Photography: Eric Hausman; Styling: Barri Leiner Grant
Gauzy drapes filter sunlight in the living room, where the soapstone fireplace is an elegant focal point. See more photos in the gallery below.
“We wanted an everyday house that felt like a vacation home,” says interior decorator Andrea Goldman, recalling what she and her husband, David, a real-estate developer, told architect Bill Massey of Massey Hoffman Architects when they first met to discuss the project in 2005. “The house in the movie Something’s Gotta Give came up repeatedly” as design inspiration, Massey says. But the 5,000-square-foot Glencoe house, completed two years later, ended up surpassing the dreaminess of the oceanfront property Diane Keaton’s character occupied on the big screen (and not just because that house’s interiors were created on a studio lot).
The Goldmans had been living in a city condo with their two young children (twins, now eight years old) and a third on the way when they decided to build their ideal family home on the North Shore. “My clients liked the character of a vintage space but they wanted the functionality of a modern house,” Massey says. So he created a contemporary open floor plan with elements of formality, such as a separate dining room and a “grown-up” living room, and classic architectural touches such as crown moldings and cove-and-beam ceilings.
Easy access to the outdoors was also critical to achieving the desired beach-house vibe. French doors in the family room and adjoining dining room open to a large bluestone patio overlooking the backyard; another set of doors, in the living room, face out on a wide front porch. “When the weather allows, we open all of them,” Andrea Goldman explains. “We secretly wish that we lived in California.”
For the interior design, Goldman went with a neutral color palette. “From the finishes to the fabric and furnishings, it’s all very tone-on-tone,” she says. “I let color and texture come from organic materials such as grass cloth, sisal, and salvaged wood. To me, natural elements are beautiful and calming.”
From the street, the Nantucket-style house looks as if it might have been there for generations. It even won a historic preservation award for new construction from the Village of Glencoe. As far as Goldman is concerned, however, the best prize is that her home offers a perpetual staycation.
Bring It Home
Natural materials, pretty blues, and stone accents come together for an inviting outdoor living area.
Photography: Eric Hausman; Styling: Barri Leiner Grant
The family loves spending time on the large bluestone terrace in the backyard.
Accessible from the family room and the dining room, it’s a sophisticated extension of the house’s interior.
Jacquard-woven Perennials pillow covers in various sizes; 20-inch square, $45, Restoration Hardware.
Openwork garden seat with a hand-painted lacquer finish, $250, neimanmarcus.com
Urns made of resin and compressed volcanic ash, 24 inches tall ($195) and 29 inches tall ($375), Jayson Home, 1885 N. Clybourn Ave.
Seagrass basket, 29 inches tall, $129, Pottery Barn, 1000 W. North Ave.
Santa Monica teak furniture with Sunbrella twill cushions in natural;
78-inch sofa, $1,620, and cushions, $820, Restoration Hardware, 938 W. North Ave
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Interior design: Andrea Goldman Design, andreagoldmandesign.com. Architect: Massey Hoffman Architects, masseyhoffman.com. Dining room: Chandelier, jeandemerry.com. Painting, Florian Sussmayr, Nicholas Robinson Gallery, nrgallery.com. Table, goldentriangle.biz. Curtains, Martyn Lawrence Bullard, Schumacher, fschumacher.com. Side chairs, Andrea Goldman Design, Rose Tarlow Matchsticks upholstery, hollyhunt.com. End chairs, Andrea Goldman Design, Valtek Tumbled Steer upholstery, johnrosselliantiques.com. Study: Cowhide-covered ottoman, roomandboard.com. Antique footstool, goldentriangle.biz. Moroccan wool rug, starkcarpet.com. Petalon drink table, Evan Lewis, brightgroup.com. Living room: Sofa, Andrea Goldman Design, Rogers & Goffigon twill upholstery, Cowtan and Tout. Chairs, jaysonhome.com. Laquered elm coffee table, pagodared.com. Accent table, Ironware International, Holly Hunt. Kitchen: Eames chairs, Design Within Reach, dwr.com. Soapstone counters, Chadwick’s Surfaces International, chadwickssurfaces.net. Master bedroom: Loire four-post bed, David Iatesta, John Rosselli. Chairs, Jayson Home. Sisal carpet, villagecarpets.com. Rug, Oscar Isberian Rugs, isberian.com. Chandelier, bobointriguingobjects.com. Master bathroom: Zoffany-Cordoba wallpaper, nancycorzine.com. Tiles, mosaic rug, urbanarchaeology.com. Vanities, jtribbleantiques.com. Hardware, rockymountainhardware.com. Terrace: Sofas, chairs, tables, restorationhardware.com. Pillows, Raphaello and Delft, Cowtan and Tout. Altar table, Golden Triangle. Captiva armchairs and side chairs, crateandbarrel.com. Garden stools, Pagoda Red. Garden containers, chaletnursery.com. Upholstery fabrication, Romann Custom Upholstery, romann-custom.com.