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Modernist atrium home designed by Wright protege Dennis Blair seeks $770K

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Built in 1972, the suburban home features a spiraling floorplan with some impressive indoor landscaping

By Jay Koziarz
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A soaring skylit room with a large tree, bushes, and stone steps beneath a sloped roof. The space is surrounded by the home’s kitchen, family room, and home office.
The interior atrium is flooded with light from above.
Photos by VHT Studios, courtesy of Baird & Warner listing agent Lou Zucaro

Located outside of Chicago in suburban Barrington Hills, this 1972 home by architect Dennis Blair has decent curb appeal for buyers with more modern tastes. But, step inside to see an impressive skylight atrium with a two-story ficus tree.

The home centers around the landscaped interior space in spiral arrangement with each room rising a few steps above the last. The layout is no coincidence given that Blair studied at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin school and worked under the legendary designer on New York’s Guggenheim Museum. Blair went on to create dozens of Chicago-area homes in places such as Long Grove, Lake Bluff, and North Barrington.

The sunny atrium brings the outdoors inside and the large windows overlook the property’s five-acre wooded lot. The four-bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom residence includes four fireplaces, a screened porch, and rear deck.

According to Baird & Warner listing agent Lou Zucaro, the current owners preserved Blair’s vision for the home while bringing it into the 21st Century. Improvements include expanding and updating the 1970s-era kitchen and replacing the floors, windows, doors, and roof.

The spiraling atrium home at 3 Wood Rock Road is currently asking $770,000.

A circular driveway leads to a modern home atop a wooded hill. The building has neutral paneling and a brown garage door.
The home’s exterior belies the impressive atrium within.
A landscaped interior courtyard with a stone pathway with plants on either side. It leads to a long dining room table with square-back chairs and pendant lights.
Stone steps lead to the living room and family room beyond.
A dining room with a light stone floor, long table, eight chairs, and sliding glass doors leading to a deck. In the background there is a kitchen with a large island and brown cabinets.
The open kitchen and dining area was expanded and improved by the current owners.
A room with hardwood floors and an orange accent wall and fireplace. There is a brown couch, chairs, and coffee table. It overlooks a soaring atrium with a large ficus tree.
The massive ficus tree is also visible from the living room.
A bedroom with a sloped ceiling and red dressed bed with wood bookshelves on both sides. The room has a wall of windows overlooking leafy green trees.
The master bedroom has a fireplace, built-in shelves, and treetop views of the wood lot.
A modern-looking bathroom with a glass-walled shower and long gray vanity with light wood cabinets. The walls are covered in gray tiles and light blue paint.
The sleek master bathroom has a large vanity, walk-in shower, and tile walls.

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