Warm Contemporary Style for Active Empty Nesters
A design-build firm considers a couple’s love of sunlight and plants when planning their new home
This couple had loved living in the city of Minneapolis before moving to the suburbs to raise their family. Once their children moved out, they were ready to move back to the city and enjoy the urban walking and bike paths they loved. And while they’d enjoyed gardening at their suburban home, they were ready for a property that was easier to maintain.
Starting from scratch with a new build, they turned to architectural designer Jim Scott of Locale Design Build. Scott familiarized himself with their style and learned that they loved modern lines, high ceilings, plants and natural light. He discovered their favorite artwork and furniture. And he designed a house that embraced those elements and other things they loved.
Starting from scratch with a new build, they turned to architectural designer Jim Scott of Locale Design Build. Scott familiarized himself with their style and learned that they loved modern lines, high ceilings, plants and natural light. He discovered their favorite artwork and furniture. And he designed a house that embraced those elements and other things they loved.
Previously, a slope that was too steep for grass to grow was between the sidewalk and the front lawn. Scott mitigated the slope with terraces edged in Cor-Ten steel. They provide a modern linear element along the front yard and reinforce the strong horizontal rooflines.
“The terraces help make the property feel open and welcoming,” Scott says. “And they provide a nice separation between the public space of the sidewalk and the private space.”
The porch ceiling is clear vertical-grain cedar.
“The terraces help make the property feel open and welcoming,” Scott says. “And they provide a nice separation between the public space of the sidewalk and the private space.”
The porch ceiling is clear vertical-grain cedar.
This is the view from the front entryway. This hallway is open to the kitchen on the left and the great room and dining room on the right.
“The homeowners really wanted a sense of all the spaces connecting,” Scott says. “And they love natural light. They wanted to flood the house with daylight.” In addition to large windows, glass doors and clerestory windows in the rooms, the stairwell also acts as a light well. All of the windows, doors and insulation are high efficiency and stand up to Minnesota winters.
“The homeowners really wanted a sense of all the spaces connecting,” Scott says. “And they love natural light. They wanted to flood the house with daylight.” In addition to large windows, glass doors and clerestory windows in the rooms, the stairwell also acts as a light well. All of the windows, doors and insulation are high efficiency and stand up to Minnesota winters.
The second story (left) is located under the gabled roof. It contains a master suite and a guest bedroom and bathroom.
On the right, it’s easy to match up the first floor with the previous photo. Worth noting are the locations of the plant room (front left corner) and the first-floor master suite. The stairwell leads down a few feet to a mudroom area and the garage.The garage, located off a back alley, is the main way the homeowners enter the home.
On the right, it’s easy to match up the first floor with the previous photo. Worth noting are the locations of the plant room (front left corner) and the first-floor master suite. The stairwell leads down a few feet to a mudroom area and the garage.The garage, located off a back alley, is the main way the homeowners enter the home.
“This is an urban lot, so we needed to balance light and privacy,” Scott says. The rectangles of the windows, fireplace and fireplace surround are part of a pleasing composition. He knew the sizes of the TV, speakers and media console when designing the house, and their rectangular shapes work as part of the composition. He placed the fireplace and TV strategically — windows in those spots would not have offered much privacy. To the right, the front porch and height above the sidewalk offer privacy from the street. And clerestory windows are a smart way to gain light without sacrificing privacy.
The fireplace is a full veneer stone that’s 4 inches thick. “My clients love materials and want to stay true to nature whenever possible,” he says. The mantel is a slim piece of powder-coated steel.
The fireplace is a full veneer stone that’s 4 inches thick. “My clients love materials and want to stay true to nature whenever possible,” he says. The mantel is a slim piece of powder-coated steel.
When taking stock of his clients’ favorite furniture, Scott took note of European beech pieces they planned to use in the new home. So the cabinets in the kitchen are quarter-sawn steamed European beech. The Dale Chihuly painting on the left influenced bright color choices from early on in the process.
The countertops are mother-of-pearl quartzite. This is a very hard natural stone with beautiful veining patterns and a warm, light tone. “These homeowners love clean modern lines, but they also love the idea of tactile — touching and feeling different textures,” Scott says. The floors are red birch.
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The countertops are mother-of-pearl quartzite. This is a very hard natural stone with beautiful veining patterns and a warm, light tone. “These homeowners love clean modern lines, but they also love the idea of tactile — touching and feeling different textures,” Scott says. The floors are red birch.
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One of the smallest spaces in the home is also one of the most personal and thoughtful. One of the homeowners loves to garden, but there were so many gardens at the suburban home that she wanted to dial it back. The front terraces are low maintenance and there isn’t much room for additional gardens in the yard. And she wanted to be able to enjoy plants indoors year-round. So Scott designed this plant room, and it is a favorite spot. The multipurpose alcove is located off the kitchen in the front corner of the home. It enjoys tons of natural light thanks to the corner windows.
The space doubles as a pantry, and the homeowners had him make space for the microwave in here because they didn’t want to look at it in the kitchen. The beech cabinetry and mother-of-pearl quartzite countertops continue from the kitchen into the plant room. Scott added a 9-inch-deep ledge that wraps the right corner so plants could bathe in the natural light. To the right he worked cubbies into the cabinetry for cookbooks and gardening books.
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The space doubles as a pantry, and the homeowners had him make space for the microwave in here because they didn’t want to look at it in the kitchen. The beech cabinetry and mother-of-pearl quartzite countertops continue from the kitchen into the plant room. Scott added a 9-inch-deep ledge that wraps the right corner so plants could bathe in the natural light. To the right he worked cubbies into the cabinetry for cookbooks and gardening books.
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In the middle of the book cubbies is a surprise opening. Angled sides force the perspective across the front hallway toward a small exterior window. Through the window and across the front porch, it just frames the next-door neighbor’s flag, which was serendipitous.
Scott planned this spot for 3D art by Patrick Hughes. “As you walk by and look at it, it changes. We designed this space with this piece in mind,” he says.
His stairwell design fulfills the homeowners’ wishes for open, light, high-ceiling spaces. It washes the space with natural light. The white ceiling seen here is the bottom of a dramatic cantilever over the space. The stairs down lead to the mudroom and garage and on down to the basement. The opening on the left leads to a first-floor master suite, which they use as a guest suite. This versatile space could also be used as an office or a den.
His stairwell design fulfills the homeowners’ wishes for open, light, high-ceiling spaces. It washes the space with natural light. The white ceiling seen here is the bottom of a dramatic cantilever over the space. The stairs down lead to the mudroom and garage and on down to the basement. The opening on the left leads to a first-floor master suite, which they use as a guest suite. This versatile space could also be used as an office or a den.
This is the powder room, which also serves as a full bathroom to the first-floor bedroom. The floating vanity, backsplash and mirror are all one streamlined piece that incorporates the palette of European beech and quartzite.
This mudroom is a few stairs down from the main floor, providing a landing zone just inside of the garage. The floor here is a porcelain that looks like stone. The durable material stands up to mucky boots and sports equipment. The beech and quartzite cabinetry foreshadows what’s to come upstairs.
“This couple is very active and they love to bike and ski,” Scott says. The door to the right leads to a walk-in closet that provides room for sports equipment and off-season items.
“This couple is very active and they love to bike and ski,” Scott says. The door to the right leads to a walk-in closet that provides room for sports equipment and off-season items.
The outdoor living space is in the side yard, with steps that lead to the dining room’s double doors. The powder-coated steel railing matches the interior railing, minus the wooden handrail. An overhang with clear vertical cedar and lights provides protection over these doors. To the right is a door that leads to the mudroom. Square windows add a playful touch to the stairwell.
This stairwell windows are a good spot for plants to soak in some sunlight.
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The area seen in the bottom right corner of this photo cantilevers over the downstairs hall.
The railings are custom, designed by Scott. Like the mantel, they are powder-coated steel, but he capped them with the same red birch wood used on the floors. This goes back to the homeowners’ love of textures. “We could have used metal on the handrail, but instead we used the softer, warmer material of wood,” he says.
The railings are custom, designed by Scott. Like the mantel, they are powder-coated steel, but he capped them with the same red birch wood used on the floors. This goes back to the homeowners’ love of textures. “We could have used metal on the handrail, but instead we used the softer, warmer material of wood,” he says.
The couple uses the master suite on the second floor. The bathroom has a tub with a niche that runs along its entire length. The tile has clean modern lines and the surround is White Macaubas quartzite.
This photo shows how the large light fixture in the stairwell casts interesting shadows around the walls and ceiling.
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House at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Minneapolis
Size: About 3,000 square feet (279 square meters)
Design-build team: Jim Scott and Bill Nagel of Locale Design Build
When configuring the exterior, the urban lot’s setbacks and neighboring houses informed Scott and partner Bill Nagel. “This is a long, narrow lot, so the house pretty much runs from the setback in the front to the setback in the back,” he says. The long gabled roofline on the left also runs from front to back and works well with the scale and massing of the tall newer home next door. The lower rooflines and front porch respond to the 1½-story 1940s home on the right.
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