66 WINTER 2026 There are many advantages to new construction: layouts geared toward modern living, up-to-date mechanicals and, of course, the opportunity to tailor the home to one’s exact style. It’s the latter that drew Marli Jones and Michael Kreuser’s clients, Staci and Brandon Rice, to the opportunity to build on Chicago’s North Shore. The project marked the couple’s second project with Jones and Kreuser, the co-principals of Rebel House Interior Design. While their earlier home had leaned into dark floors and white cabinetry, this project called for something different. Staci, who works in fashion and has an innate love for all things art and design, wanted a house that felt worldly, elegant and collected. “It was a completely different mood from their other one,” Jones recalls. “We felt the house should feel like it had a bit of patina, a bit of age.” To create this layered vibe, the design team started with the interior architecture. Venetian plaster softens the walls, oak floors ground the space and arches repeat as a visual rhythm throughout. “The idea was to start with architectural details, then allow the furnishings and fixtures to strike a more contemporary balance,” Jones explains. Achieving their vision came with some changes to the developer’s floor plans, such as opening up what was to be a first-floor guest room and creating a cocktail lounge with walls coated in a deep green. “We started with the wall color,” Jones describes. “We said, ‘This should be dark, this should be moody. ’” Artwork from the homeowners’ collection – a Meighan Morrison painting above the marble fireplace and a Dan Schneiger sculpture above the elegant channel-tufted sofa – adds to the elevated sensibility. TEXT SHANNON SHARPE PHOTOGRAPHY MIKE SCHWARTZ INTERIOR DESIGN MARLI JONES AND MICHAEL KREUSER/REBEL HOUSE INTERIOR DESIGN LAYERS OF MATERIAL, TEXTURE AND ART DEFINE A CHICAGOLAND HOME REBEL WITH A CAUSE COLLECTE D LIVING