House Walk: Cottage Style with Lots of Light, Four-Season Porch

The Western Springs Historical Society's House Walk was Sunday, May 19, and this week we'll be featuring one of the homes each day. The event put the spotlight on local homes that are "historic or soon-to-be historic." Local businesses helped create the tablescapes and flowers throughout the homes, which were showcased by many volunteers. 

Today we feature the Schuster house at 5104 Ellington Ave., my overall favorite along the tour because of its open and light-filled floor plan and its beautiful four-season porch.

The Schusters have lived in Western Springs for a while but wanted to downsize after their son, Danny, left for college. Although this is a downsize, the open spaces, large windows and abundant storage make it a nice living space.

Dennis Parsons designed the home, which was built by j2 Santi Builders. The front porch is inviting with rocking chairs. The Schusters, who have a home in Arizona, wanted to incorporate that western feel and did so with knotty pine walls and ceilings, artwork and other aspects throughout the house. 

The master suite is on the first floor, and it features a beautiful bathroom and a large walk-in closet. It's also attached to a four-season porch, which leads out to the back patio. 

In the great room, a massive fireplace pulls everything together, and the large windows to the patio let in lots of light. The front of the house as space for laundry, an office and storage, keeping the busywork separated from the rest of the home.  

The basement features an exercise room, a full bathroom and a wet bar, but the most notable feature is the large windows that let in lots of light, an unusual but welcomed feature for a basement. There are two bedrooms upstairs, one that functions as a guest room and another for their son. A walk-in attic also spans the length of the home, providing even more storage.