via Chicago Tribune by Tate Gunnerson "This home was a challenge in many ways," explains interior designer, Michael Del Piero, of the four-bedroom midcentury ranch in River Forest that she designed for Chuck and Minhae Doherty. Originally owned by the reputed mobster Anthony "Big Tuna" Accardo, the house was built in the early 1960s with high-end finishes such as gleaming white terrazzo flooring, plaster moldings and a family room wall clad with onyx boulders. Over the years, it had fallen into disrepair and been updated with a French country kitchen that was at odds with the architecture. "Every room was different, and the house felt divided," Minhae explains.
Although they purchased the home in 2001, a job opportunity led the Dohertys to Tokyo in 2002 where they lived for nearly a decade. By the time they returned with their three children in 2011, they had grown accustomed to living in a smaller, brand new home, and they knew the rambling 50-year old ranch would require a major overhaul to suit their taste and lifestyle. "I had a tough time adjusting to living in a big old house," Minhae explains. "In Japan, you work your whole life and then build a brand new house. In America, it's common to buy an older house, fix it and take care of it."
The couple tasked Del Piero with creating a cohesive look that updated the house without sacrificing its quintessential modernist elements. At the same time, her design needed to be flexible enough to accommodate some of their more traditional furnishings and artwork. To marry the disparate styles into a cohesive design, Del Piero selected a neutral palette and incorporated custom furnishings with simple lines. "My design is not usually about having interesting upholstered pieces," Del Piero explains. "It's about having the right scale, appropriate lines and comfort."
For the spacious formal living room, Del Piero designed both a sofa and sofa-sectional, which are both upholstered in the same white fabric. In front of each, she placed a custom cocktail table, one a three-legged hand-fabricated iron base by Andrew Stansell, the other a rustic wooden piece manufactured in Thailand by Chicago's Golden Triangle. A pair of iron chairs provides a striking accent that Del Piero felt the room needed. "I think it's important to balance soft and hard materials in a room, especially when I'm dealing with so many neutrals," she explains. "When a room is balanced, you tend to focus on the people in the room and the conversation. I like to create a backdrop of interesting things which draw your eye and interest into the space."
Promoted stories from CELEBChatter.com The room is full of singular accent pieces, including a colorful painting of a koi fish from the Dohertys' existing collection and a wall installation consisting of more than 200 cracked porcelain shells with gold-leafed interiors, which Del Piero placed in an artistic pattern on a long curved wall, one of the home's original architectural features.
Although Del Piero went out of her way to preserve many of the home's original features, she eliminated some of the more eccentric ones. An oval skylight in the center of the dining room has been covered with drywall and replaced with a round multi-tier glass chandelier that is shallow enough to be hung in the home despite its relatively low ceilings. "The shape has a midcentury vibe, so it makes sense with the house," Del Piero explains.
To create that sense of continuity in the kitchen, Del Piero had the ceramic floor tiles replaced with wood flooring that matches the original parquet in the adjacent family room. "The contractor was able to match them perfectly, and they connect the kitchen to the rest of the house," the designer says. In place of the French country-style cabinetry, she outfitted the space with walnut and glass-faced cabinetry from Ernestomeda, an Italian company known for their contemporary designs. White solid surface counter tops and a backsplash of tiny square porcelain tiles provide contrast and complement a white faux leather banquette that Del Piero created for the breakfast nook. "We can easily seat 12 people just in our kitchen, so it's very good for entertaining," Chuck explains. "We're delighted with it."
The couple is also pleased with their four bathrooms, which were completely redesigned by Christine Julian, of Julian Kitchen Design. Two of them include an enclosed shower and soaker tub, which is a common feature in Japan. "They are hybrid Japanese-western bathrooms," Minhae explains.
Indeed, the entire home represents a fusion of influences that Del Piero's design brings together in a cohesive way. Although it took the Dohertys time to adjust to living in an older home, the changes have helped them to see it in a new light. "Michael can do modern, but at the same time, she can mix it with the old style," Minhae explains. "The flow is so much better now. We're very happy here."
Tate Gunnerson is a freelance writer.
Creative solutions Designer Michael Del Piero's smart ideas solved some of the home's design challenges: •A swivel chair slipcovered in a textural gray and taupe fabric can be turned to face either sofa in the spacious living room. "They are essentially two separate seating areas, but they can be used as one for larger groups," Del Piero says.
•Although the home has small windows typical of many ranch homes, Del Piero created the illusion that they were larger with floor-to-ceiling draperies and sheers that let daylight in without sacrificing privacy.
•By using rustic wooden pieces from Golden Triangle for the cocktail table surfaces in the formal living room, Del Piero created elegant yet durable surfaces that stand up to use by the Doherty's three children.
•A coffee table with a plush leather top can be used for extra seating in the long, narrow family room. The custom piece by Aaron Bladon was designed with a sliding walnut tray, which can be pushed to either end
