Classic Architecture, Bathed in Golds, Beiges and Creams

PHOTOGRAPHS BY WERNER STRAUBE
WRITTEN BY TED LOOS
PRODUCED BY HILARY ROSE

A larger story of how the Besser family home in Chicago got to be so stunning is found in the tale of two small, humble chairs. For years, Rebecca Besser had been hanging on to a couple of low-slung black lacquer armchairs that had been her grandmother’s. But they didn’t seem to fit into the brand-new house she was building on the city’s Gold Coast with her husband, Charlie, and five children (and a labradoodle).

Designer Martin Horner, of the firm Soucie Horner, didn’t see why the heirlooms shouldn’t have pride of place. “I said, ‘These are so cool,’?” he recalls. All they needed was a bit of updating in the form of a chic black-and-cream print and a spot in Rebecca’s private upstairs sitting room. “That was a great surprise. Now they look really modern,” Rebecca says. “I loved them as a child, and now I get to have them in my life.”

Stylish, but with a big heart. Horner and the Bessers were on the same page. Together they created a home ready-made for welcoming guests, complete with a custom walnut dining room table that not only expands from six to 20 seats but also easily changes shape from square to round to oval with the strategic additions of table leaves and pedestals.

While the three-level stone-clad house graciously welcomes guests, it is also a safe haven for family-only time—this group has been known to cozy up together in the master bedroom to watch TV on the bed—and it comfortably accommodates the special needs of Jacqueline, the Bessers’ 16-year-old daughter, who is autistic. “She’s our angel, and the reason we built this house,” says Rebecca, who worked closely with Horner to create a suite for Jacqueline. “We find that when we make decisions with her at the forefront, everything turns out so well.”

The palette that Horner used in the Besser house is a symphony of golds, beiges, and creams against dove-white walls. “We’re so busy and always traveling,” says Rebecca. “These colors make us feel calm and relaxed.” Rebecca gives her time to a fleet of charitable groups, including the Service Club of Chicago, said to be the oldest philanthropic women’s group in the city. Charlie gives of his time, too—when he’s not running his sports marketing and events business. The Bessers weren’t so busy that they wanted to completely outsource the design of their house, however. “Martin didn’t tell me what to do,” says Rebecca. “What he did was guide me into what I like.”

The decorator-client relationship may have been predestined: When they first met, Rebecca showed Horner a picture of an apartment she admired, and it happened to be his own (though it was the previous owner’s version). Certainly the client knew what she wanted. “She was going for something classic and timeless, not trendy,” says the designer.

He gave the family solid Beaux-Arts bones for the interior architecture: serious moldings, hardwood floors, fireplaces that seem to be a century old. These elements, as well as the structure itself, designed by Chicago architect Wayne Zediker, helped it fit perfectly into the venerable neighborhood north of the Loop.

But into those spaces Horner placed relatively clean-lined furniture in soothing hues, with very few large sofas. The idea was that a variety of chairs would allow the Bessers to move things around anytime in the interest of staying flexible for the many family members and friends who were sure to drop by. As Rebecca puts it, “We love to celebrate.”

Because Rebecca’s stated goal was “traditional, but with some hipness,” Horner threw in a pop of contemporary style here and there. For the master bathroom, Rebecca got a Lucite-legged ottoman topped by a puffy white cloud of mohair pelt. (Charlie’s special treat was a bit more practical: a custom-made sandwich station in the kitchen that Horner created out of maple and pine.)

Touches like these, requested by the Bessers and shepherded with care by Horner, all add up to a long-haul prospect for this family. As Rebecca puts it, “This is the house for us.”

Architect: Wayne Zediker, Advanced Architectural Design Ltd., 410 N. Maple St., Mount Prospect, IL 60056; 847/392-5309, architecturaldesignchicago.com
Interior designers, kitchen designers: Shea Soucie and Martin Horner, Soucie Horner Ltd., 208 W. Kinzie St., 2nd Floor, Chicago, IL 60610; 312/755-0202, souciehorner.com

SOURCES:
Flooring (“Crema Parador,” marble): Chadwick’s Surfaces International, 847/680-3222, chadwickssurfaces.net
Carpet on stairs (custom, wool/silk): Hokanson, 800/560-8834, hokansoncarpet.com
Hanging fixture (custom); sconce (custom): Soucie Horner Ltd., 312/755-0202, souciehorner.com
Fabrication: Doug Seaman, Archistoric Workshop, 312/829-6290, archistoric.com
Paint (“White Dove” #OC-17): Benjamin Moore & Co., 888/236-6667.