enjoying ninth-hole views

By
April 2021 View more

When Chad Mikula was looking at homes in 2016, he wasn’t impressed with the French country decor of a property for sale on the Fox River, but he was in love with the view and the proximity to downtown St. Charles and Pottawatomie Park. So he purchased the house with the intention of remodeling it for his three teen daughters and himself, as well as his mother, who resides in the en suite in the walk-out basement.

“The home is on a private dead-end street,” says Mikula. “Two houses south is a footpath to the park with a softball field, paddle boats, mini golf, and a swimming pool—it’s just an absolutely fantastic attraction.”

Hogan Design & Construction was Mikula’s first call after the purchase, as he had worked in the past with the Geneva contractor on several personal and commercial projects. His second call was to Cara Mamott, owner and creative director of Haven Design Group. He gave free rein to the Geneva-based designer to be creative within a modern—yet classic—aesthetic.

Mamott chose a calm, neutral color palette using timeless design elements, with a modern punch provided by dramatic lights and high-tech features. “The light fixtures make the house,” says Mikula. “They are amazingly intricate, yet appropriately masculine.”

The home’s wide backyard looks out onto the ninth hole of a rolling golf course designed by pioneer Robert Trent Jones Sr. in 1939. Despite its famed architecture, it’s just $18 to $20 to play the public course.

The cedar ceiling includes a fan for summer months and dual heat lamps for colder months.

Teak sofas and a gas fire pit from Restoration Hardware furnish the convertible patio. Remote-operated phantom screens can be lowered on buggy nights or left open for ease in entertaining.

Along with the rest of the home, Mikula’s home office has been rewired to include Ethernet ports in the floor. Televisions throughout (including a 110-inch 4K home theater screen) connect to a central entertainment hub installed by Audio Video Specialists. “The office is hardwired for constant connectivity,” says Mikula, “but it’s very peaceful. I look out the windows to 15 squirrels attacking the bird feeders.”

“The view is fantastic,” says Mikula about the primary bedroom, which has a dark, moody vibe. “It has a giant panoramic window with views of the golf course and Fox River, with private access to the deck.” A smoke glass chandelier and table lamps provide romantic ambience, and custom mohair window treatments provide the finishing touch.

Four swivel chairs and a reclaimed ash wood coffee table give a club-like feel to the fireside conversation area, which opens to the bar and high-boy seating in the lower level. TVs set above the bar and fireplace allow visitors to see the game from any angle.

Photos courtesy @Properties