08/21/2026
How do you modernize a historic home without erasing what made it special?
For this Winnetka Tudor, we kept coming back to the same question: what is actually asking to be changed?
Some things clearly were. The kitchen needed a better relationship with the rooms around it. The exterior wanted a quieter palette. Certain rooms needed a stronger point of view and a clearer purpose. But the fireplaces, windows, beams, proportions, and unmistakable Tudor character? Those were already doing their job.
So rather than treating the existing house as something to overcome, we let it become the starting point. Walls came down where better flow mattered. New millwork was introduced where it could add function and character. Color, lacquer, chinoiserie, copper, and landscaping did some of the work that square footage didn’t need to.
The result isn’t a new house disguised as an old one. It still feels like this house. Just more connected, more expressive, and much better suited to life now. And that might be our favorite kind of transformation.
Storybook Tudor | Winnetka, Illinois
Architecture: Widler Architecture
Design + Build: Grace Kaage / Kaage Homes
