Located about an hour from downtown Chicago, the Sam and Ruth Van Sickle Ford House—commonly known as the Ford House—is a unique residence among a suburban residential neighborhood a couple of miles west of downtown Aurora, Illinois.
Entering the 1950 Ford House is entering a rich, complex, and welcoming space. A series of circular forms and unusual materials come together in a clear and disciplined way. You instantly feel at home, ready to enjoy one of its multiple spatial conditions: the spacious area along the exterior coal wall, the sunken covered area of the kitchen that continues outside under the steel ribs, the mezzanine level above that continues as an outdoor terrace, and the intimate bedrooms flanking either side of the central space. While extremely photogenic, it is a real challenge to capture what it feels like to be in this house through photographs or drawings. Each documents aspects of the house, however, that benefit from cross-referencing each other. Undoubtedly, being in the Ford House while listening to the owner’s insightful experience of living there for over three decades makes the experience complete.
Sam and Ruth Van Sickle Ford House has been edited by Iker Gil with photography by James Florio. In the fall of 2024, James Florio spent several days documenting the Ford House with a medium format film camera, capturing the spatial qualities and details of this remarkable house in depth.
The book has been designed by Chicago-based graphic design practice Normal, responding to Florio’s photography and the design of the house. The colors of the cloth cover, inside cover, and edge stitching were all inspired by the building materials.
The book includes contributions by Sidney K. Robinson—owner of the house—as well as Petra Bachmaier, Leo Berk, Assaf Evron, Grant Gibson, David Skidmore, and Mary Woolever.
There are three versions of the book available for purchase:
– Standard: Includes Sam and Ruth Van Sickle Ford House.
– Deluxe: Includes Sam and Ruth Van Sickle Ford House and an 8.5″ x 11″ signed artist-made print by photographer James Florio. There are five different artist-made prints to select from.
– Limited edition: Includes Sam and Ruth Van Sickle Ford House, a full set (5) of signed 8.5" x 11" artist-made prints by photographer James Florio, and a 16" x 20" limited edition artist-made print. There is one copy available for each of the five 16" x 20" prints offered.
The book has been printed at Grafiche Veneziane, a cooperative printing house located in Venice, Italy. Operating for more than fifty years, they combine the newest printing technologies with a distinctly artisan-like attention to details. James Florio traveled to Venice to be on press and oversee the printing process.
Book Details
Total Run: 1,000 copies
Body: Fedrigoni Arena Rough
Pages: 128 pages
Size: 6.69 inches x 9.45 inches
ISBN: 978-1-7367436-5-2
Editor: Iker Gil
Photography: James Florio
Design: Normal (Renata Graw and Lucas Reif with the support of Paul Zdon)
Contributions: Petra Bachmaier, Leo Berk, Assaf Evron, Grant Gibson, Sidney K. Robinson, David Skidmore, and Mary Woolever
Printing and Binding: Grafiche Veneziane, Venice, Italy
Go to our SHOP page for more information and to purchase any of the three versions of the book.