Home & Design | Northern Light

Modern design can feel as bone-chillingly cold as a Minnesota winter. But this new waterfront home west of Minneapolis breaks through the ice, breathing heart and soul into sleek contemporary style.

Sky and stone, forest and lake whispered cues to architect Jean Rehkamp Larson as she chose materials and plotted the home’s footprint to extend across the landscape and capture idyllic views. Soaring gables rise from the home’s black steel frame, providing space for clerestory windows that give the interiors an airy 1½-story sensibility.

“There’s a dramatic sense of space,” Rehkamp Larson says. “You always see the sky—it envelops you. It’s heavenly—and it makes the long Minnesota winters easier.”

Playing against the backbone of steel and glass, wood and stone infuse warmth and texture. The architect had tactile limestone laid horizontally to achieve consistent lines but set it in bands of different widths. “Changing the width softens it,” she says. “It’s one of the ways that, throughout this house, we played with warm modern.”

The home’s interior design embraces the same idea.

“When people think ‘modern,’ they often think stark—and white,” interior designer Martha Dayton says. “But these homeowners like color. They wanted a warm modern. They wanted spaces with a clean, modern aesthetic that are also livable, comfortable, and nurturing.”

Natural wood elements, artisanal touches, and layer after layer of texture, color, and pattern achieve the dream. “We were able to meet the homeowners’ needs and wants in a beautiful way,” Dayton says. “I love how unique this home is. But my favorite thing is how much they absolutely love it.”

Lovely proportions combine with a sense of rhythm.” 

—Jean Rehkamp Larson, architect

The homeowners didn’t want anything to be loud here.”

—Martha Dayton, designer

• Architecture: Jean Rehkamp Larson and John Kirk, Rehkamp Larson Architects, 2732 W. 43rd St., Mpls., 612-285-7275, rehkamplarson.com
• Interior design: Martha Dayton, Martha Dayton Design, 811 Glenwood Ave., Mpls., 612-850-9493, marthadaytondesign.com
• Contractor: Welch Forsman Associates, 6026 Pillsbury Ave. S., Mpls., 612-827-4455, welchforsman.com
• Landscape design: Landscape Renovations, 12515 S. 40th St., Afton, 651-769-0010, landscaperenovations.com; Travis Van Liere Studio, 3255 Garfield Ave., Mpls., 612-345-4275, tvlstudio.com; Susan Simon, Minnesota Roots, 1201 Ottawa Ave., West St. Paul, 651-310-9551, mnroots.com