Design Ideas Abound at Airoom's Showcase Home featured in the 5th Annual Chicago Luxury Home Tour

Aug. 29, 2008 - PRLog -- Airoom has always been a company ahead of its time.  Founded 50 years ago, the residential design/build firm was one of the first builders in the country to employ in-house designers, architects, and project managers.  Today, Airoom’s “everything under one roof” approach includes award-winning designers and two large showrooms in Lincolnwood and Naperville, Illinois.  “We continue to grow and innovate,” says President and CEO Tom Graham.  “We’re one of the only design/build firms that employs Certified Green Professionals, a designation from the National Associations of Homebuilders.”

Airoom doesn’t just build custom homes; they are custom remodeling specialists who do everything from home additions and exterior renovations to whole-house remodels, including home theaters and custom kitchens and baths.  “We combine architecture, engineering, construction, product selection, interior design, purchasing and financing into a coherent process,” says Executive Vice President Seymour Turner.  “When I joined Airoom in 1986 we were already established as the leader in the design/build industry. Since then we have continued to enhance our operation, facilities, and staff to provide the best service possible to our customers and the communities where they live." Looking forward to the next fifty years, Airoom recently completed a new custom home for the 5th Annual Chicago Luxury Home Tour (http://www.chicagohometour.com/profiles/3.html) to feature some of its best design ideas and workmanship.  The Tour is open on September 5-7, 12-14, and 19-21 (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) from 11am to 6pm.  

Airoom's showcase home is located in the northern Chicago suburb of Green Oaks in the prestigious Arbor Lakes Estates.  Constructed of brick with hand-cut stone trim and limestone quoins, this beautiful two-story French Provincial manor home is situated next to protected wetlands and overlooks Lake Kathryn.  The exterior walk ways are multi-colored rustic pavers that lead to a landscaped courtyard outside of the oversized knotty alder entry door trimmed with mortised wrought-iron hardware.  The hand-split cedar shake roof is accented with barrel vault windows and copper gutters, collection boxes and downspouts.  A custom profile metal railing surrounding a private terrace off the master bedroom completes the exterior detailing.

The interior of the five bedroom, four and a half bath, fifty-six hundred square foot home includes custom details in every room which can be incorporated in new construction as well as renovation projects on existing properties.  The design decisions and material selections address both an upscale aesthetic and the functional needs of today’s family.  And wherever possible the choices were made to enhance the home’s durability and efficiency.  

Visitors are first greeted by a dramatic entry foyer with French limestone flooring with granite accents and a Brazilian cherry staircase with cherry and wrought iron railings which follows the 22 foot high curved walls painted with a glazed faux finished.  For convenience there is a motorized mount for the dramatic chandelier hanging two stories above the foyer floor.  

The two-cook kitchen has a furniture feel with maple cabinets with inset style five-piece raised panel doors with applied molding custom made by Crystal Cabinet Works,  Juparana Gold granite from India for the perimeter counters, and a large 8-foot island of distressed glazed cabinetry topped by an African Iroko hardwood worksurface.  The main counter is accented with a farm-style apron front hammered copper sink while the same material is used in the undermount sink in the island.  The faucets and cabinet hardware have a wrought-iron finish.  The hutch style hood above the commercial range is highlighted with a hand-cut tumbled limestone backsplash.  Appliances include a KitchenAid built-in refrigerator and dishwasher, a commercial range from DSC by Fisher & Paykel, a Sharp microwave drawer, and an Electrolux warming drawer.  The kitchen is further enhanced with a dedicated desk area with concealed computer station and an adjoining butler’s pantry.  The elegant light fixtures in this room and elsewhere in the home are from the Paris Flea Collection by Crystorama.

Around the corner from the kitchen there is a paneled home office with coffered ceiling with cherry trim which could be used as a guest room thanks to the adjacent full bath.  This bath and the powder room have Bombay style vanities with matching mirrors.  The hall leading to the three car garage has the first floor laundry center which features a full sized Neptune washer and dryer from Maytag and their drying center.  On the other side of the kitchen is the amply proportioned great room which has a hand-cut limestone fireplace with a rough hewn mantle, custom ceiling treatments, and a 52” flat panel TV with surround sound.   All the audio and video in the home is powered by a media closet located nearby.  The multiple zone audio system, compatible with any music source, can be controlled throughout the house via wall units or multi-function remote.  

The comfortable breakfast room has rustic porcelain tile and large windows overlooking the protected wetlands nearby.  A formal dining room, living room and powder room complete the first floor of the home.  

The open second floor balcony leads to the master suite.  Privacy in the oversized bedroom is enhanced by pocketed French doors that lead to the adjacent sitting room. The master bath has custom Lyptus wood his-and-her vanities topped with Ubatuba granite which flank the French door leading to a private balcony.  The full height mirror is placed between tall hutch cabinets crowned with a matching bridge accented with low-voltage down lights.  A free-standing Cheviot bath, surrounded by patterned inset porcelain tile is centrally placed beneath an oversized window.  The two-person steam shower features six body sprays, two handheld showerheads, a ceiling mounted rain-shower, and thermostatic controls set behind a frameless full enclosure door.  The shower interior is appointed with a lounging seat, recessed niches, Ahnzu subway tile and listello trim.  The toilet is placed in its own compartment which includes a hand wash sink.  The closets are custom fitted with the MasterSuite collection by ClosetMaid.  

The second floor is completed by a second laundry center and three additional bedrooms.  Two bedrooms share a Jack-and-Jill bath with whirlpool tub, a Habersham vanity and Phylrich faucets.  The third bedroom has its own bath.

The home uses two types of systems for heating.  A high efficiency Lennox forced air system with zone controls and a variable speed fan provides heat for most of the home and air conditioning throughout. A Dunkirk Quantum boiler provides radiant heat for the floors in the lower level, breakfast room and master bath along with the domestic hot water for the home.

About the Chicago Luxury Home Tour:
From classical chic gems to traditional manor estates, the 5th annual Chicago Luxury Home tour, presented by Midwest Home Chicago, features 22 prestigious, one-of-a-kind luxury homes valued from $900,000 to $4 million. During three weekends, tour attendees can embrace an exquisite caliber of living as they explore luxury homes that surprise and delight at every turn. Discover a wealth of new options surrounding in-home entertaining, landscaping, architecture, technology, green living, and functional home design. Fully furnished, the tour homes encapsulate the stunning design and construction skills of some of Chicagoland’s most sought-after builders.  For more on the Tour and Airoom's showcase home go to http://www.chicagohometour.com/profiles/3.html.  

Directions: Airoom's showcase home exit I-94 at Buckley Road/IL-137 West the turn north onto Sage Court (first street on the north side of Buckley Road) and then proceed to home.

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About Airoom:
Founded in 1958, Airoom pioneered the design/build concept in home additions and custom renovations. Airoom has a full staff of designers, architects, permit expeditors, and project managers. All work is backed up by a 10-year installation warranty and a 15-year structural guarantee. Airoom is based in the near north suburb of Lincolnwood and has a second showroom in the west suburb of Naperville. “For six decades, Airoom has successfully guided thousands of homeowners from start to finish through the home remodeling and home addition process,” said Seymour Turner, Executive Vice President of Airoom. “Whether they are looking to renovate a historic residence or to finish a lower level in a new-construction home, clients can expect Airoom to provide them with extensive resources and world-class design expertise.”

For more information, call Airoom at 847.967.ROOM (7666), visit either showroom, or go to our Web site at http://www.airoom.com.