Shanna Swivel chairs ($2,199) from Walter E. Smithe are the perfect place for the Lattanzios to catch the game; The White Attica marble mantle surround and the gray pebble hearth, both from Caesar Stone, are repeated in the kitchen counters for design continuity; The couple’s “first born,” Murray, is a Goldendoodle who joined the family in 2015.
When Patrick and Kelli Lattanzio were ready to build their forever home, they knew just who to call: Michael Buss. “We’ve been working with this family for over 15 years now,” says Buss, who remodeled the couple’s first home, as well as Patrick’s parents’. “It makes the build a little easier if you anticipate the family routines.”
The couple’s favorite thing about their new home? The lower level. “What I love about the basement,” says Patrick, “is that it feels like a totally different area than the other floors; it’s another world.” Multiple screens allow the couple and their friends to watch sporting events en masse. “We can watch five baseball games at one time—it’s just fun to have.” A custom light from Elk Lighting Industrial hangs over the family pool table, which was moved from Patrick’s childhood home.
Buss and his team at Michael Buss Architects in Hickory Hills fulfilled the couple’s desire to have a traditional appeal—“We had countless meetings to hone their preferences to make it cute and fun, but timeless”—creating an open-concept first floor filled with conveniences for a growing family, as Kelli was pregnant for the last nine months of the construction process.
The timeless appeal of the kitchen is reflected in the simple door panels on the floor-to-ceiling, two-tone cabinets, reminiscent of an older home. “Everything revolves around the island,” Buss says of the kitchen design. “The whole thing is usable storage, including the X-shaped panels that are tilt-out drawers.”
“Ultimately, it’s a cool place to be,” says Kelli. “We hope our kids and their friends want to hang out here as well.”—MD
