Design + Build Atelier · Lake Forest, Illinois
Homes that are authored, not assembled.
L'Atelier Elena is a design-and-build studio shaping private residences from the first pencil line to the last set stone.
The belief
Most houses are assembled. Ours are authored, every arch, every dormer, every turn of the stair drawn by one hand, then carried unchanged into stone, oak and light.
Selected Work
A studio defined byits commissions.
01
Residence 854
Lake Forest, Illinois · Design & Build
A private residence drawn entirely by hand and carried, unchanged, into stone. An octagonal entrance tower anchors a facade of brick and limestone, with interiors built around oak, light-colored walls, marble and brass.
Enter the projectNew commissions are taken by invitation, a handful at a time, so that each home receives the same single hand from first sketch to final detail.
Capabilities
From the first lineto the finished home.
Drawn, then built in stone.
We design the envelope and raise it ourselves, working alongside architects and engineers so the building keeps the promise of the drawing. Brick and limestone, a cedar-shake roof, dormers gathered around a turret.
- MasonryBrick & limestone
- RoofCedar shake
- StructureBuilt to the plan
Rooms that unfold quietly.
Materials, light and joinery chosen so each room settles into the next. White oak underfoot, light-colored walls, brass at every turn. Nothing overstated, nothing competing for attention.
- MaterialsOak, marble, brass
- LightingBuilt around daylight
- JoineryDetailed by hand
A house set into its ground.
We read the land before the first line, then site the house, courtyard and approach so the grounds feel inevitable. Advice begins, when invited, before the land is even bought.
- SitingHouse, court & approach
- GroundsGated, tree-lined
- CounselBefore you buy land
Ink first, then renders.
Every project begins the old way: pencil, vellum and patience. Those drawings become 3D renders and permit sets, so clients can walk the house long before the first stone is laid.
- DrawingsHand, in ink
- Renders3D of the design
- PermittingPlans & elevations
The Method
Four movements,one hand.
Listen
We begin with the people and the land, their lives, their cultures, the moments they hold dear.
Draw
Pencil, vellum and patience, until the plan is right. The drawing decides the house.
Build
Masonry, oak and brass, raised true to the line. Stone follows the pencil, exactly.
Finish
Every last detail resolved so each room settles, quiet, into the next.
The signature
At dusk the work performs. Every window turns to amber, and the stone that carries a name glows like a lantern at the gate.
Inside the work
Light, oakand brass.
The Atelier
Beauty is a form of care.
The spaces we live in shape how we feel, move, gather and rest. I founded L'Atelier Elena on a simple belief: a beautiful home should do more than impress. It should improve the way we live, nurture well-being, and leave a lasting mark on the people who live in it.
That conviction began early. My father was a builder and a craftsman who taught me humility, the value of quality and, above all, how to listen. People trusted him not only for the work he made, but because he genuinely cared about their stories. That lesson has stayed with me.
The most meaningful spaces begin with understanding the people who call them home. Alongside architects, engineers and contractors, I shape the concept, choose the materials and refine every last detail, so each room unfolds quietly into the next. Nothing overstated. Timeless, peaceful and personal.
The quiet luxury of design is not what you see. It is how it makes you feel.
Services
A full studio, end to end.
From the first idea to the final detail. Based in Lake Forest, Illinois, and working with clients remotely across the country.
Lake Forest, Illinois Available for projects remotely
- 01Design
- 02Construction
- 03Working with architects & engineers
- 04Remodeling homes
- 05Consultation & ideas
- 06Advice before buying land
- 073D renders of the design
Commissions
Begin a home of your own.
L'Atelier Elena is based in Lake Forest, Illinois, and works remotely across the country. Tell us about the people, the land and the life the house is for, and we will draw the first line.
Start a conversation