Chicago homeowners are used to making the most of what they have: narrow lots, shared side yards, and vintage floor plans that were never designed for today’s modern work-from-home reality. Yet, while some of the most comfortable homes in the city aren’t the biggest, they’re the most mindfully organized.
That’s the heart of this case study: how a Chicago architecture firm transformed a small-footprint home by improving flow, daylight, and daily function while honoring what makes Chicago architecture special in the first place.
For this post, we’re referencing moss Design’s Historic Worker Cottage renovation, also known as the Richmond House Worker Cottage project. The Chicago architecture firm reimagined a classic Chicago cottage into a modern, light-filled split-level home without sacrificing its historic street-facing character.
Why Small Footprint is a Chicago Architecture Firm Superpower
In a city like Chicago, a small footprint is a design prompt rather than a design limitation.
When you commit to working within an existing footprint, you often gain:
- A more sustainable project with less demolition and fewer new materials
- A faster path through complexity with fewer variables
- Better long-term livability with a plan fine-tuned to real routines and lifestyles
The challenge is that many older homes were built for a different lifestyle, including smaller kitchens, more separated rooms, and less emphasis on backyard connection. The goal is to make the home work beautifully in the present.
Case Study: A Historic Worker Cottage Transformed for Modern Life
Worker cottages are part of Chicago’s architectural DNA. However, these humble yet iconic homes that gave generations of families their start are disappearing from neighborhoods as they’re purchased and demolished. This is exactly why preservation-minded renovations matter.
These simple, gabled structures represent the very bedrock of Chicago’s residential character. Builders constructed them in the thousands after the Great Chicago Fire. They are small-footprint houses that are a tangible link to the city’s past. They also provide a vital source of naturally affordable housing.
Unfortunately, in neighborhoods like Logan Square, nearly half of all buildings torn down between 2006 and 2020 were worker cottages. Over a recent five-year span, the neighborhood lost nearly 100 of these historic homes.
The story is similar in Avondale, where cottages accounted for 40% of demolitions during the same period. Tragically, most of these sturdy, well-built homes are not being replaced by denser housing but by larger, more expensive single-family residences that erase both architectural character and affordability from the block.
This trend represents a profound loss. It’s an environmental waste and a community loss, displacing residents. In response, organizations like the Chicago Workers Cottage Initiative and Preservation Chicago have been leading a powerful advocacy effort. Their work recently culminated in the passage of the Northwest Side Housing Preservation Ordinance in September 2024, a landmark piece of legislation that significantly increases demolition fees to as much as $60,000 per building in an effort to tip the economic scales back toward preservation.
While policy is a crucial step, the most compelling argument for preservation is demonstration. It’s about showing what’s possible when we choose to reimagine rather than demolish. This is the philosophy that guides our work at moss Design and is perfectly represented in the Richmond project.
By thoughtfully renovating and expanding a historic, small-footprint home, we save a piece of Chicago’s history. We also create a sustainable, light-filled space perfectly suited for contemporary life. It proves that these cottages are not obsolete. They are adaptable, resilient, and waiting for a new generation to call them home.
In this project, the home began as a single-story worker cottage with an attic, and over time, it accumulated haphazard renovations, including dormers and porch additions that distorted the original character. moss Design’s priority was to retain the home’s front elevation, while modernizing the interior and improving how it functions day to day.
At a high level, success meant:
- Restoring street presence
- Creating a brighter, more open plan
- Adding the right kind of square footage (not just “more”)
- Strengthening the connection to the backyard
Architects Chicago, IL Know the 25′ x 125′ Lot Constraint & How to Design Around It
Many Chicago homeowners recognize this immediately—the typical 25′ x 125′ lot. moss Design highlights that with constrained space like this, certain zoning and property-line realities can make or break your options.
One of the most interesting takeaways from this case study is strategic reuse. moss Design explains that retaining much of the exterior structure helped preserve the ability to build along the lot line, which is something that may not have been allowed if the home were demolished and rebuilt from scratch. That choice protected interior potential while aligning with a more sustainable approach.
For homeowners comparing small architecture firms Chicago or larger architectural firms Chicago, this is a great example of why local experience matters. Constraints aren’t generic—they’re very Chicago.
Chicago Architecture Firm Step #1: Restore the Street Presence & Modernize the Rear
From the street, this small-footprint renovation aimed to “read” like a worker cottage. moss Design describes restoring the street-facing facade and maintaining traditional residential scale and presence.
That decision does two important things:
- It respects the neighborhood, a key factor in Chicago streetscapes.
- It gives you permission to make bolder, more modern moves where they matter most, often at the rear, where outdoor living and daylight come into play.
In other words: keep the front honest, then make the back perform.
Small Architecture Firms Chicago Step #2: Use Split Levels to Make Compact Homes Feel Bigger
If you’ve only seen split-level homes in a suburban context, this project will change your mind.
moss Design leaned into a split-level design because it created multiple benefits that are especially valuable in a compact, small-footprint home:
- Loftier 12′ ceilings
- Open layout in the main living spaces
- A first-floor guest suite
- A bonus partial basement level (used for laundry in this case)
This is one of the most effective small-footprint tricks available to a Chicago architecture firm. Rather than expanding outward, you reshape section and volume. Ceiling height, sightlines, and level changes can make a home feel significantly larger without actually increasing the footprint in a dramatic way.
Architectural Firms Chicago Step #3: Bring Daily Living to Grade for Backyard Access
Homes in Chicago often struggle with living spaces that feel separated from the yard by awkward porch additions, elevation changes, or disconnected circulation.
In the Richmond House Worker Cottage, moss Design notes a key move. The Chicago architecture firm split the main level so the public living space is at grade with easy access to the backyard, and they organized the plan so a guest suite connects to the open kitchen/living space.
Making the most-used spaces the easiest to access is a small footprint principle we return to constantly. When you organize kitchen + dining + living for everyday life, the entire home feels calmer.
Chicago Architecture Firm Step #4: Daylight and Sightlines That Expand a Small Footprint Home
Small homes don’t tolerate leftover space. If something doesn’t have a purpose, it becomes cluttered.
In moss Design’s Charred Wood + Glass Addition project, the Chicago architecture firm explicitly calls out creating a mudroom with ample storage as part of the plan because real households need a place for gear, coats, and daily chaos.
That same thinking shows up in the worker cottage approach. Storage and functionality are part of the architectural strategy.
A useful lens when you’re interviewing architects Chicago, IL:
- Are they designing storage into the plan (mudroom zones, built-ins, stair opportunities)?
- Are they improving sightlines and volume, and not just removing walls?
- Are they solving the “where does life land?” problem (bags, shoes, dog stuff, pantry overflow)?
These are the details that turn a small home into a streamlined home.
Architects Chicago, IL Step #5: Sustainability Upgrades in a Small Footprint Home
One reason small-footprint renovations can be inherently sustainable is that you’re working with what exists. In the worker cottage renovation, moss Design salvaged as much of the existing home as possible and also mentioned the scope of work required, including foundation work, tuckpointing, and creating a solution for solar panels.
In the related Chicago Cottage Goes Modern project, moss Design also describes updating the building envelope for efficiency, including window replacement as part of the performance strategy.
The main takeaway is that sustainability doesn’t have to be flashy. It can be durable detailing, preserving what can be preserved, and prioritizing upgrades that improve comfort and reduce waste over time.
What to Look For in Architectural Firms Chicago
If you’re comparing architectural firms Chicago for a small footprint home renovation, be sure to look for evidence of these skills:
- Chicago building-type fluency, including worker cottages, bungalows, two-flats, and more
- Plan intelligence rather than just fancy finishes
- Section considerations, like ceiling heights, split-level opportunities, and daylight strategy
- Backyard connection expertise, especially on tight lots
- Respect for street presence (context + proportion)
- Detailing that lasts (materials, moisture management, craftsmanship)
The strongest small-footprint projects that architects Chicago, IL take on are almost effortless when finished. However, that effortlessness is usually the result of hundreds of intentional decisions.
Ready to Transform Your Small Footprint Home in Chicago?
If your home feels tight, dark, or disconnected, the solution isn’t always “just add more.” Often, the best next step is a design process that clarifies priorities, explores a few smart layout options, and targets the changes that will improve daily life the most.
Schedule a small footprint home study to evaluate layout opportunities, light and sightlines, storage strategy, and the smartest “high-impact” moves for your specific footprint.
