Chicago, IL

The porch is the first clue. Cream-painted brick, black-framed windows, and a deep covered front step set the tone for a Portage Park bungalow that's been renovated with real care, floor by floor. Inside, hardwood runs underfoot, a rebuilt modern staircase turns up toward the light, and a chandelier hangs over a dining area that's ready for a full table. The heart of the house is the room at the back. An old Chicago brick addition has been opened into a second living space, with a green shiplap fireplace wall, exposed beams, a herringbone-tiled beverage bar with its own fridge, and cabinetry to spare. A second entrance steps straight down to the lower level, so people move through this house instead of getting stuck in it. It's the room everyone ends up in: holidays, game days, a Tuesday that turned into a party. The kitchen is built for the same kind of night. Honed Taj Mahal quartz wraps a waterfall peninsula, so the cook stays in the conversation. Upstairs, vaulted ceilings and a skylit landing give the top floor an airy feel. The bath is the one people will talk about: a huge fluted-tiled shower, a soaking tub, and a double vanity. And the rear bedroom opens onto a roughly 280-square-foot roof deck, with room for a grill, a few good chairs, and a slow Sunday morning. That's outdoor space tight Chicago lots rarely get. The lower level adds two more bedrooms, a long rec room under black-stained beams, a wine room, a laundry nook, and a full bath with a double vanity and a bench-seat walk-in shower. Dinner out is easy to get right. La Dolce Vita Cucina is about a ten-minute walk down Irving Park. The rest of the Northwest Side's best tables are just a short drive into Old Irving, Avondale, and Logan Square. Getting downtown is easy with the newly updated Grayland station, and the 54 Cicero is a three-minute walk. Six Corners and the landmark Portage Theater are about a half-mile North. Kilbourn Park, with its gym, track, and teaching greenhouse, is under a mile away. Make a night of it, then come home to your own roof deck. Six bedrooms, three baths, and a lot of house done well!