The Country House

The home that an architect or designer chooses to inhabit often becomes a living laboratory, a place where trends are tested and universal principles are employed in innovative new ways.

Frank Lloyd Wright had his home and studio. Designer Sharon A. Harvey has her gentlewoman’s country house on 222 Onwentsia Road, situated on a historic parcel of land once belonging to the McCormick Estate. Over the last two decades, she and business partner, David J. Poulton, AIA, have renovated the 1957 property with impeccable attention to detail.

In a similar spirit of Architectural Digest’s annual “American Country House” issue, the home is a lady’s version of a “gentlemen’s farm,” complete with granite brought in from New England and organic flower gardens that come alive in springtime.

“It was inspired by New England farm houses and the essence of Crab Tree Farm in Lake Bluff,” explains Harvey, founding partner and licensed interior designer of The Poulton Group in downtown Lake Forest. “Its long sight lines complete with masonry fences of granite and beautiful views from the house are rare on the North Shore and the design, landscaping, and room placement take full advantage of it.”

Harvey, who has served in various capacities on the Lake Forest Preservation Foundation, Lake Forest Open Lands, and Ragdale Foundation, is considered a local expert for those seeking to determine architectural and artistic significance of a home in the community.

In addition to her design work at The Poulton Group over the last 30 years, she has also been recognized for her contributions and educational outreach initiatives to preserve the architectural and historical legacy of Lake Forest and Lake Bluff.

But what happens when the resident expert turns attention to her own home? We were excited to get a first-hand look at what can only be described as a labor of love—a whole house renovation that evokes another place and time in history.

“With my clients’ homes, I visualize their spaces three dimensionally. For my own home’s design, I lived in the house for 15 years, so I had ample time to think about what I wanted. The focus was as much on how I wanted it to feel as much as how it would look.”

She wanted all the spaces to be warm and inviting, with good circulation. Lines between the inside and outside would be blurred. And every room would have purpose and function, including a dining room that also functions as a library.

“Just as with all our projects, we started with sun orientation and strategic placement of rooms and windows. The next priority is beautiful and quality natural materials,” Harvey explains. “After site visits to several quarries in New England, we finally selected the blue and gray granite. Every piece is hand-shaped by a highly talented mason, which is an art unto itself.  It’s a living stone containing mica and quartz that sparkles in the sun. This type of relentless scrutiny and attention to details shows up in our all work.”

As a personal laboratory, the project gave Harvey the opportunity to try new things and overcome challenges in unique ways. Blending the indoor and outdoor spaces was important, but how is that done without interrupting flow and efficiency—especially in climates such as ours with cold, harsh winters?

“We accomplished this by replacing and raising all the window and doors heights. The Garden Room, for example, incorporates three pairs of custom-designed tall double doors which open flush to the wall and provide the indoor-outdoor experience any time of year,” she says.  “It’s perfect for entertaining as it is surrounded by flower and organic heirloom vegetable gardens, including a 20’ x 40’ farmette and patios on all three sides.”

The greatest design and architectural feat of this project is emblematic of what Harvey and The Poulton Group do best—employing Greek and Roman principles of proportion and balance.

“Our company logo a reference to just that,” Harvey adds. “It’s the Golden Ratio and was used by architects in ancient Greek and Roman architecture.  The nautilus shell spiral is a good visual example of this mathematical formula.  You find this proportion throughout nature and our homes are harmonic too.”

While technically a renovation, the bulk of the project is new construction. A cedar shingle roof was replaced with slate and red brick was changed to stone. The original attached garage was carefully dissected and lifted by two GPS leveling cranes onto a new foundation towards rear of the property and now serves as a highly functional detached shop building and studio, which The Poulton Group will be submitting for LEED certification.

The result is a stunning example of what Harvey calls a “legacy home,” a place that evokes a different era and incorporates the highest quality of detail and craftsmanship.

“Some of the more complicated details in this house are indicative of our work at The Poulton Group,” she says. “These types of construction challenges are what we excel at and why clients hire us to do historic preservation projects.”

Having worked on renovations of historic landmarks by the likes of architectural legends David Adler, Howard Van Doren Shaw, and Harrie T. Lindenberg, Harvey says the authenticity of her country house was very important.

“I was born with paint and pencil in hand, destined to become an artist with a very mechanical mind,” she says. “But I didn’t discover my passion for architecture until college, and ultimately got interior design certification and license instead. The first building permit was pulled before I ever graduated from college and the rest is history. Here I am, still doing what I love 30 years later.”

“After site visits to several quarries in New England, we finally selected the blue and gray granite. Every piece is hand-shaped by a highly talented mason, which is an art unto itself.  It’s a living stone containing mica and quartz that sparkles in the sun. This type of relentless scrutiny and attention to details shows up in our all work.”

As a personal laboratory, the project gave Harvey the opportunity to try new things and overcome challenges in unique ways. Blending the indoor and outdoor spaces was important, but how is that done without interrupting flow and efficiency—especially in climates such as ours with cold, harsh winters?

“We accomplished this by replacing and raising all the window and doors heights. The Garden Room, for example, incorporates three pairs of custom-designed tall double doors which open flush to the wall and provide the indoor-outdoor experience any time of year,” she says.  “It’s perfect for entertaining as it is surrounded by flower and organic heirloom vegetable gardens, including a 20’ x 40’ farmette and patios on all three sides.”

The greatest design and architectural feat of this project is emblematic of what Harvey and The Poulton Group do best—employing Greek and Roman principles of proportion and balance.

“Our company logo a reference to just that,” Harvey adds. “It’s the Golden Ratio and was used by architects in ancient Greek and Roman architecture.  The nautilus shell spiral is a good visual example of this mathematical formula.  You find this proportion throughout nature and our homes are harmonic too.”

While technically a renovation, the bulk of the project is new construction. A cedar shingle roof was replaced with slate and red brick was changed to stone. The original attached garage was carefully dissected and lifted by two GPS leveling cranes onto a new foundation towards rear of the property and now serves as a highly functional detached shop building and studio, which The Poulton Group will be submitting for LEED certification.

The result is a stunning example of what Harvey calls a “legacy home,” a place that evokes a different era and incorporates the highest quality of detail and craftsmanship.

“Some of the more complicated details in this house are indicative of our work at The Poulton Group,” she says. “These types of construction challenges are what we excel at and why clients hire us to do historic preservation projects.”

Having worked on renovations of historic landmarks by the likes of architectural legends David Adler, Howard Van Doren Shaw, and Harrie T. Lindenberg, Harvey says the authenticity of her country house was very important.

“I was born with paint and pencil in hand, destined to become an artist with a very mechanical mind,” she says. “But I didn’t discover my passion for architecture until college, and ultimately got interior design certification and license instead. The first building permit was pulled before I ever graduated from college and the rest is history. Here I am, still doing what I love 30 years later.”