Scandinavian Modern

The residence is located on an idyllic site in Shorewood, Minnesota. The clients, with their young family, desired a four-plus bedroom home with a simple modern Scandinavian design aesthetic where they could live, work and play. It was imperative that the home sit elegantly on the site and capture the views of the surrounding landscape and lake.

The family was a joy to work with. With both clients coming from design backgrounds (graphic and web design), they had the wherewithal to present a Power Point slide deck to the design team at the outset of the project to convey the feel of the home they wanted to live in. This was hugely helpful in understanding their preferred aesthetic and the character of spaces they were interested in the design team exploring.
There is one neighboring home in close proximity, which concerned the clients. The design was carefully composed to provide privacy within the home and mask the view of the neighboring house.

In home design, the space above the garage is often overlooked and underutilized. However, rather than being inaccessible attic space or a place to store wood scraps, this space unlocked the key to meeting the clients’ programmatic needs. Even prior to the pandemic, working from home was and now continues to be a necessity for the owners. Therefore, the integration of an office into the home's design was essential. This space above the garage was created utilizing room-in-attic roof trusses. The location also provides ample separation from the activity of the rest of the house.

The clients are thrilled about the fact that they were able to realize an outcome that perfectly suites their needs. After living in the home for a few months, they “really wouldn’t change a thing”. The owners credit the intensive 3D modeling performed by the design team throughout the entire design process, which allowed the clients to have a highly detailed, photorealistic 3D walkthrough of the home at their fingertips. With the model made available to the clients, they were able to use their own virtual reality headset to review the design any time they wished. The model allowed to design team and clients to explore different layouts, materials, colors, and light fixtures options. It also allowed the team to study the effect of sunlight on the home’s interior throughout the year. This aided in refining the orientation of the building and placement of the windows and skylights.