Restoration of Spirit Project

Showhouse focus is spiritual exploration through design

1042 Hinman does not wind down the lakefront with Sheridan Road. It is not seated in a ravine's thick brush at the end of a quarter-mile driveway. 1042 Hinman is not a mansion. 1042 Hinman is, however, the site of what promises to be one of the year's most exciting designer showcases.

The Queen Anne Victorian farmhouse chosen for "The Restoration of Spirit Project" reflects the alternative approach to designer showcase homes employed by co-chair Janet Kohl. the 3,000 square foot Evanston home is not your typical showhouse locale. But the project is not an excuse to get a look at an amazing North Shore residence; and it is not solely a demonstration of the talent of some of Chicago's best designers. Major design concepts are involved, but what makes this event special is that it moves far beyond the usual conventions of the designer showcase.

Woven into the wall hangings and divulged through the intricate decorative detail is the essence of this project: Spirituality. You can find it in the rooms' small additions, such as the presence of sage (supposedly clearing negative energy), or in more discernible choices, such as the incorporation of floral and garden design in most rooms.

Kohl was very specific about one guideline: to bring out each room's spirit so that occupants or visitors could in turn get in touch with their spirituality.

Essentially, this project began when Kohl acquired the home in early 2001. She set out to make much needed repairs and restorations to the old farmhouse with the intention of placing it on the market. But timing, it seemed, was not on the side of 1042 Hinman or its owner. The events of September 11 left the markets sluggish, and this is where the house would stay – its walls as freshly white as blank canvasses.

Kohl likens houses to people, each needing time for restoration and rejuvenation. After 9-11, healing and spirituality were important to many coping with life change. With patience and a bit of spiritual attention, this house, like many surrounding it, was restored to its full potential.

"Life is constant repair and maintenance, even on a fully restored person," Kohl said. The title of the showcase is derived from a novel she is working on about such spiritual progression. The timing, now, adds all the more to the story behind "The Restoration of Spirit Project." And the walls, that once seemed blindingly blank, have made beautiful spaces for spiritual exploration through design.

The showcase was put into action by Kohl's co-chairs Harriet Ross and Judith Shaver, as well as others wishing to benefit the Great Oaks School in Evanston. Mirroring the concepts employed throughout the design process is the spiritual emphasis in this alternative school. Students here are educated in the Waldorf Tradition based on the philosophy of Rudolph Steiner, who held that in the quest for truth and understanding, the spiritual must be present. He set out to prove that spirit was the agent of human thinking. 1042 Hinman is conducive to this educational emphasis upon arts and music in the classroom and the home.

"This really is a Steiner house," Ross noted. "It teaches you how to think and not what to think." The key is to provide the environment for spiritual growth, and knowledge will be enriched thereafter. An example of one Steiner-friendly addition comes in the living room with the incorporation of a piano.

"It's really about getting back to what Steiner talked about – and that's how I live my life too," Kohl added.

Apparent throughout the home is a sense of comfort through togetherness. The dining room is centered upon a circular table, reinforcing the idea of a "circle of friends." There is no room for a television in the living room. The focal point, instead, is the fireplace – an ideal location for intimate interaction.

But togetherness is made most apparent by the size of the space – uncharacteristically small quarters for the number of rooms designed. The idea here is that each room in the home is to be used, instead of having a few simply to look at. After all, comfortable homes should not be museums.

"Sure, we could put a couple more bar stools in the kitchen, but why not just use the dining room?" Kohl said. "And so many people have both a living room and family room and never go in one!"

The showcase home, on the other hand, is intended to be fully functional and comfortable in all areas, creating sanctuary by utilizing every space.

To the ever-present cliché, home is where the heart is, Kohl adds, "Soul is where the art is." A great deal of effort has been spent in this showcase to demonstrate the incorporation of contemporary art within the home. The aim is to dispel the myth that new art trends do not fit in the home. Alongside this theme, however, is that of the blend between former and current art. Compare a great modern piece title "Joy" near the fireplace, to the Roman-style portrait on its mantle. In this showcase home, one can live in the present while appreciating the past.

The opening reception of the benefit, tomorrow, promises to be everything the house is about. Kohl emphasizes that the home will swell during the evening, showing how a beautifully designed space can be guest-friendly as well as a physical and spiritual sanctuary for its owners.