For many couples, reaching a certain age can be a time to rethink their living situation. Whether you prefer to label it “retirement” or focus on your home’s conversion of what is commonly referred to as an empty nest, this particular stage of life can be the end of one era and the beginning of another. While a four-bedroom house may have been the great place to raise a family, it might not be an ideal abode once the kids are off on their own.
Local couple Joyce and Michael Rothman decided this was the perfect stage for them to tackle something new within the framework of something familiar. The couple had lived in their bungalow in northeast Oak Park for 33 years when they decided to sell in early 2009.
The Rothmans had been browsing the local condo market in Oak Park and River Forest, but they weren’t completely convinced they wanted to stay in the west suburbs. According to Joyce, their plans always included downsizing at some point and to be more carefree.
“But it was not a slam dunk that we would stay here. We considered moving to Chicago, Evanston or even Wilmette,” she says. “Of course, having lived in Oak Park so long, we were very comfortable here, so moving to a condo here would be a change without being a drastic change.”
With the help of Realtor Melissa Kowalski, the Rothmans looked at several condos before they found one on Kenilworth Avenue that was just right. The couple knew they wanted a central location in walking distance to stores, entertainment and public transportation, but a lot of the condos they saw were either on loud streets or were already too customized.
“A lot of apartments that we saw were quite nice but were done to suit other people’s taste,” says Joyce. “When we saw this place, we knew we could do what we wanted to it. We were attracted to this building because it was smaller, and the location was great. As a 46-year-old building it was solidly built.”
After years of living in a 100-year-old bungalow, the Rothmans wanted to imbue their relatively young condo with a more contemporary decor. So, in came local designer Denise Hauser to help the couple redesign their condo’s kitchen. Hauser often works on kitchens with a much larger footprint and was excited by the challenge the Rothman’s project entailed.
“This was so much fun for me. A lot of people in this stage of life want to change their lifestyle. Just by moving 10 blocks, the Rothmans changed from a suburban to an urban lifestyle,” she says. “They really wanted to do something different with the interior, and they weren’t afraid. I don’t often find clients in Oak Park who want to create a contemporary design.”
Even though the couple chose to remain in Oak Park, Michael says the decision has made for a new experience.
“This was a total change in our style,” he says. “We went from early 20th century to 21st century. We do feel like living in this condo is a more urban lifestyle. There’s nothing here we can’t walk to. We take the Green Line downtown all the time. We’re members of the Art Institute and enjoy cultural events in the city. Downtown Chicago is our new backyard.”
To complement an urban lifestyle, the Rothmans had to do two things: clean out one home and redesign another. Joyce admits that they had to get rid of a lot of things to move from a nine-room house to a two-bedroom condo. Michael says his wife was “brutal” about getting rid of unnecessary items. The work on modernizing their new kitchen presented its own difficulties.
In order to open up the small kitchen to the condo’s living room and dining room, the Rothmans had to remove a load-bearing wall that supported the condo unit above them. Several steel beams later, they had an open-concept kitchen that allows for both cooking and entertaining guests.
“Their upstairs neighbor’s plumbing ran through the kitchen’s original soffit,” said Hauser in regards to the many challenges in working within the framework of the building. “Because these are concrete walls, the mechanicals could not be worked into the walls. All the cabinets in the kitchen had to be custom made to cover up the mechanicals. For a smaller kitchen, there were a lot of goofy spaces.”
Hauser created a kitchen built around stunning rift-sawn oak cabinetry laid on a horizontal plane, to visually extend the room. Horizontal hardware and thin 3/4-inch quartz countertops extend the sightline as well. A peninsula, now located where a wall once divided the kitchen from the dining room, allows for outside treetop views.
“I’m seeing a lot more thinking about aging in place and what that means ergonomically,” says Hauser. “Cabinet height, drawers and lighting can all make a difference in how a body functions in a kitchen.”
Michael says that the open-feel concept was important to him and his wife.
“Given how long we stayed in our last house, we think we’re going to be here a while. This is fine for us now, and will be just as functional for us 10 to 20 years down the road.”
While it may appear to be a big move, downsizing and remaining in the area isn’t all that uncommon for couples.
“We’re not that unique,” explains Joyce. “Half the people in our building have owned homes in Oak Park and downsized. I don’t know if it’s a trend, but I think people do tend to stay in Oak Park because you can have the best of urban and suburban life here.”