Chauncey Williams House River Forest, IL

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Peter Beers*
Written By Peter Beers*

This place is really weird.  I imagine at one time it looked pretty good, but the way its decorated.  The back of the house is totally disjointed.  From the back of the house, the servants stairs look like a poorly placed add on to the second floor.

On the inside, the owners over the years chose to cover the original decor with some unfortunate wall paper and drapes.  Someone along the way decided to paint over the nice tiles around the fireplace.  Very bad choice.

Front Lawn in May, 2003

  The octagonal Library is beautiful.  The design and windows were really nicely done.  The view out of them made the place a perfect office. I don’t think I’d get much work done there, though.  I’d be looking out the windows all the time.

Front View: May, 2003

  The foundation was really the most interesting part of the house.  Mr. Wright and Mr Williams rolled stones up from the river bed and incorporated them into the foundation of the house.  this was definitely NOT done in his later years (the home was built in 1895).  He’d have certainly had his apprentices do the work if it had been built a few decades later.     This place needs some SERIOUS renovation to get it back the way it originally looked.  This is the first Wright house that I’ve been through where I thought there was a serious flaw in the design.  The servants stairway looks like a total afterthought on the back of the house.

Side View: May, 2003

smith brad omni

Written by Peter Beers*

CEO & Lead Interior Designer

Brad Smith is an experienced interior designer and the founder of OmniHomeIdeas.com. With a Master's degree in Interior Design from Pratt Institute and a passion for creating safe and healthy living spaces, Brad shares his expert insights and innovative design ideas with our readers. His work is driven by the belief that home is where every story begins.