On Cloud Nine
Set on a six-acre wooded site in eastern Minnesota, the Cloud Forest House draw sits inspiration—and name—from an unlikely source more than 3,000 miles away.
The owners were originally attracted to the lakeside property because the immersive natural surroundings reminded them of their travels to the cloud forests of Ecuador, but after 10 years, they were ready to explore improvements to meet the needs of their young family of five.
Sara and Jeremy Imhoff of Imprint Architecture and Design were brought onto lay out a new floor plan that extended the home’s sight lines while providing privacy for the parents and their growing children.
The husband-and-wife team chose to incorporate Kolbe Windows & Doors’ VistaLuxe AL LINE into the plan to connect and transcend the home’s defined indoor and outdoor spaces. The newly opened-up great room gives the impression of entire walls of glass by combining lift-and-slide doors with large direct sets and clerestory windows in a single configuration.
"With the Cloud Forest House, we have a lot of expansive glass in a very private wooded setting. We have to think about the context of where the house is and what the owners are looking at through all of that glass," says Jeremy. "What I really appreciate about the windows is that the frames allow us to maximize their viewing area, blurring the lines between the inside and outside."
To further that indoor/outdoor connection, the homeowners worked with Imprint to select a material palette that merged contemporary indoor comfort with rugged outdoor materials. Locally sourced concrete panels, ironwood siding and decking, and exposed structural steel beams on the exterior of the home complement the all-aluminum, onyx-colored frames of Kolbe Windows & Doors.
Sara adds: "Kolbe Windows & Doors was a huge part of leaning into the open concept, envisioning the new design with the right materials."
Get the full home tour at dwell.com/kolbe.
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Dwell Magazine