community planning. Their work blends superior architectural design with a social conscience.

Photos Courtesy of Kipnis

In addition to designing new builds, KAP is an expert in renovating, rehabilitating, and creating seamless additions to historic homes. They delicately combine traditional aesthetics with cutting edge technology to maximize energy efficiency. The firm believes that style develops organically from the site, sustainability goals, and client needs, and they are equally adept at contemporary and historical based designs. KAP believes that green design opens up possibilities for innovation, construction methods, and the use of materials, as opposed to limiting them. The practice was an early signatory to the AIA’s 2030 Commitment, dedicating themselves to significantly reducing each building’s CO2 emissions. KAP is also committed to affordable housing and is proud to be the only firm in Chicago involved with the New Homes for Chicago program, Scattered Site Housing, Green Homes for Chicago program, the Green Bungalow Initiative and the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP2).

Kipnis’s lifelong interest in sustainability and energy efficiency through design was sparked during the 1973 energy crisis. He designed his first solar home in Boulder, CO when he was just 22 years old. Kipnis is a frequent lecturer and serves on the board of directors and renewable energy task force for Citizens Greener Evanston, and on both the National AIA and Chicago AIA 2030 Commitment’s working groups, whose goal is to design full Net Zero buildings by 2030. His work has been published widely and in 2015, he was recognized as an AIA Fellow. He has also received the Chicago Magazine Green Award and designed what Natural Home Magazine named the ‘Home of the Decade.’ Kipnis graduated with a degree in environmental design from the University of Colorado, Boulder and earned a Master of Architecture from Arizona State University.

Photos Courtesy of Kipnis

Featured Projects

KAP designed a LEED Platinum home in Glencoe, making it the first home on the Northshore to earn this certification and one of the first in all of Illinois. The home, built in a unique ‘U’ shape, is suited aesthetically for its traditional neighborhood, but at the same time is a clear example of sustainable design. It has an accessible green roof, solar thermal panels, and solatube daylighting skylights that direct natural light into the home where windows are not possible. This project won the Blue Ribbon Award from Friends of the Chicago River, and the Glencoe Historic Preservation Commission Preservation Award, New Construction category. KAP also rehabilitated a 1960’s Ranch in Evanston into a green home. The interior was in such a deteriorated state that it necessitated a complete gut renovation. An open floor plan was created, including an office that opens to the main family space through sliding 3-Form panels that stow away within wall projections. To increase natural light and ventilation, operable skylights and additional windows were added. This project also involved building out the old basement into a comfortable bedroom suite and living space. And KAP designed an impressive Net Positive Home in Chicago. The compact home, at 2,800 square feet, was designed to maximize yard space, and passive heating and cooling techniques. Finally, the firm designed Green Prairie Four Square, a luxury residence in the traditional style of historic Ravenswood Manor, which features a thermal chimney in the home’s center. Significantly, the construction of this home salvaged 80% of the materials from the previous building, including oak floorboards and stained glass that were reused within the new home’s design.

11) dSPACE Studio

Featured Principal: Kevin Toukoumidis

dSPACE Studio is an award-winning Chicago-based architecture firm dedicated to architecture, interiors, and landscape. Although the firm also completes small commercial projects, their real talent shines through in their thoughtful and innovative residential designs, ranging from vacation homes to urban dwellings.  Among the firm’s many awards for design excellence are numerous from the AIA.

Photos Courtesy of dSPACE

Kevin Toukoumidis founded dSPACE Studio in 2007. The firm designs new construction projects as well as renovations and additions. dSPACE Studio approaches all projects individually and creates each as a response to the specific site, client needs, and stylistic context, without the imposition of preconceived styles or solutions. The firm is committed to green design and attempts to integrate environmentally sustainable elements into their designs whenever possible, using green technologies and materials. Toukoumidis is LEED accredited and is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council. Prior to founding his own firm, Toukoumidis lived in diverse urban environments in Italy and Canada, where he discovered his passion for design. He previously worked in architectural offices in San Francisco, Boston, Cleveland, and Chicago. These experiences in architecturally and geographically diverse cities broaden his stylistic and practical design knowledge. He earned his BA in engineering at Lafayette College and a Master of Architecture from Syracuse University.

Photos Courtesy of dSPACE

Featured Projects

dSPACE Studio won an AIA Chicago Merit Award for their renovation of a modernist 1979 brick home, named the Skylight House. This project involved adding a third story addition with a master suite, spa-like bathroom, and sundeck. To open up the home’s floorplan and capture natural light, the interior spaces were organized around a new three-story atrium that is capped with a pyramidal skylight. Masterfully suspended within the atrium are a sculptural steel and wood staircase and custom chandelier. Every inch of this home was thoughtfully planned out to maximize space. Clever solutions included reducing the standard 5-inch walls to ½ inch frosted glass between the master bathroom and hallway. And dSPACE designed the custom walnut cabinetry used throughout the home, which not only conceals everyday necessities such as the wardrobe, television, and desk but also unifies the home. The overall design has a sleek feel, created by clean lines and warm wood tones set against gray, black, and white finishings. The home also has a new green roof.  And named the Atrium House, dSPACE updated a 1978 Buena Park brick home that had not been worked on since its construction. The firm transformed the disjointed interior into a family home with ample living space. Their design took advantage of an underused, two-story atrium in the center by removing walls to integrate it into the interior, and adding a large glass roof. The new room has a sunken floor with sculptural concrete steps that gently transition into banquette seating and custom shelving. The result is a light, unique, and warm family home that won AIA Chicago Merit Award and was featured in Dwell. Finally, the firm converted an 1880s Italianate two-flat into a single-family home, nicknamed the Escape Pod. They maintained the historic facade but added a contemporary steel and glass addition in the rear. The addition holds a landscaped rooftop terrace and has an operable 17-foot glass hangar door that can be opened to create a continuous interior-exterior space. The previously separate interior spaces are unified by a three-story atrium with an open steel and wood staircase connecting all floors. This project won an AIA Chicago Award.

10) Northworks Architects

Featured Principals: Austin DePree & Bill Bickford  

Northworks Architects was established in 2005 by Austin DePree and Bill Bickford. The practice specializes in residential building design, historic preservation, interior design, and even custom furniture. They have created elegant and contemporary custom homes in some of Chicago’s most exclusive neighborhoods. 

Photos Courtesy of Northworks

DePree and Bickford are both fascinated by the built environment and their practice delicately balances innovation with sensible design execution. They aim to create timeless architecture that will be relevant for future generations. DePree is NCARB certified, an AIA member, and is a registered architect in Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wyoming. He received his Bachelor of Arts in history from Trinity College and his Master of Architecture from the University of Washington. He currently serves on the Executive Board of Elawa Farm in Lake Forest, IL. Bickford is an AIA member, is LEED accredited and NCARB certified, and is licensed to practice in Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Colorado, Florida, and Wyoming. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Trinity College and his Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a board member of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Trustee of Graceland Cemetery, and a member of the Dean’s Council of the University of Pennsylvania School of Design

Photos Courtesy of Northworks

Featured Projects

Northworks Architects designed a remodel of an urban home on Howe Street in Lincoln Park, doubling its original size. Their design aimed to connect the interior and exterior, with large windows and skylights to allow ample light, and the project incorporates an interior courtyard. The final project is both simplistic and modern, with exquisite attention to detail, including millwork and custom hardware. On a ravine near Lake Michigan in Highland Park, the practice designed a modest single-family home. The exterior of the house has floor to ceiling windows and operable glass walls that blur the line between the interior and exterior. The interior design is based on an open plan for entertaining. Although the design is certainly modern, its use of traditional, natural building materials suits its context. And on Chicago’s North Shore, the practice designed a contemporary country house on an open corner lot. The home is oriented around a driveway court at the center entrance of the home, and there is a separate outbuilding for the pool and rear yard terrace. The exterior of this home is made of shiplap cedar siding, standing metal roofing, and limestone walls. A double height living space with a nearly all glass window wall opens onto a gorgeous patio with a stone framed wood burning fireplace. Northworks Architects also designed the Waukegan Road Residence in Lake Forest, an elegant home filled with modern amenities that still reflects the rich colonial architectural history of the area.    

9) Lichten Craig Architecture + Interiors

Featured Principal: Joan Craig

With offices in New York and Chicago, Lichten Craig Architecture + Interiors dedicate themselves to creating beautiful, comfortable, and well-crafted designs, that they hope will improve with the passing of time. Their award-winning work is regularly featured in publications, including the New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, Elle Decor, Architectural Digest, Traditional Home, and numerous books.

Photos Courtesy of Lichten Craig

Lichten Craig Architecture + Interiors was founded as a collaboration between Joan Craig and Kevin Lichten in New York in 1991; their Chicago office opened in 2002, with Joan Craig at the head. In addition to their single-family residential work, the practice works on all scales and types of projects, including for clubs, religious groups, and national organizations. Prior to founding her own firm with Lichten, Craig worked in the architectural offices of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Buttrick, White and Burtis. Craig is LEED AP accredited. She is a graduate of Wesleyan University and earned her Masters in Architecture from Princeton University. Her education in art history and work at Sotheby’s is visible in the manner in which her architecture designs and interiors relate. She is known for taking a collaborative approach to the design process and for researching site and design issues thoroughly to create strong, innovative projects that are responsive to space and client needs.

Photos Courtesy of Lichten Craig

Featured Projects

Lichten Craig Architecture + Interiors renovated a Gold Coast apartment on Lakeshore Drive for a large family. They turned the tired space into a lively and sophisticated home with carefully chosen materials, design elements, and bold, saturated colors. Despite its pristine design, the home is inherently practical for this busy family, with many cleverly designed room transitions and living spaces. Rich tones are used throughout the flooring and walls, particularly in the tile and wood, that give a sense of richness and comfort to the apartment. The practice also designed custom cabinetry for their clients. And for a Lincoln Park residence, the firm designed an exquisitely elegant, but fun, home. As is common with many of the firm’s projects, bursts of bold color and striking lines define their design. For this family house, the firm designed a gorgeous library with floor to ceiling bookshelves covering the walls, including surrounding the large window that floods the room with inviting light. In the basement of the home is a serene guestroom that uses soft colors, a large window, and a modern chandelier to create a tranquil space.  

8) Lenore Weiss Studios

Featured Principal: Lenore Weiss

Lenore Weiss Studios was founded with the goal of creating unique, artful solutions for residential and commercial spaces. As the firm’s founder, Lenore Weiss states: “architecture should celebrate the art of living.” This belief is evident in the firm’s work, which is both inspirational in design while remaining exceedingly functional.  

Photos Courtesy of Lenore Weiss

Lenore Weiss founded her own studio in 2012, after working at a number of well-established Chicago firms, and later co-founding Full Circle Architects, an award-winning architecture, and design firm. She has over 20 years of industry experience. Weiss considers sustainable design an integral consideration for each project and is LEED accredited. She is a nationally invited speaker, teacher, and design consultant, and has published many articles in architecture and design journals. Weiss earned her Architectural Degree from the University of Illinois at Champaign, with studies in interior design and psychology. During this time, she had the opportunity to study at the Ecole d’Architecture de Versailles, France, which broadened her creative sensibilities and knowledge of historical approaches to architecture.

Photos Courtesy of Lenore Weiss

Featured Projects

Lenore Weiss Studios remodeled a north suburbs condominium to add modern amenities, create multifunctional and efficient living spaces, and increase the home’s storage capacity. An extra bedroom was cleverly reconfigured for use as a media room that could quickly be converted into a spare bedroom when the client’s college-bound child returned to visit. The design has a distinctly simple and fresh feel, using a light color palette with bursts of bold colors, such as turquoise in the kitchen. Sustainable materials were used throughout the condo. The studio also designed an award-winning single-family home on the North Shore. The 8,500 square foot space was designed with the family of five’s social and active lifestyle in mind. The home is set on a wooded five-acre site, and the home was specifically planned to optimize views, such as with window seats and naturally sunlit circulation paths. Custom furniture was built for the kitchen from trees cleared from the property. Although the home evokes an English country home, it is reinterpreted in a fresh, modern manner. A highlight of this home is a spectacular indoor pool with a ceiling covered in warm wooden beams. Lastly, Lenore Weiss Studios undertook a complete renovation and remodel of a single family home on a grand, but outdated, Michigan lakeside property. The interior layout was reconfigured to open up the interior gathering spaces, thereby allowing increased sightlines of the spectacular lake views. The reconfiguration also created more logical circulation paths around the home, establishing concrete public and private zones. A centerpiece of this home is the two-sided masonry fireplace. This home was created under the auspices of Full Circle Architects.

7) Becker Architects

Featured Principal: Richard Becker

Becker Architects has built hundreds of residential and commercial projects since being founded in 1982. The firm’s work has been recognized in many publications, including AIA Chicago Architect, Preservation, Chicago Tribune, Builder, Remodeling, Chicago Home, Better Homes and Gardens, House Beautiful, Driehaus Foundation, and Traditional Home, and has been featured in a number of HGTV productions

Photos Courtesy of Becker and Darris Lee Harris Photography LLC

Becker Architects was established in 1982 in New York City and relocated to Chicago in 1989. This award-winning practice designs commercial and residential projects for new construction, rehabilitation, additions, and tenant build-outs across the Chicago area. In addition to their beautiful residential work, they have designed over 30 automobile dealerships and a number of retail and office spaces. For their careful work on some of the city’s most beautiful historic properties, Becker Architects has received nine awards from Highland Park’s Historic Preservation Commission. Becker Architects is a member of the AIA, the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, US Green Building Council, and International Code Council. He is a third generation architect and earned his bachelor’s degree in architecture from Syracuse University. Prior to starting his own firm, he worked in New York City for Skidmore Owings and Merrill. He has served on the Highland Park Historic Preservation Commission and several other not-for-profit boards including CAMERA and StandWithUs.

Photos Courtesy of Darris Lee Harris Photography LLC

Featured Projects

The Shingle Style House is situated in front of a lake, built for a repeat client who previously asked the company to build their dream house, a gathering place for family. The house itself has pre-stained cedar shingles, a stone base, and a standing seam metal roofing. Becker also designed the interiors. In the Modern House, the clients requested for a simple home to accommodate their growing family. The house features interlocking geometric forms and a steel-framed cantilever on the front elevation, sided with an Azek rainscreen and limestone finish stucco. The 60-year old Mid Century Modern Rehab house originally contained small-scale rooms and under-sized windows. Becker built a new kitchen and bathrooms, and made the old house minimalist with its open design.

6) Scrafano Architects

Featured Principal: Elissa Scrafano

Scrafano Architects, founded by Elissa Scrafano, has designed impressive and award-winning homes since 1997. The firm has completed more than 300 residential, retail and commercial projects of all sizes and scales, and their work has been featured in local and national publications. Their projects have a signature hint of creativity and fun, while also being exceedingly functional.

Photos Courtesy of Scrafano

Scrafano Architects creates innovative and authentic homes from their offices in Chicago and Los Angeles. They go the extra mile to ensure that the houses they design respond to each client’s specific style, needs, lifestyle, and budget. Founder Scrafano received her BS in architecture from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and a master’s degree with honors from Southern California Institute of Architecture. During this time, she had the opportunity to study in London and Frankfurt and studied art and architecture in Italy. Before founding her own firm, Scrafano worked at the offices of Frank O. Gehry and Associates, Eric Owen Moss Architects, Narduli Grinstein Architects, and Landworth Debolske Architects. She has taught at Southern California Institute of Architecture SCI-Arc, the University of California at Irvine, and Woodbury University in Burbank. She was recently appointed to The Cultural Heritage Commission of Los Angeles by Mayor Eric Garcetti.

Photos Courtesy of Scrafano

Featured Projects

In collaboration with Linc Thelen Design, Scrafano Architects transformed a turn-of-the-century church in Chicago’s Little Italy neighborhood into a single-family residence. The result was a beautiful, one-of-a-kind home with 7 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, and stunning entertaining space. The design removed an existing dropped ceiling to expose the massive roof’s structural timber and steel and placed the open kitchen and living area in the center nave under 25-foot vaulted ceilings and large, original stained glass windows. The existing bell tower was converted into a glass-floored observation deck. This 5,500-square-foot residence was featured in Architectural Record and Curbed. And the firm designed an addition and interior renovation to a historic 1929 Oak Park home. Since the one-story kitchen addition faced Grove Avenue, a residential street in the Frank Lloyd Wright Historic District, it was vitally important that the architectural style blended into the original home. However, on the other side of the addition, the design mixed in redwood siding and large expanses of glass for a more modern, warm feel. This project also added a new, second story outdoor deck in the rear.

5) Tigerman McCurry Architects

Featured Principals: Stanley Tigerman & Margaret McCurry

The practice of Tigerman McCurry Architects is deeply rooted in the Chicago architectural tradition of innovation. Run by Stanley Tigerman, one of the central figures of the Chicago Seven, and Margaret McCurry, both native Chicagoans and AIA Fellows, the firm has completed over 130 private residences. Their work has received seven National AIA Honor Awards and more than 120 national and local awards for architecture and design excellence. And the firm has been published nationally and internationally more than 3,500 times, including a special edition of A+U Architecture Magazine devoted to their work.

Photos Courtesy of Tigerman McCurry Architects

Although Tigerman McCurry has been widely praised for their residential work, they have a diverse portfolio that spans nearly all scales and types. The firm is committed to the creation of contemporary and ‘authentically American’ architecture and has worked in 17 states and 10 foreign countries. At the request of the Department of Architecture at the Art Institute, pieces of the firm’s body of work have been donated and archived. Their work has been displayed over 300 times at museums and galleries around the world. The practice is particularly proud of their twenty-year association with the Art Institute of Chicago, designing and curating installations. Tigerman McCurry is a recognized Women’s Business Enterprise and Small Business Enterprise. Awards include from awards from the National AIA, Chicago AIA, the Illinois Council, ASID, Progressive Architecture, Architectural Record, and more.  Tigerman is a graduate of the Yale School of Architecture and is the former director of the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He has authored seven books and is the recipient of the AIA/ACSA Topaz Medallion for Excellence in Architectural Education, the AIA Illinois Gold Medal in recognition of outstanding lifetime service, and the AIA Chicago 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award, among others. McCurry received her Bachelor’s degree in Art History from Vassar College and her Loeb Fellowship in Advanced Environmental Studies from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. Among her many achievements are being inducted into the Interior Design Hall of Fame, being named a Fellow of the International Interior Design Association, and being named “The Designer of Distinction” in 2002 by ASID. She has served as Vice-President of the Chicago Chapter and Chair of the National AIA Committee on Design.

Photos Courtesy ofTigerman McCurry Architects

Featured Projects

Recently, Tigerman McCurry gutted and combined two apartments on the 70th floor of Chicago’s Water Tower Place into a 5,800 square foot family residence.  The goal was to create a museum-like setting for the client’s diverse collection of old masters, antiquities, and modern crafts. The final home included a separate guest suite for live-in help, a wine cellar, darkroom, and study, plus ample entertainment space. Tigerman McCurry even designed unique furnishings to match the client’s eclectic furniture. This project was recognized with the Illinois Chapter ASID Design Excellence Award and featured in Architectural Digest. The practice also designed the ‘Neisser Condominium, a 4,400 square foot space in a post-modern building in Chicago. Their elegant design took advantage of the 12-foot ceilings and was inspired by their client’s extensive minimalist art collection and an eclectic furniture collection. They added guest quarters for their client’s two adult children, including one that was physically challenged, requiring additional design considerations. Architectural Digest said of this home: “If the details of this apartment are modern, its soul is classical…modernism feels not like an oppositional force to classicism, but like a partner to it.” This project was recognized with two Honor Awards for Interior Architecture, from the AIA National, and from the AIA Chicago chapter. It was featured in numerous publications, including Architectural Digest, Focus, AIArchitect, Architectural Record, Dream Apartments, and Dream Homes Chicago. And in Glenview, Tigerman McCurry renovated and updated a one-story 1951 mid-century ‘modern’ residence for the original owners. Their design necessitated updating the home to suit the lives of its now older residents, incorporate energy efficiency, and translate the original rough stone, expanses of glass, and wood paneling into the new design. The practice even obtained Tennessee Crab Orchard Limestone from the original quarry to keep the home’s original character intact, and new redwood windows and accompanying bronze hardware were fabricated to stylistically match the original.

4) Searl Lamaster Howe Architects

Featured Principal: Linda Searl

Searl Lamaster Howe Architects is committed to realizing inspiring spaces for people who value where they live, work, play, and learn. The practice is an architecture and design studio founded by Searl Lamaster in 1985 as Searl and Associates. Searl was joined by Principal Gregory Howe in 2000 and Principal Pam Lamaster-Millett, who was with Searl and Associates since 1998 and became a partner in 2007. Intense collaboration at each step of the design and construction process is key to the remarkable diversity and quality of the firm’s work. A project’s aesthetic is informed by a detailed study of the program, context, technology, and budget. The studio shares a commitment to creativity, innovation, sustainability, detail, and materiality.  

Photos Courtesy of Searl Lamaster Howe

The firm portfolio includes commercial, residential, and institutional projects that range from master planning and renovations to restorations and new construction. The office is a certified Female Business Enterprise (FBE) at the state level; it also holds Women Business Enterprise (WBE) status in Chicago, its home base. Searl Lamaster Howe Architects works nationally and abroad yet still practices a hands-on approach to each project.

Its team listens to each client’s needs and concerns, help translate them into a vision, and then assemble the resources to make that vision a reality. Searl Lamaster Howe Architects take projects from initial conception through construction administration and occupancy support. Our work begins and ends with you.

Photos Courtesy of Searl Lamaster Howe

Featured Projects

Searl Lamaster Howe Architects designed, in collaboration with Alexis Bednyak Design, a gut renovation of a 3,200 square foot Water Tower Flat from the 1970’s.  The sleek and sophisticated apartment is now defined by its restrained color palette of primarily black, white, and grays. Materialistically, the home mixes plain sawn white oak in natural, gray, and black open grain finishes, unlacquered brass, oxidized steel, matte black hardware, and strongly veined stone slabs. Significantly, their design transformed a formerly dark and claustrophobic main corridor into a visually striking hallway that artfully plays with light and shadow. This project was featured in Architectural Digest. Another interesting project is Willow Residence, the transformation of a former one-story, four-lane bowling alley, into a private residence. To make space for the young couple, two stories were added to the original structure that pivot around a forty-foot stair tower. The practice reworked the original maple bowling alley material into ceiling panels and steps of the steel-framed staircase. Private courtyards were carved to the front and back of the home and a rooftop deck was added for panoramic views of the downtown skyline. Searl Lamaster Howe Architects also completely renovated and expanded a 1950’s colonial in Glencoe into a contemporary home that remains respectful of its historic surroundings. The firm reconfigured and opened up the home’s layout. All public spaces now open directly to the exterior, either to the pool or the side yard. The original gable roofs and white-painted brick were retained and imitated in the addition, but the home’s progressive spirit shines through with their simplified details. The practice also designed a new residence in Lincoln Square. This contemporary home relates to its location, full of century-old houses, through its scale, generous front porch, and board and batten siding that was inspired by the wood cladding of other nearby frame houses. Given the location and surroundings, creative design solutions were necessary to pull sunlight into the home without sacrificing privacy. The result is an exterior atrium that cuts into the core of the house, flooding it with natural light.

3) Cohen & Hacker Architects

Featured Principal:  Julie Hacker, FAIA and Stuart Cohen, FAIA

Cohen & Hacker Architects is led by Stuart Cohen and Julie Hacker, partners in life and business. For over 40 years, their firm has built a portfolio of award-winning homes in Chicago, including in its most desirable neighborhoods. Their work has been featured in numerous magazine and book publications, and both partners have been recognized as Fellows by the AIA.

Photos Courtesy of Period Homes

Cohen & Hacker Architects focuses almost exclusively on high-end residential architecture and historic renovation. It has been around since 1976 and changed to its current name in 1991. Their style blends traditional architectural elements with modernist ideas. In 2007, the firm was recognized by Residential Architect Magazine as one of the US’s 50 top residential architecture firms and received the magazine’s RA Leadership Award. Cohen was a member of the original Chicago 7 Architects, a famous group of first generation postmodern architects looking to challenge the modernist tradition prominent in the city at the time. He has previously been named by Town and Country Magazine as one of the top fifty residential architects in the country, and he was one of twenty architects chosen to represent the United States at the 1980 Venice Biennale. Cohen previously taught at the University of Illinois at Chicago and is the author of four books on the history of Chicago architecture. Hacker earned her Masters in Architecture at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she was recognized with the Chicago Women in Architecture Award. Previously, she had studied psychology and modern dance at Wesleyan University. Her background is evident the way the pair choreograph space to enhance their client’s experience moving through their home. She currently serves as a Preservation Commissioner for the City of Evanston, where she is helping to rewrite the city’s preservation guidelines.

Photos Courtesy of Period Homes

Featured Projects

The majority of Cohen & Hacker Architects work is concentrated in Chicago’s North Shore suburbs. Their Stucco House plays with scale in a drastic manner. The front of the home is very private, whereas the back is made of a large glass window with traditional casements, French doors, and transoms. It includes surprising design features, such as a window carved into the living room chimney. Their Side Entry House carefully mixes architectural elements to create a sophisticated, classic home. The entryway, of course located in a small raised court on the side of the home, has wood shingled walls, contrasting the space from the stone walls on the rest of the home’s exterior. Natural light spills into the home through its many windows, and an elegant double sided fireplace links the living room to the adjacent dining space. And their 2006 Shingle House was listed by local architecture writer Jay Pridmore in a list of “Ten Modern Masterpieces” in Chicago magazine. Finally, their Arts and Crafts Home was a compromise of style and design, yet perfectly fits into a neighborhood full of Georgian, Tudor, Romanesque and Prairie style homes. The home has an open floor plan to allow all spaces to feel interconnected, and floor-to-ceiling window walls of transoms, casements, and French doors.

2) Morgante-Wilson Architects

Featured Principals: Elissa A. Morgante & Frederick H. Wilson

Morgante-Wilson Architects (MWA) has more than 20 years of experience in the Chicago architecture scene. They were named by Chicago Magazine as one of the top 25 firms in the city, are multiple AIA Gold Designs Awards Program winners, and their designs have been featured in books and exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Photos Courtesy of Morgante-Wilson

Morgante-Wilson Architects was founded by Frederick Wilson in 1987; in 1994 he was joined by his partner in business and life, Elissa Morgante. They have a broad range of stylistic expertise, ranging from contemporary to classic, and place a strong emphasis on creating livable spaces. MWA is committed to ecologically-friendly building practices and energy-efficient designs.  Morgante has taught at the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) and the School of Interior Architecture at the Art Institute of Chicago. She founded and served as the first director of the UIC-Architectural Extension Program. For ten years she served on the Appearance Review Committee for Wilmette, and was appointed to the Planning and Advisory Board for the Village Center Master Plan. Morgante earned her BA in Environmental Design from Hampshire College and Masters in Architecture from UIC.  Wilson was a national finalist in the “40 Under 40” award, sponsored by The National AIA and The Architectural League of New York, and the “Young Architect Award” from the AIA Chicago Chapter. He serves as a board member of the Community Partners Affordable Housing Land Trust. Wilson received his BS in Architecture from The Ohio State University and his Master of Architecture at UIC. After finishing school he became the first associate at the prestigious Chicago firm Tigerman, Fugman, McCurry Architects, Ltd.

Photos Courtesy of Morgante-Wilson

Featured Projects

Their Shingle Style home has a cottage-like, cozy but classic style. MWA designed both the architecture and the home’s interior, allowing for a strong connection and congruence. The home’s cedar shake exterior with a touch of stone creates a warm but grand impression. Inside, the home has a breathtaking set of double stairs in the bookshelf-enveloped entry hall and includes a home theater, basketball court, billiards room, and serene indoor pool room.  MWA is responsible for the first Gold LEED-certified residence in Glenview, Illinois. This home utilized the newest building technologies, large amounts of reclaimed building materials, and employed many sustainable building practices. It has a spacious indoor courtyard and large windows, and the interior has multiple stunning natural stone walls with large archways. The overall effect allows for a blurring of the lines between the indoors and out and creates a comfortable and natural looking family home.

1) Wheeler Kearns Architects

Featured Principal: Dan Wheeler

Wheeler Kearns Architects (WKA) is one of the most well-known and prestigious architectural firms in the Chicago area. For their excellent work in the area, WKA  has been recognized with numerous awards, including the AIA Chicago Distinguished Building Award, and was recently named the AIA Chicago Firm of the Year.

Photos Courtesy of Wheeler Kearns

WKA was founded as Daniel Wheeler Architects by Dan Wheeler in 1987 and became Wheeler Kearns Architects in 1990. The practice is deliberately small so that they can focus their full attention on every project. WKA specializes in architecture, building design, interior design, landscapes, furniture, urban design, and sustainable building. In addition to residential work, the firm excels in designing theaters, art centers, schools, sports halls, hospitality spaces, and cultural buildings. Principals Wheeler and Kearns were the 2008 Chicago Tribune’s “Chicagoans of the Year” in Architecture and both have been named AIA Fellows. Wheeler was the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Traveling Fellowship in 1980 and the CCAIA Young Architect Award. He has acted as a consulting architect to the Rural Studio since 2002 and is a professor of architecture at UIC. Prior to founding his own firm, Wheeler was an Associate and Studio head at Skidmore Owings and Merrill, Chicago. He earned his degree at the Rhode Island School of Design. During this time, he spent two years studying architecture in Rome.

Photos Courtesy of Wheeler Kearns

Featured Projects

WKA designed a stunning single-family home on Lake Shore Drive with unobstructed views of Lake Michigan. The home was inspired by its site and opens gradually towards the lake. A split level plan was designed to allow for spaces of different scale and atmosphere, but which could still share the eastward orientation for views of the park and lake. This modern home has large, strategically placed windows that allow lots of natural light to flood the home without sacrificing privacy. The practice also designed Orchard Willow, a single-family home in Chicago. The home’s location has an open southern side yard, an unusual feature in Chicago. WKA took advantage of this exposure to bring natural light into the home. To maintain privacy, a board-formed concrete wall just above eye level was built around the property. This design element allowed for the wooden framed interior living space to be enclosed with glass. The exterior flows inwards with a continuous stone floor that passes through large sliding doors. Natural wood is incorporated throughout the home, including on the walls, floors and ceilings, creating long lines, and cozy, modern rooms. The home’s bedrooms have deeply recessed balconies carved from a copper enclosure that allows for views of the distant Chicago skyline. This home won an AIA Chicago Distinguished Building Award – Honor Award, a MCA Chairman’s Award – Residential, and a North American Copper in Architecture Award.

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