The Gemperle Garage

Master bathroom shower includes a unique subway pattern, built in floating bench and gold fixtures. The shower includes a rain shower head, body sprays & hose nozzle.

The living room features a living shelf of cascading plants, custom built in shelving, vintage factory lighting, vintage Moroccan rug, a view to the interior courtyard and our dog. The sideboard behind sofa is storage and helps define the dining room space from the living room.

Here our 10 year old dog, Mason, showcases his favorite pose. On the right is a wood burning fireplace that is bricked and white washed and continues 20 feet up to the ceiling. But this view also leads back to the Moroccan powder room, mudroom, garage and the two stair cases that lead to a loft and Sunroom.

The master bathroom double vanity is a custom built in cabinet with bronze handles that will have a living finish. It was important to us that the house look even better as it ages and I think metals with a living finish or natural patina is a great way to enjoy watching that evolution. Our house has push button light fixtures and raw brass switch plates that I am already enjoying seeing patina after being here for a year and a half. Our sconces in the photo are from a lovely designer on Etsy. And we switched to Turkish hand and bath towels in this bathroom as they are a little more sophisticated for this mixed metal and finish space. The tile is porcelain made to look like cement and is laid on the diagonal and with 3 different width to help expand this space even more.

Another view of the living room showcases the floor to ceiling fireplace and a view into the “kids wing” and of the staircase tucked behind that winds up to the Sunroom and two decks. There is also a peak at the bowtruss ceiling that is a highlight of the home. The artwork above the fireplace is an original by Chicago artist and muralist Justus Roe.

The kitchen is very spacious and open with black aged shaker style cabinetry. Aside from the 4 burner + griddle stove the other appliances are hidden away behind built in doors and underneath the island but include a French door refrigerator/freezer, dishwasher, microwave, and warming drawer. The island includes storage that can be accessed from both sides, has cookbook storage on the end cap and acts as a counter height seating area with the gymnastics horse inspired bench. The black cabinetry features raw brass knobs and handles that will age with grace. Both the shelf along the windows and the island butcher block was repurposed from a truss of the building that had to taken down. The surrounding countertops are Quartz. The light fixtures were sources from a vintage store and Restoration Hardware.

The powder room has a strong Moroccan influence. The wall tiles were imported thru Badia Designs in LA and shipped directly to us. It took 18 months but the timing worked for the project. The custom wall mounted cement sink was made by a local Chicago artist. And the floor tile was sourced from CLE tile online. The intricate Moroccan barn door seen on the right was also sourced and imported thru Badia and acts as a divider to close off the laundry and mudroom from the living space.

This space is an interior courtyard that can open up and connect with kitchen, living and dining room. This showcases has it looks in early fall but once summer comes the clematis will be climbing up the wall on the left and a climbing hydrangea w Is very slowly growing on the right in addition to all the ferns, bleeding hearts, and creeping jenny that will perk up. The table and chairs are custom from a friend of a friend in Italy and features a special beetle and unique flower that has the same moniker as our youngest daughter.

The laundry and mud room are accessed off the garage and features black hexagon tiled floor with forest green cabinetry as a sliver can be seen on either side. But the hanging shelving and coat rack here was created using striped Black steel pipes from Home Depot and repurposed wood from a truss that was taken down from another part of the building. Copper and steel school gym baskets are used to store hats, scarves, and gloves on the upper shelves.

This stair case is opposite the garage door and provides very useful storage for frequently worn shoes. The stair risers are hand stenciled and add a lot of detail to the small space.

The tile is mosaic imported from Morocco thru a company in LA. The cement sink was made by a local artist in Chicago. The wall mounted faucet, light fixture and mirror were all sourced online.

This kids bathroom features cement tile, a cheery yellow custom built cabinet and an under mounted shower tub combo. The blend of classic subway tile, yellow cabinet and bohemian touches create a fun and youthful energy for the two young girls that use it. The deep window sill provides a great space for an eclectic collection of white planters and plants. And the railroad inspired shelf above the toilet provides storage for bright towels to be easily accessed.

The front door is recessed to allow a small enclosed covered area that has a floating bench and boot scrap.

The front of the house used to have 3 garage doors but it now as a home has three bays of windows (the middle bay would be the window and door opening).

The entry is tiled in hexagon cement tiles in 2 shades of grey, white and black. It is pieced in with the surrounding wood floors to create a beautiful flow. The crystal chandelier adds a little drama to define this small entry against the large space that it is carved out of.

The small door leads from the sleeping room to the play room.