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Urban Oasis
A Linden Hills contemporary gives this busy family a serene retreat
Everything about Joe and Sarah Huss’s south Minneapolis home says understatement. From its Asian-contemporary exterior to its loft-like living spaces to its striking artwork, all speaks of a discerning eye and sense of casual sophistication. Then there’s the home’s focal point: the three-story Texas limestone wall that anchors the “floating” cable-and-wood staircase. Overhead, natural light from the four 4-foot-by-4-foot skylights pours down the stairs like a bright waterfall cascading through the center of the house. “Everyone comments on the wall,” Sarah says. “It’s really a piece of art.”
The massive dry-stacked stone wall in pale shades of gold and tan was meticulously pieced together like a huge, elaborate puzzle. “It was really important to us that it not be too brown or heavy looking, so we inspected the wall every few days during installation. A few times, we requested that sections be redone to get it just right,” Sarah says. The results were certainly worth the toil.
Completed in 2011, the 4,400-square-foot contemporary home came together as if it was meant to be. From the way the couple found and purchased the lot to the dining room chandelier that matches a chandelier in a nearby painting, serendipity seems at play here.
In 2009, when the Husses decided to move from their 1920s traditional Minneapolis home to one more conducive to their busy lives with two young children, they quickly narrowed their search to the Linden Hills neighborhood. As they began the search for a builder to bring their vision to fruition, Sarah met with Nate Wissink, project director at Elevation Homes, a division of Streeter & Associates in Wayzata. The two toured a spec home in Linden Hills, and then walked a few blocks to a nearby available lot … a lot, in fact, that Wissink owned that was next door to the house he had just built for his own family. “The lot was perfect,” Sarah said. “It had a big, ugly, brown house on it, but we knew that was the spot.”
Soon after, Joe went to see the location, and, in addition to loving it, he and Wissink realized that they were both huge Packer fans. “I think that sealed the deal for both of us,” Wissink jokes.
The Husses assembled the team that would create their dream home: residential designer Charlie Simmons of Charlie & Co Design, Andrea Swan of Swan Architecture (then partners in Swan + Simmons Architecture), and Travis Van Liere, now with Cohen+Partners landscape design in Minneapolis. “I believe the best design is collaborative design,” says Wissink. “There’s a synergy that’s created when everyone on the project—architects, builders, landscape architects, interior designer, and the homeowners—work together on the front end to share ideas. That’s when the overall result is the best.”
The Husses had a clear idea of what they wanted: a living space that was open, functional, and sophisticated, and that contrasted dark and light, and soft and hard. They also wanted their home to have a calming effect, to feel like a place to retreat from their busy, active lives. “I think we accomplished that,” says Swan. “The whole home has a Zen-like, warm, contemporary feel.”
The style of the home borders on the traditional to the contemporary, Simmons says. “It blends elements that are contemporary, Prairie School, transitional, and traditional by utilizing a unique mix of architectural detailing and materials.”
The Husses’ home, featured on the recent 2011 Homes by Architects Tour, was built into a hill on a deeper-than-typical city lot. Its tuck-under garage, flat roof, and cedar-accented exterior contribute to its Asian contemporary personality. It shares an open courtyard with Wissink’s home next door, and a series of subtle stairs lead up from the street to the fir front door and cedar slat screening on the front porch. Directly above sits a second cedar slat patio off the guest suite on the second floor.
Sarah and Joe wanted their house to fit their lifestyle. “We live casually and we entertain casually,” says Sarah, who wanted the kitchen to be central to the layout. The main level’s open spaces—the kitchen, dining, and living room—are visually separated by soffits and architectural detailing on the 9.5-foot ceiling. “The kitchen is the nucleus of the home from which every other space radiates,” says Simmons. “From there, you have views of every space on the main floor.”
The home’s back wall is composed of sliding glass doors that open to a large patio. Like mirror images, the dining room opens to an outdoor dining room, and the living room with a gas fireplace opens to an outdoor living room with a wood-burning fireplace. All can be clearly viewed from the kitchen island.
“Within the dense urban setting, we wanted to maximize views of the yard and optimize flexibility of the space while maintaining privacy,” says Swan. “We also wanted to bring in as much light as possible, which we were able to accomplish with the back wall and the skylights above the staircase.”
A main-level family room/office, tucked around the corner from the kitchen, is set off by a step up, slat framing, and its 8-foot ceiling. The design also includes loads of family friendly storage: two large mudrooms; various built-ins; a huge pantry; and touch-latch cabinets in the family room that hide the printer, books, television and other personal items.
Walnut woodwork, closets, and cabinetry throughout the house provide contrast with the 3-inch white Corian countertops in the kitchen and the mudroom has Ceasarstone counters and white walls. The main level’s white oak is stained, while the walnut built-ins on the second floor are unstained to reveal the grain and give the clear, linear lines additional warmth.
Upstairs is a guest suite, owners’ bedroom and bathroom, two children’s bedrooms, and a large laundry room. Perhaps most impressive, however, is the gallery-style hallway connecting each room that runs along what feels like a two-story stair atrium. Flooded with light and separated by pilaster and soffiting, the hallway is one of the home’s unexpected delights.
Sarah acted as her own interior designer, calling on her favorite resources, including Room & Board, Heinrich & Schultz, Gallery 360, and AllModern.com. She also carefully selected artwork that adds just the right dash of color and style.
The result is a home that reflects the Husses’ preferences, as well as a successful collaboration. “Joe and Sarah’s spirits are very trusting,” Wissink says. “The team environment was fantastic, and it shows in the end result.”
Colby Johnson is editor of Drinks magazine, also published by Greenspring Media Group.
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