New Tudor-Inspired Family Home in Chicago
See how a couple worked with their builder to mix traditional and modern elements for a comfortable and chic home
Having lived in Chicago, Elise and Bill Fox didn’t think a move to the suburbs was in the cards for them. “We wanted a home that felt unique. It was a struggle I had. Moving into the suburbs felt like there would be a lot of sameness,” Elise says. It wasn’t until her sister had a new house built that they shifted their view.
After meeting with her sister’s builder, Oakley Home Builders, the Foxes found a lot in the western suburb of Downers Grove, Illinois, and fell in love with the brick-paved street in a neighborhood of homes with various styles and ages. “There are many older homes that are loved and well-maintained,” Elise says. “Probably 70% of our neighborhood is older homes, with a mix of Victorian and old farmhouses on grand lots. It’s a beautiful neighborhood.”
After meeting with her sister’s builder, Oakley Home Builders, the Foxes found a lot in the western suburb of Downers Grove, Illinois, and fell in love with the brick-paved street in a neighborhood of homes with various styles and ages. “There are many older homes that are loved and well-maintained,” Elise says. “Probably 70% of our neighborhood is older homes, with a mix of Victorian and old farmhouses on grand lots. It’s a beautiful neighborhood.”
Elise has worked in fashion and operations and is currently a stay-at-home mom. “We’re both pretty creative people who have lots of hobbies. The house is something we dove head-first into,” she says. Bill works in finance and is “insanely creative,” she says.
Their last home, in Chicago’s Irving Park neighborhood, was a spec house that was brand-new when they moved in. Since it was already “done,” they weren’t able to give it much of a personal touch. “We didn’t pick out a single thing, such as the lighting, the front door, etc. It felt wasteful to swap anything out,” Elise says.
How to Create and Use Ideabooks
Their last home, in Chicago’s Irving Park neighborhood, was a spec house that was brand-new when they moved in. Since it was already “done,” they weren’t able to give it much of a personal touch. “We didn’t pick out a single thing, such as the lighting, the front door, etc. It felt wasteful to swap anything out,” Elise says.
How to Create and Use Ideabooks
The ebony-stained kitchen cabinets are a classic contrast to the white quartz counters. When it came to the home’s interior design and color scheme, Elise says, she thought about it one room at a time, keeping in mind the overall look she wanted to achieve. “Early on I pictured what I wanted each room to look like. I had a vision for what I wanted, so when the time came to pick a faucet, for example, I had a general idea, going with mostly brass. When picking fixtures and lighting, I wanted it to feel somewhat traditional with clean lines, so that narrowed down the field.”
Kitchen cabinets: Brakur Custom Cabinetry
Kitchen cabinets: Brakur Custom Cabinetry
The kitchen’s multifunctional island has a farm sink. A kilim rug adds texture and color.
Elise used paint, plants, lighting and Scandinavian-style furnishings to create a comfortable and cozy hygge feeling throughout the home. The couple hired E&L Painting to handle all the interior paint work.
In the living room, a lack of window treatments means plenty of natural light comes in. The white oak floors throughout the house have a custom stain mixed with white and a matte finish to dial back the yellow tone.
Lyrique 12-light chandelier: Savoy House
In the living room, a lack of window treatments means plenty of natural light comes in. The white oak floors throughout the house have a custom stain mixed with white and a matte finish to dial back the yellow tone.
Lyrique 12-light chandelier: Savoy House
The rustic leather sofa and neutral-tone throw pillows add warmth and texture. The wallhanging of medical illustrations was a garage sale find. “It’s a full-on 1960s classroom science chart, so we can turn the pages and switch them out. Some of them are hilariously outdated,” Elise says.
Wall paint: Decorator’s White, Benjamin Moore
Wall paint: Decorator’s White, Benjamin Moore
Bill created the shelving next to the fireplace from the wood of the felled oak tree. The shelves hold a mix of family photos, vintage keepsakes and modern art. The gray slipcovered chair-and-a-half is from Sixpenny.
The gas fireplace is across from the couch, and a TV is to the right of it on the built-in shelving unit. The brick surrounding the fireplace is painted in Tricorn Black by Sherwin-Williams, to contrast with the white walls and blonde wood. The oak mantel holds vintage items from antique stores and Goodwill, and is refreshed often. “I switch things out constantly,” Elise says.
Bistro double wall sconces: Ian K. Fowler, Visual Comfort
Bistro double wall sconces: Ian K. Fowler, Visual Comfort
The dining area is tidy yet not uptight. “I wanted it to be formal enough to have a nice Thanksgiving meal but not so formal that kids couldn’t eat breakfast and get maple syrup all over,” Elise says. Bill made the picture ledge from the same oak that provided wood for the beams and mantel. He also made the dining table using a butcher block top from John Boos & Co. atop vintage cast iron legs.
Seating at the dining table is a mix of molded plastic chairs and a pew from a Chicago church. “At this messy age, plastic chairs are perfect for us,” Elise says. The bench wasn’t easy to get out of the church and had to be cut to fit the current space. The couple appropriately preserved the sign that says it’s reserved for families with children.
This photo shows the dining area in relation to the adjacent mudroom.
Here’s a look inside the mudroom, which features custom wood cabinets with holes in them to make them look like lockers. The board-and-batten walls and lockers are painted a soft gray to contrast with the dark gray porcelain hexagon floor tiles, which have a slate chalkboard look. The door leads to a tiny deck on the back of the house that steps down and leads to a detached garage.
Cabinets: Brakur Custom Cabinetry; wall and cabinet paint: Repose Gray by Sherwin-Williams
Cabinets: Brakur Custom Cabinetry; wall and cabinet paint: Repose Gray by Sherwin-Williams
A home office next to the kitchen is largely Elise’s domain. It’s where she keeps a lot of her vintage vases and cake trays, along with a multitude of plants. “The room gets very good sun, so the plants are thriving, and the desk is for keeping me organized,” she says.
This is a peek into the library, which can be accessed through French doors near the home’s front door or via a pocket door near the kitchen. The black walls, ceiling and trim painted in Sherwin-Williams’ Tricorn Black signal a transition from light and bright to dark and quiet. Color-coded books on the shelves provide a vibrant place for the eye to rest. The Sputnik chandelier, visible just past the doors, is from Crystorama.
Zodiac 12-light chandelier: Crystorama Lighting
Zodiac 12-light chandelier: Crystorama Lighting
The view from this comfortable corner in the library is to the front of the house and street. “My kids use this room, especially when the older one wants space from his brother,” Elise says. “I spend afternoons here. Everyone likes to use the chairs and look out the window, including the dog.” This is one of the homeowner’s favorite spaces in the house. “It’s kind of my hideout at the end of the day,” she says. “It helps that it’s west-facing and gets sun at the end of the day. The black on black is very moody but incredibly cozy.”
10 Reasons to Love Matte Black
10 Reasons to Love Matte Black
Here’s another view out the library doors. The cabinet is a vintage record player console that the couple plan to fix, Elise says. Bill made the line drawings as a present to her. “I wanted a pair so commissioned him to draw them,” she says. They’re hanging from pants hangers. The black metal-and-glass dome on the console is a terrarium being used as a sculpture.
A butler’s pantry next to the kitchen contains a beverage and wine refrigerator under a quartz countertop. Elise used a felt-tip pen to draw lines in a wavy geometric pattern on the white-painted wall. The special oil-based paint pen works on a variety of surfaces and resists water damage and fading.
The powder room gets visual interest from a deep green scallop-patterned wallpaper, Palma from Hygge & West, and white subway tiles. The custom walnut vanity has a quartz countertop that looks like soapstone.
The numerous windows leading upstairs provide ample natural light, accentuating the ebony-stained handrail, balusters and stair treads. “We wanted a lot of windows, so that stairwell is a stair tower. It’s very cozy on a cold afternoon because it’s west-facing,” Elise says.
This is the guest bathroom, located on the second floor, which Elise says may end up being the kids’ bathroom someday. The black-and-white palette is designed to be timeless. “I wanted it to be a pretty space, not too mature but still fun and pretty. I really liked that black tile,” Elise says.
Vanity: Brakur Custom Cabinetry; English Pub one-light vanity light: ELK Lighting; wall paint: Decorator’s White, Benjamin Moore
5 Black-and-White Bathrooms With Distinctive Style
Vanity: Brakur Custom Cabinetry; English Pub one-light vanity light: ELK Lighting; wall paint: Decorator’s White, Benjamin Moore
5 Black-and-White Bathrooms With Distinctive Style
The guest bedroom has a light and bright boho chic style, with walls painted in Decorator’s White by Benjamin Moore and neutral tones in the bed linens and rug. An open geometric pendant light adds to the airy feel. The art over the bed is a topographic map line drawing of Yosemite National Park from Erik Linton of LintonArt.
Son Jack’s room evokes the feeling of a summer camp, with its forest green walls, tepee and vintage wall art. In fact, the inspiration was a 1950s-era summer camp-turned-glamping resort called Camp Wandawega, in southern Wisconsin, Elise says.
Wall paint: Backwoods, Benjamin Moore
Wall paint: Backwoods, Benjamin Moore
Elise’s mother made the quilt on Jack’s Jenny Lind-style bed. Most of the art on Jack’s walls is from his grandparents’ basements, Elise says. “We went through all their old art, scavenged horse art from my parents. There’s a photo on the wall of my grandfather on a trip to Hawaii years ago; it’s collected stuff we had. Every time we find a random piece from Goodwill, it ends up in Jack’s room.”
There’s more outdoorsy art on the wall above a vintage dresser.
The boys’ bathroom contains classic elements like a Kohler wall-mounted trough sink and industrial-style light. Dark blue hexagonal tiles line the floor and shower.
Standard baby colors were avoided in 2-year-old Leo’s room in favor of a sophisticated palette of deep blues, grays and neutrals. The walls are painted a moody dark blue-gray called Cyberspace from Sherwin-Williams. Bill used an oil-based white felt-tip pen to draw the cloud patterns on the wall behind the crib. “He spent a weekend with a laser level making a lot of lines,” Elise says.
Washington five-light pendant: Hudson Valley Lighting; Caravan crib: Kalon Studios
Washington five-light pendant: Hudson Valley Lighting; Caravan crib: Kalon Studios
Here’s a closer look at the art Bill created on Leo’s wall.
A diaper-changing box sits atop a dresser.
The laundry room is conveniently located between Leo’s room and the boys’ bathroom.
The airy and bright master bedroom has high ceilings, wood beams and other comfortable elements that carry over from the rest of the house. “We wanted a lot of windows,” Elise says. “We had the bed already and knew we wanted a pitched ceiling in there. The beams from downstairs are carried through into here. It’s not a huge room; it looks bigger than it is. There’s a ton of light in here.” Elise’s mother, who owns two horses, had a lot of horse-inspired art that she passed on to the couple. “I have an affinity for horse stuff,” Elise says.
Wall paint: Night Owl, Sherwin-Williams; 10-light triangular chandelier, Dainolite
Wall paint: Night Owl, Sherwin-Williams; 10-light triangular chandelier, Dainolite
This cozy corner of the master bedroom has one of a set of vintage dressers from Broyhill Furniture.
The master bathroom has serene and classic elements that relate to the rest of the home. The green chevron cement floor tile keeps the space from feeling too stark. The Mirabelle freestanding soaking tub is filled by a brass floor-mounted faucet.
Diamond chevron floor tile in Lawn: Popham Design
Diamond chevron floor tile in Lawn: Popham Design
In addition to the soaking tub, there’s an abundantly roomy shower. “It is gigantic,” Elise says.
Even though the Fox family’s home was built in 2019, it has architectural elements of a Tudor, a popular style in the 1920s that usually featured steep front-facing gables, arched entries and tall and narrow grouped windows. The Foxes’ modernized Tudor has a mix of white-painted brick and Hardie board siding, with black accents that include the striking two-story window tower.
“We lived in a Tudor in Colorado for a few years and loved it so much,” Elise says. “It was an inspiration for us, but we wanted a style more modern, and brought examples of modern Tudors to our architect, who did a melding of them,” she says.
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“We lived in a Tudor in Colorado for a few years and loved it so much,” Elise says. “It was an inspiration for us, but we wanted a style more modern, and brought examples of modern Tudors to our architect, who did a melding of them,” she says.
See more of this home
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
More on Houzz
See other home tours
Find a general contractor
Shop for home products
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House at a Glance
Who lives here: Bill and Elise Fox; their sons, Jack, 5, and Leo, 2; and their Shih Tzu-Yorkshire terrier mix, Bobby
Location: Downers Grove, Illinois
Size: 3,000 square feet (279 square meters); four bedrooms, 3½ bathrooms
Architect-builder: Oakley Home Builders
The couple worked with Oakley architect Jennifer Hense to get the modernized Tudor style they wanted, and in April 2019, with construction completed, they moved in. Elise did most of the interior design herself and also collaborated with Oakley designer Heather VanHoven, who acted as a project manager to iron out details such as location of lighting sources. “She’s very talented,” Elise says. The resulting design is bright and airy, with light wood floors, a mix of stark white and dark walls and other chic, modern touches. They turned to Houzz for inspiration. “A lot of times I’d think, ‘How would a modern bathroom look?’ and narrow down my choices,” Elise says.
The home’s black-and-white palette is softened by blonde wood ceiling beams and stools in the kitchen, as well as a butcher-block dining table. Some of the wood came from a 150-year-old oak tree that had to be cut down on the property. The kitchen’s large ebony-stained island seats six. “It becomes another dining table when friends or family come over, and it has plenty of storage,” Elise says. “There’s even more storage hidden by the chairs.”
Agnes matte black pendant lights: Aerin, Visual Comfort
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