ASPIREDESIGNANDHOME.COM 77 76 SUMMER 2026 ASPIREDESIGNANDHOME.COM 77 K ismet. Serendipity. Plain good luck. You don’t have to be all woo-woo to believe that life operates in mysterious ways, that the universe knows what you want and is happy to deliver. After a day at the beach in suburban Evanston, Illinois, Scott and Ellen Hurst were heading back to their car when they spotted a realtor pounding a “For Sale” sign into the ground right where they had parked. The Chicago couple was in the market for a new home outside the city, so – still wearing their swimsuits – they took a look. By the time they’d toured the house and hit the backyard, they were ready to make an offer. Built in the 1920s, the two-story brick colonial needed work, but nothing these two couldn’t handle. Ellen is managing director and lead designer at Boffi Chicago, and Scott is a partner at the global architecture and design firm Gensler. The first space they tackled was also the most outdated: the kitchen. They took down a wall separating it from the dining room and installed Boffi cabinetry in a putty color with a soft lacquer finish. The tall and shallow pantry units lining one wall are stopped short of the ceiling to provide a perch to display serving pieces. “We love to cook together, and so the kitchen was the easiest space for us,” shares Scott. “It took one evening and a bottle of wine, and we had the design down to a T.” T E X T T H O M A S C O N N O R S P H O T O G R A P H Y P E T R I N I S T U D I O I N T E R I O R D E S I G N E L L E N H U R S T A R C H I T E C T U R E G E N S L E R Featuring Boffi Cabinetry Breccia Medicea stone by DTK Stone Works PITT cooktops Love at First Sightline Returning to their car after a summer day by the water, Ellen & Scott Hurst happened upon the home they never knew they were waiting for C h i c a g o , I l l i n o i s home practice 76 SUMMER 2026