Step inside this Illinois dream house with a dramatic black and white palette

White stucco home exterior with black window trim, steep gabled roofline, stone entry stairs, and lush front garden landscaping

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Scott Simpson Design Build created this stunning dream house, where exterior details blend with traditional building forms to fit comfortably into this historic neighborhood of Evanston, Illinois. The black-and-white contrast in a modern home is balanced and softened by the handmade materials and natural woods of a traditional home.

After initially considering fixing up an old colonial home in Wilmette, these homeowners instead opted for design-build new construction to get everything they wanted from the process and keep all the decision-making with one team.

The design of the home was centered on this young family’s custom architecture goals: a timeless home that feels warm and comfortable; a variety of entertainment spaces for hosting family and friends; bringing the outdoors in with large windows and a blending of indoor-outdoor spaces; special jewel box rooms and pockets of cozy window benches adding elements of elegant surprise and preparing for the wear and tear and organizing the clutter of two growing boys.

DESIGN DETAILS

INTERIOR DESIGN CM Studio Interiors
DESIGN + BUILD Scott Simpson Design Build
PHOTOGRAPHY STYLING Cate Ragan Styling

Close-up of black double entry doors with reeded glass panels, brass hardware, and flanking wall sconces on a white stucco facade

The exterior facade of this home was inspired by nearby Tudor-style homes, as reflected in the twin-gabled roofline. The black-and-white color scheme on the exterior echoes the bold contrast found throughout the interior.

A two-story foyer that makes a grand first impression

Two-story entry foyer with black French doors, reeded glass, globe pendant light, vintage runner rug, and open staircase with black metal balusters

The dramatic two-story foyer makes a grand first impression with an open staircase, simple railings, and soaring ceilings; stunning round light fixtures; built-ins; and arched hallway entries lining the landing, alongside black-trimmed windows overlooking a beautiful maple in the front yard, bringing in an abundance of natural light.

Bright foyer with open-rise staircase, natural oak treads, black steel balusters, velvet bench, and abstract painting on white wall

Interesting Fact: From the deconstruction of the original home through the end of the process, the homeowner loved working with Scott Simpson Design Build’s in-house architecture and design team so much that she decided to stop practicing law and open her own interior design business – CM Studio Interiors!

While design has always been a deep interest of hers, this homeowner-designer is tackling what she calls her “second act” and is already helping several clients with their homes – including working side-by-side with SSDB on beautiful new builds. She credits the real-life experience of building her new home with imparting invaluable lessons about the design-and-build process that can’t be taught in the classroom.

Open floating staircase with natural oak steps, black metal spindles, and a two-story window wall flooding the entry with natural light

A moody home office with built-ins

Dramatic dark home office with black painted walls and ceiling, sculptural sputnik chandelier, curved plaster desk, and built-in dark green cabinetry

Salvaged older pieces lend new charm to the home’s interiors, creating a unique mix of old and new – like a Victorian-era front door now serving as a pocket door in the first-floor home office. Warm wood furniture, brass details, and bookshelf niches showcase antique finds on clean-lined modern display shelves.

Dark home office with black ceiling, botanical wallpaper, floor-to-ceiling built-ins, and a curved plaster desk topped with a large plant arrangement

What We Love About This Home

This Illinois dream house strikes the perfect balance with bright, airy living spaces that open to a chef’s kitchen and a screened porch, offset by deeply moody rooms like the all-black powder bath, dark-green home office, and a floral-ceilinged closet in the owner’s bedroom suite. The salvaged Victorian door repurposed as a pocket door, the servery window connecting the kitchen to the porch, and the cozy window bench nooks tucked throughout show how thoughtfully every detail was considered. Overall, we are loving every detail of this home’s black-and-white color palette.

Tell Us: Which room in this home would you most want to call your own — the moody home office, the vaulted dining room, or the screened porch with its checkerboard floor and servery bar?

Note: Check out a couple of other amazing home tours that we have featured here on One Kindesign in the state of Illinois: This stunning shingle-style home in Illinois is the epitome of timeless beauty and House Tour: An Illinois dream home designed for entertaining in style.

Moody home office with black walls, oversized grid windows, boucle swivel chairs, and a sculptural plaster desk centered on a vintage rug

A hallway gallery wall and gilt mirror vignette

Hallway vignette with dark wood fluted console table, black-framed gallery wall of family photos, and a large arched gilt mirror

A chef’s kitchen with zellige tile, oak beams, and a marble island

Kitchen island with white marble waterfall countertop, natural oak base, woven leather barstools, brass disc pendants, and exposed ceiling beam

The kitchen anchors the open floor plan with beamed ceilings, a big, beautiful island, full-wall vertical tile, a dedicated coffee station, and “back-of-house” pantry and bar, all of which open to the fireplace and seating areas of the large family room and herringbone floors and vaulted ceiling of the dining room, making for ample room for any kind of entertaining.

Kitchen cooking wall with Wolf range, zellige tile backsplash, white plaster hood, cream shaker cabinets, and brass hardware

Wide kitchen view with large marble island, natural oak ceiling beams, brass disc pendants, and zellige tile backsplash behind a Wolf range

Smart home technology includes automatic shades that rise and fall on a timer that adjusts with the seasons, with the kitchen roller shades hidden up and behind the tile so they aren’t visible until in use.

Kitchen perimeter with cream shaker cabinets, marble countertops, open black shelving, and a large black casement window above the sink

Detail of kitchen cooking wall with zellige tile backsplash, brass faucet, black taper candles, and a brass disc pendant overhead

Tall natural oak refrigerator cabinet panel with integrated wine cooler, black hardware, and matching oak upper cabinets

Kitchen sink wall with cream shaker cabinets, brass hardware, black swing-out casement window, open black shelving, and espresso machine on the counter

A servery window in the large chef’s kitchen brings in fresh air from the backyard. It also provides additional entertaining seating at the bar counter on the screened porch, giving the feel of an outdoor kitchen, complemented by a bluestone patio with seating for 10 and a lounging sectional area in the yard.

A screened porch with a Marvin servery window

Kitchen island with white marble top, brass disc pendant, and a large floral arrangement in a white ceramic vase beside an open casement window

Screened porch with black-framed panels, checkerboard tile floor, teak sofa and coffee table, potted olive tree, and brass bar stools at a marble pass-through counter

Screened porch pass-through bar with a lift-up glass window, marble countertop, brass bar stools, oak ceiling planks, and a view into the kitchen

Above: A servery window is something you don’t see very often in Midwest homes, but the homeowners were determined to make it happen. They worked with Marvin Windows & Doors and the builder to bring this idea to life.

Kitchen view toward pantry doorway with bold graphic wallpaper, cream cabinets, and a fiddle-leaf fig plant beside the oak refrigerator panel

Doorway view into a pantry with dark graphic wallpaper, cream cabinetry, open wood shelving, and a beverage fridge below the counter

Butler's pantry with bold graphic black and tan wallpaper, built-in desk, black granite countertop, cane-back chair, and a pleated lamp on a sculptural wood base

A butler’s pantry with a built-in bar

Butler's pantry bar wall with bold graphic wallpaper, open oak shelving stocked with barware and spirits, black granite countertop, and woven basket storage below

An inviting living room with a window seat

Living room with oak ceiling beam, built-in window seat, dark olive velvet armchairs, a fireplace, and a large landscape painting above the mantel

Built-in wall niche with three oak shelves styled with a wooden figure, trailing greenery, framed photo, and stacked books beside the fireplace

Living room vignette with a large abstract painting in blue and gold tones above a sculptural black console table with hydrangea arrangement

Corner of living room with an oak window seat, dark velvet and graphic print throw pillows, a brass wall sconce, and a partial view of the console table

A vaulted dining room with origami pendants and herringbone floors

Formal dining room with vaulted plaster ceiling, paired oversized origami pendants, dark oak table with boucle chairs, and floor-to-ceiling black-framed windows

Dining room table set with a dahlia centerpiece in a bronze vase, white taper candles, crystal stemware, and dark linen napkins under two origami pendants

Dining room table detail with a tall dahlia and eucalyptus centerpiece, white taper candles in brass holders, layered place settings, and crystal goblets

A powder bath with a black tile accent wall

Powder bath with floor-to-ceiling black vertical tile, marble console sink on brass legs, globe sconces, and a recessed medicine cabinet mirror

A hard-working mudroom entry

Mudroom with cream built-in cabinetry, woven basket storage, a wood bench seat, herringbone tile floor, and a glazed black back door

Mudroom hallway with herringbone tile floor, cream cabinetry, dark wallpaper, glazed black back door, and a brass-accented ceiling light

Mudroom detail with cream upper and lower cabinetry, dark geometric wallpaper, marble countertop, brass hardware, and a straw hat and woven bag on the counter

A staircase landing reading nook with bold geometric wallpaper

Staircase landing reading nook with a bold geometric brown and tan wallpaper, built-in window seat with graphic pillows, and a brass side table

Upper hallway with a grid-pattern globe pendant, arched built-in bookshelf niche, runner rug, black steel stair railing, and a rustic wood console table

Staircase landing with vaulted white ceiling, tall black-framed grid window, brass hook sconces, and a potted plant on a black metal stand

Hallway built-in bookcase niche with four oak shelves styled with books, framed photos, ceramics, and vases, lit by a brass picture light

Upper hallway vignette with a large figurative collage artwork, dark console table, dome table lamp, and a view through the doorway into a bedroom

Owner’s bedroom with a caramel velvet headboard

Primary bedroom sitting corner with a boucle swivel chair, brass side table, linen drapes, black-framed grid window, and a landscape painting on the wall

Primary bedroom with a tall caramel velvet channel-tufted headboard, white drum pendant, knit throw, floral print pillows, and black-framed windows overlooking trees

Primary bedroom nightstand detail with a black cane-front bedside table, brass table lamp, yellow wildflower arrangement, and a tall channel-tufted velvet headboard

The owner’s closet with a floral wallpapered ceiling

Walk-in closet with dark navy walls, bold floral wallpapered ceiling, black built-in cabinetry with brass hardware, a marble-topped island dresser, and hanging clothes

The contrast of bright and airy common spaces with dark and bold, smaller rooms throughout the house adds to a constant feeling of discovery, such as the deeply dark primary closet with floral wallpaper on the ceiling, the powder room with full black tile walls and bronze sconces, and the deep green cabinets and walls of the home office.

Owner’s bathroom with a matte black soaking tub

Primary bathroom with a matte black oval freestanding soaking tub, woven rattan pendant, gray stone tile floor, and a glass-enclosed marble shower

Owner’s bathroom with a fluted oak vanity

Primary bathroom double vanity with fluted oak cabinet, white marble countertop, dual black-framed mirrors, chrome sconces, and red Japanese maple branch arrangement

Walk-in shower interior with white picket tile walls, chrome cross-handle fixtures, handheld shower wand, gray hex mosaic floor, and a built-in shelf with amber bath bottles

Primary bathroom overview with matte black freestanding tub, chrome towel warmer, line-drawing figure artwork, fluted oak double vanity, and a woven rattan pendant

Kids’ bedrooms with wallpaper

Boy's bedroom with a textured gray wallpaper accent wall, wood platform bed, plaid and striped throw pillows, dark velvet curtains, and a brass flush-mount ceiling light

Boy's bedroom with a dark stormy-sea painting gallery wall, a small black writing desk, rush-seat chair, globe lamp, and charcoal linen curtains at a black-framed window

Child's bedroom with a cloud-print wallpaper accent wall, dark upholstered headboard, ticking-stripe bedding, black door with brass hardware, and a plaid area rug

Kids’ bathroom with a walnut vanity

Kids' shared bathroom with a walnut double vanity, white vertical tile backsplash, two black-framed mirrors, globe pendant lights, and dark hexagon floor tile

Laundry room with white shaker upper and lower cabinets, black granite countertop, built-in open shelving, geometric gray tile floor, and an LG front-load washer

Children's playroom with a wide clerestory window, vintage map gallery wall, two small round play tables with molded chairs, a sheepskin rug, and an antique area rug

Guest Bedroom With Moody Walls

Dark bedroom nightstand vignette with a boucle wingback headboard, round walnut bedside table with marble top, brass table lamp, oval brass mirror, and white poppy arrangement against charcoal walls

Guest bathroom with a walnut vanity, marble countertop, large black-framed mirror, globe vanity light, and a doorway view into a white-tiled walk-in shower with dark hex floor tile