{"id":118022,"date":"2025-08-29T09:21:31","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T09:21:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/118022\/"},"modified":"2025-08-29T09:21:31","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T09:21:31","slug":"two-tech-designers-collaborate-on-noyes-street-farmhouse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/118022\/","title":{"rendered":"Two tech designers collaborate on Noyes Street \u2018farmhouse’"},"content":{"rendered":"

The RoundTable\u2019s\u00a0Two-Minute House Walk<\/a>\u00a0column takes readers inside some of Evanston\u2019s most distinctive dwellings. We aim to showcase the history, style, architecture and design of homes throughout the city, from grand lakefront residences to cozy coach houses, modern apartments and everything in between.<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Joerg Metzner<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Joerg Metzner<\/p>\n

Just west of Ridge Avenue and a half block north of Ingraham Park, a home at 1200 Noyes St. now has murals, custom woodworking, thoughtful paint schemes and a zippy kitchen.<\/p>\n

The home\u2019s owners are Will and Meridel Walkington, both seasoned UX (user experience) designers. They brought their professional design sensibilities to their new home after moving in with their son, Leo, in 2021. Will works as a UX designer at Google and is also an artist and a woodworker. Meridel, a senior UX content design manager at Firefox, specializes in thrift finds, especially at estate sales and on Facebook Marketplace. Leo often joins her in the search.<\/p>\n

The house sits on a block that was home in the 1880s to the S.M. Dingee & Son pickle factory at Ridge Avenue and Noyes Street. One neighbor refers to it as \u201cthe little farmhouse.\u201d A former owner recently stopped by to leave a watercolor painting of the home, back when it was painted yellow.<\/p>\n

\"\"Watercolor of an earlier version of the home. Credit: Will Walkington<\/p>\n

Rethinking the floor plan<\/p>\n

A year after moving in, Will and Meridel realized that while their kitchen was attractive and updated, its location wasn\u2019t ideal. They decided to convert the first-floor family room, which had better light, a southern exposure and views of the backyard into the kitchen. The old kitchen became a cozy TV den.<\/p>\n

The kitchen<\/p>\n

\"\"Former family room. Credit: Redfin<\/p>\n

\"\"New kitchen. Credit: Joerg Metzner<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Joerg Metzner<\/p>\n

\"\"Kitchen corner. Credit: Joerg Metzner<\/p>\n

Once the main kitchen work was done, they decided it needed more visual energy. They transformed an unused corner into a dining nook, and Will built a custom wood-slat wall trellis as a backdrop. For the table, he tried out three prototypes before perfecting the current version, building a jig to get the angled supports just right.<\/p>\n

Meridel found the candelabra at an estate sale for $30. Betty Boop, their dog (named after the coquettish cartoon figure), now enjoys a plush sheepskin on the kitchen bench for her naps.<\/p>\n

\"\"Betty Boop on her bench. Credit: Meridel Walkington<\/p>\n

Adding personality to the TV area <\/p>\n

\"\"Former kitchen and butler\u2019s pantry Credit: Redfin<\/p>\n

\"\"Rear entry cabinetry from new TV room. Credit: Meridel Walkington<\/p>\n

\"\"New TV room and den (former kitchen). Son Leo takes in the scene. Credit: Joerg Metzner<\/p>\n

\"\"Rear entry. Credit: Joerg Metzner<\/p>\n

The two wanted a focus in the TV room besides the TV, so they added a painting of Jane Fonda, purchased for $30 at Skylight Vintage on 812 Dempster St. Proceeds from Skylight Vintage support the Skylight Foundation, which provides affordable mental health care.<\/p>\n

Dining room with history<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Joerg Metzner<\/p>\n

\"\"Cubbyholes for plates in the dining room table. Credit: Joerg Metzner<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Joerg Metzner<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Joerg Metzner<\/p>\n

\"\"Dining room view from parlor. Credit: Joerg Metzner<\/p>\n

Peter Wyler, the contractor for the kitchen project, also designed and installed new moldings on the dining room walls, aiming to add \u201ca little more formality and pizzazz.\u201d The basement door, with its child lock, is camouflaged within the moldings.<\/p>\n

Will\u2019s family grew up with the dining room table, designed by his parents in 1986 before his youngest sister was born. Five spots have siblings\u2019 names; the sixth simply says \u201cbaby.\u201d The table features cubby holes under the top for clean dishes.<\/p>\n

The dining room walls have been repainted four times \u201cto get the color right.\u201d Will says one difficulty was finding a way for the color to work with the adjacent rooms and the long views through the house. The dining room chairs are from Goodwill; for large family dinners, the couple adds a small table at each end of the main table. A stern longhorn head watches over it all.<\/p>\n

A landscaped front hall and the parlor<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Joerg Metzner<\/p>\n

Will painted the landscapes on the walls of the front entryway. The now clean and painted bureau had mice living in it in Meridel\u2019s parents\u2019 garage. Will\u2019s uncle made the deer head.<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Ellen Galland<\/p>\n

Meridel says she is drawn to things you find at the bottom of the ocean, especially when it comes to textures. She created the shell-rimmed mirror in the front hall.<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Joerg Metzner<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Joerg Metzner<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Joerg Metzner<\/p>\n

The old West Elm couch in the parlor was perked up by the fringe Meridel added along the bottom. Will made the white table. They kept the hanging \u201ccigar light\u201d designed by Herman Miller, which they now love after a friend told them it was iconic. Will did the painting using joint compound, with Lake Michigan for inspiration.<\/p>\n

Currently, only books with white bindings are featured in the bookcase. Meridel gets books from her mother\u2019s house for whatever color she is currently featuring. The rug is washable and custom-sized.<\/p>\n

\"\"Betty Boop exits the dining room through the custom baby gate. Credit: Ellen Galland<\/p>\n

The front parlor includes a baby gate that Will made and then customized to be big enough for Betty Boop to use, but small enough to keep 12-month-old son Wyatt from squeezing through. <\/p>\n

Monkeys in the first-floor bathroom<\/p>\n

\"\"Monkeys in the first floor bathroom. Credit: Joerg Metzner<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Joerg Metzner<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Joerg Metzner<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Joerg Metzner<\/p>\n

The inspiration for the first-floor bathroom\u2019s monkey motif came from Architectural Digest, Meridel said. \u201cYou can have fun in the bathroom.\u201d Will stenciled the fronds and painted the monkeys but is still considering refining the execution.<\/p>\n

Second-floor views<\/p>\n

\"\"Primary bedroom has neutral colors and low furniture. Credit: Joerg Metzner<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Joerg Metzner<\/p>\n

\"\"Primary bedroom chandelier is from a McHenry County antiques store. Credit: Joerg Metzner<\/p>\n

\"\"Ottoman cover is vintage lace. Credit: Joerg Metzner<\/p>\n

\"\"Study rug is vintage Turkish from Etsy layered on a washable rug. Credit: Joerg Metzner<\/p>\n

\"\"Study is color-matched to Farrow & Ball Mouse\u2019s Back. Credit: Joerg Metzner<\/p>\n

\"\"Vintage sewing cabinet and thrifted oil painting. Credit: Joerg Metzner<\/p>\n

\"\"Leo\u2019s bedroom wall includes a poem by his grandmother Becky and his own ship renderings. Credit: Joerg Metzner<\/p>\n

\"\"One of Leo\u2019s ships. Credit: Joerg Metzner<\/p>\n

\"\"Leo\u2019s gallery. Credit: Joerg Metzner<\/p>\n

\"\"Lamp box phone from
Secret Treasures. Credit: Joerg Metzner<\/p>\n

\"\"Former bathroom.<\/p>\n

\"\"Shower tile is Zellige. Credit: Joerg Metzner<\/p>\n

Collaborating on design choices<\/p>\n

Will and Meridel said they worked together well on the house\u2019s many design challenges. They both enjoy the physicality of the house projects where no media screens are involved and projects get finished (and sometimes redone). They consider their house projects as a kind of design lab, in which there is a lot of learning. \u201cWe enjoy the process,\u201d Will says. They are tolerant of mess as the projects often take days, weeks or months. Normally, when their house is not being photographed or when they are not entertaining, Will\u2019s tools are strewn across the dining room table.<\/p>\n

\"\"Will, Meridel, Betty, Leo and Wyatt. Credit: Meridel Walkington<\/p>\n

Growing to love the home<\/p>\n

Meridel loves the front parlor. Will praised the home\u2019s unique flow in which the back door largely serves as their main entrance because there is limited street parking on Noyes.<\/p>\n

When they first moved in, Will and Meridel appreciated the shady backyard. But soon after they arrived, a neighbor\u2019s huge sycamore tree fell across their home, leaving a hole in their roof. Soon after that, the other neighbor\u2019s huge tree also fell across their yard, sparking a small fire. They chopped up the resulting sycamore wood to use in their fireplace and made wood coasters.<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Joerg Metzner<\/p>\n

And Betty Boop loves the front parlor where she keeps an eye on the Noyes Street dogs from her special sheepskinned chair.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated Stories<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The RoundTable\u2019s\u00a0Two-Minute House Walk\u00a0column takes readers inside some of Evanston\u2019s most distinctive dwellings. We aim to showcase the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":118023,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[228,226,227,229,88,76278,76279],"class_list":["post-118022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-meridel-walkington","tag-will-walkington"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118022","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=118022"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118022\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/118023"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=118022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=118022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=118022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}