Creating Dream Spaces - Brief Article

Ebony, May, 2001 by Joy Bennett Kinnon

Chicago couple updates new home

WHILE the year has four seasons, it's always spring and summer at the urban oasis of a Chicago couple.

Light and airy with hardwood floors that have a high-gloss shine, Jeannette and Isaac Stinnette's home has the feel of a summer retreat, and that's the way they want it. A young, urban and upscale couple with an 8-month-old son and two thriving careers, they would not necessarily be expected to be intimately involved in house construction and interior design. But the couple was intimately involved in their single-family home's construction in the gated community of Heritage Place on Chicago's South Side.

"This is our first home," says Stinnette, an accounting analyst for the Northern Trust Co., "and we had a very, particular idea for how we wanted it to look."

Jeannette Stinnette, a real estate attorney with Piper, Marbury, Rudnick & Wolfe law firm, concurs. "We chose this lot facing east to catch as much sunlight as possible," she says. "This was only the second house to be completed in this subdivision, and we were very involved in choosing materials, particularly in the kitchen and in the den with the cabinets and the wood facing on the refrigerator in the kitchen and in the den."

The couple pored over many magazines for design ideas and made "numerous trips to Home Depot and other stores to choose materials," she adds.

And although the couple did work with interior designer Shyvette Williams, the result is uniquely their own. So much so, in fact, that some of the ideas, such as skylights, fireplaces, decks and hardwood floors that they incorporated in their home, are offered as optional features on other homes in the new subdivision, they say.

One of the optional features chosen by the couple is the large whirlpool tub in the master bathroom suite. They went to the hardware store and actually chose just the right tub that is the focal point of the room. The master bathroom is bathed in natural light from a skylight and is mirrored on three sides. There is also a shower stall and marble tile and flooring.

The master bedroom is decorated in light colors and features a fireplace, several windows, a ceiling fan and a unique sleigh-style bed that was the couple's first purchase for the house. A wall-thickness-deep niche creates extra space for the couple's TV and DVD player.

The lower, or basement, floor of their three-level home contains the husband's favorite room in the house, the den. The cozy enclave features a wet bar and the same light wood and black granite countertops as in the kitchen. There is a powder room and a large-screen TV, stereo equipment and a comfortable L-shaped, tan-colored couch to complete the room's inviting feel.

Up the stairs on the first floor are the home's community living spaces, including the living room with fireplace and a dining area with light wall colors accented with small and large candles throughout the area. The entire first floor features polished hardwood floors throughout, light wall colors and a deck off the kitchen. Natural-finish cabinets contribute to the kitchen's light, clean feeling while the black appliances, including a countertop stove, built-in microwave and oven and long, black granite countertop, complete the kitchen, giving it a sleek look that emphasizes its horizontal layout.

Upstairs are three bedrooms, including a nursery, beautifully decorated like a tree house for the couple's 8-month-old son, Isaac, and a second complete bathroom in addition to the master bath.

"With all the time and effort we spent on this house, the result has been worth it," the wife adds. The couple bought the house in May 1998, but say they might consider moving soon for additional storage space. That, however, is not a high priority right now. "We love this house and the thought of packing and moving again, especially with a baby, is too much of an ordeal," Stinnette says.

For other couples who might be planning to make that move soon, they say get involved to create your own dream space.

Dream spaces begin with sweet dreams. For Chicagoans Jeannette and Isaac Stinnette, who pitched in a shopped at local home-improvement retail outlets, the sweet dreams started in the master bedroom suite (above), which features a unique sleigh-style bed, a fireplace and niche for the couple's TV and DVD player. The living room and dining room (opposite page, bottom) are accented with candles and include a fireplace and hardwood floors.

The master bathroom's focal point is the large whirlpool tub and skylight, while the kitchen's (below) sleek look is emphasized through the natural-finish cabinets, hardwood floors and black granite countertop and black appliances, including a countertop stove and built-in microwave and oven.