For those with any trepidation about living in a glass house, an Illinois home may change your mind.

The listing agent for a glass house in Northfield, IL, which is on the market for $2.5 million, says its design is likely to surprise you.

The home was designed by the architect Thomas Roszak, who was named one of the country’s best residential architects by Architectural Digest in 2005. Roszak’s other projects include Parkline Condos in Chicago and InterContinental Miami.

“The way that he designed it made it feel very intimate. You don’t feel like you’re in a glass house,” says Carrie McCormick of @properties.

It’s had just a single owner since it was built in 2002—the architect himself. He designed the 5,500-square-foot pad, which consists of glass cubes stacked atop one another. There’s very little a buyer will need to do except to move on in.

One reason is the use of materials: steel beams, stone throughout, and concrete and glass walls—all solid.

Teak was chosen for the front and rear decks. The kitchen faucets are by Dornbracht, and there are Poliform cabinets, closets, vanities, and storage systems throughout.

“The materials that were used were timeless and impeccably maintained,” says McCormick.

The living room’s soaring 20-foot ceiling is another hallmark of the design. Even the three-car garage is a glass cube.

A finished lower level offers opportunity for flex space: a home gym, home office, or home theater, for example. The home has five bedrooms—all on the second level—and 4.5 bathrooms. The fact that it’s on an acre lot ensures a lot of privacy.

It’s also—another surprise—perfect for families.

McCormick says the architect built the home for his family, which included three children.

“The design of it and the components of the home are unbelievable,” says McCormick. “It’s won numerous awards and been in many books.”

Among those awards: an Honor Award in 2008 from the American Institute of Architects.

Those glass walls are a huge plus for any nature lover—even during a frigid Chicago winter.

“Because it’s glass, you really feel like you’re living with nature,” says McCormick. “Whether it’s spring, summer, fall, or winter, you’re surrounded by color.”

The ideal buyer could very well be an architect who understands through experience—and appreciates—just how much talent it takes to construct a home like this.

“It’s definitely someone who wants something different. It’s not someone who just wants to live in Northfield. They want to live in this house,” says McCormick.

Located on a private street in this suburb about 20 miles north of Chicago, “it’s a great North Shore neighborhood,” she says, with access to Sunset Ridge, a top-rated school district, and near several country clubs.

It’s an easy commute to downtown Chicago, which is about a half-hour’s drive away on I-94 E, as well as via a Metra stop in nearby Glenview.

Even so, McCormick knows that a glass house like this needs to attract a particularly discriminating person.

“They’re like pieces of artwork. They’re one of a kind,” she says. “It takes a special buyer to fall in love with this type of house.”

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