Blending the Old with the Photography by Alise O’Brien 

When Scott Runyan started working on the 2,500 square foot addition to his home, his biggest fear was the new would clearly clash with the old. 

“I was up there taking the bricks down one by one with my men so we could save them to use on the new back of the house,” Scott says. “I was afraid a new brick wouldn’t be a match.” 

As a builder and co-owner of SR Homes, his biggest challenge was multifold: Comply with the old architectural look of the Lake Forest neighborhood and stay true to the reds, greens, and mustards of the bricks, which are mostly discontinued. 

Scott had offered Kristi, his wife, a new house. He would build her anything, anywhere. But with three children 12-years-old and younger, the couple decided that the best option would be to expand their home of the past 11 years. 

“It’s hard to duplicate a premium location with mature trees but then also fix the dysfunctional layout of minimalist closets, kitchens, and bathrooms,” Scott says. 

To bring it to modern-day standards and to fit today’s lifestyle, the Runyans wanted a hearth room, an outdoor living space, a larger breakfast area, an after-school “landing space” for the kids, a bar for entertaining, and a master bedroom suite with walk-in his- and her-closets and a larger bathroom with a soaking tub and an 11-foot shower area. In the basement, they put in a weight room and steam room/shower. Then they re-plumbed the entire house. 

Amie Hemenway of Amie Hemenway Interiors has worked with the Runyans for years. She says Kristi has a strong sense of style and gets very involved in making the selections. 

“[Kristi’s] grandfather’s freshly refinished vintage table is contrasted with a new set of white loop-style chairs [from Design & Detail],” Hemenway says. “We upholstered the chair and barstool seats in high-gloss white vinyl so dirty handprints or paint spills can be easily cleaned with a damp cloth. The huge island and kitchen table offers plenty of room for the kids to spread out their homework.”  

“I saw this blue island in the Karr Bick [Kitchen & Bath] showroom years ago and I loved it,” Kristi adds. 

But she was apprehensive about the cabinet selection; “Everyone said the mirrors were too dressy but I really wanted them.” And the idea of white with two boys, a daughter who loves to craft, and a husband always covered in construction dust was scary. But Hemenway gave her the thumbs up she needed and in the process, Kristi ended up launching her own cabinet company, Stile Cabinetry Design. 

As for the lighting, “The mini crystal drop pendant light over the sink and bar, plus the open lantern-style island light sparkles up her space,” Hemenway says. “I fell in love with the Oly chandelier hanging in Design & Detail's showroom and brought it by the house.” 

The crystal theme is repeated in the master bathroom. The wall sconces in the bedroom were chosen to eliminate the need for lamps on the nightstands, which also came from Kristi’s grandfather and which perfectly exemplify the project: Blending the old with the new.