The Minnetonka Modern Concept began with a deceptively simple brief: design a home that disappears into its landscape. The clients, a young family with a deep love of Minnesota's lake country, wanted a residence that felt simultaneously grand and utterly unassuming from the water's edge.
Working closely with Stonewood, our architecture team developed a linear massing strategy that positions the primary living spaces as a single unbroken horizontal band, its roofline echoing the flat horizon of the lake beyond. Floor-to-ceiling glazing dissolves the boundary between the great room and the stone terrace, while a cantilevered roof overhang manages solar gain through all four seasons.
The interior palette was built around restraint. White oak floors run continuously throughout, anchoring spaces that shift from the warmth of the kitchen to the cooler, more contemplative character of the study and library wing. Stone selections were sourced from quarries in both Minnesota and Scandinavia, a nod to the region's Nordic heritage and the family's own roots.
The landscape plan, designed concurrently with the architecture, extends the home's geometry into the site. Native grasses and wildflower meadows buffer the lake, while a series of terraced bluestone patios step down to a private dock. The outdoor kitchen and fire feature allow the family to live outside from ice-out through the first snowfall.
Next Project
The Bay Renewal