A Glass Staircase and Striking Rear Facade Define This Family Home in Minnesota
When a home is designed to sit within the landscape and invite nature inside, the way the views are framed is just as important as the architecture itself. This was certainly the case with Orchard Creek Hillside, a new-build home for a family of five in Orono, Minnesota. Designed by Everson Architect, the home is defined by striking, minimalist forms and punctuated by vast expanses of glass that dissolve the boundaries between inside and out and frame views of the surrounding wetlands.
"I’ve heard people say the home looks like something you would find in California, Arizona, or Florida," says architect Tommy Everson. "The way we configured it—tucked into the hillside—it’s nestled within nature. It’s all about the expansive use of space and views."
The 6,540-square-foot, hillside home is set on 8.39 acres bordering a wetland in Orono, Minnesota, and is part of an exclusive residential development by Gordon James Construction & Development. It features five bedrooms, six bathrooms, an indoor sports court, wellness zones, a chef’s kitchen, and resort-style pool.
From the front, the home appears to be a modest, single-level dwelling, with a low profile and an elegantly minimal design language. From the rear, however, the true scale is revealed—two stories set into the hillside with a facade constructed almost entirely of windows and glass doors. "The homeowners didn’t want to draw a lot of attention with a grand entry," says Everson. "Instead, they reserved the grandiose gesture for the back of the house."
With such abundant glazing used throughout—from soaring floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding glass doors, to picture windows that artfully frame views—specifying a product that would complement the ambitious design vision was essential.
The entrance hall is sandwiched between two enormous glazed panels, offering immediate views through the home to embrace views of the lush wetlands that surround the property. The clerestory windows that wrap around the top of the main living area peek over the top of the darker form, offering a hint of what’s to come.
Everson chose to work with Kolbe Windows & Doors, and was particularly attracted to the clean lines of the VistaLuxe Collection WD LINE, which features large expanses of glass framed by a durable aluminum exterior and warm timber interior. "The large glass openings with narrow framing give the home a museum quality," explains Everson. "The windows become the artwork and draw you into the dynamic views."
The entry leads to the large great room, which boasts a 15-foot-tall "window wall" that offers panoramic views of the surrounding wetlands and the pool below. "Where the lower level’s views draw you outside to the pool, the main floor is more about the long views," says architect Tommy Everson. "The windows and doors subtly frame views of the landscape and beyond into the wilderness. When the light is just right outside, you can see a reflection of the house mirrored in the pool from the backyard."
Nearly every room in the home features operable windows and exterior doors designed by Kolbe. Not only does the fenestration facilitate effortless indoor/outdoor living, but it floods the interior with natural light. The north-facing windows at the front of the home allow a calming, indirect light in; while the south-facing windows at the rear that overlook the pool bring in ample direct light that emphasizes the resort-style feeling of the home.
The family bedrooms are arranged in two wings on the main floor, with three children’s bedrooms on one side of the great room and the primary on the other. Operable glass doors in the primary bedroom open out to a large terrace for entertaining.
The pine wood trim on the interior of the Kolbe windows is painted to match the home’s neutral color palette, while the extruded aluminum on the exterior frame is finished in onyx black.
The kitchen features a glass window backsplash that invites abundant light into the interior.
Informed by the owner’s love of spas and health clubs, the entire lower level is conceived as a resort-like entertaining space, complete with a wellness zone and bar. Kolbe’s VistaLuxe AL multi-slide doors separate the interior living space from the pool area, and can be opened up entirely to offer a seamless experience between the interior and exterior spaces. Even when the doors are closed, the slim black frames offer minimal visual disruption and allow the spectacular views to take center stage.
The Kolbe VistaLuxe AL multi-slide door—which leads from the downstairs living and kitchen space out to the pool area—is described by Everson as "a critical design element."
"It was really important to the homeowners to have thin frame profiles in order to achieve as streamlined of a look as possible," says Everson on the decision to specify the Kolbe VistaLuxe AL multi-slide door on the ground floor. "Kolbe’s VistaLuxe lines have such a clean aesthetic—you can tell they were designed in collaboration with architects."
The home features wellness areas that are inspired by the homeowners love of health clubs. The spa on the lower includes a yoga studio, sauna, steam shower, and a daybed area that opens up directly to the pool and an adjacent hot tub.
The floor-to-ceiling windows throughout the home are proportionally scaled with reference to the Kolbe VistaLuxe AL multi-slide door on the lower level, creating a pleasing sense of continuity and rhythm.
Everson also worked with Kolbe and Gordon James Construction & Development to craft a number of custom features for the property, including the walnut timber front door. This elegantly understated entrance is flanked by a nine-foot-tall window that offers a glimpse of the interior when outside, and embraces views of the landscape when inside.
"The windows are a huge part of this house," says Jeremy Thompson, senior project manager with Gordon James Construction & Development. "And, Kolbe met the balance of the design that was needed to make the project work."
The front door—which was crafted by Kolbe from walnut timber—blends seamlessly into the walnut cladding of the entrance hall, creating an elegantly understated first impression. The nine-foot-tall window frames the view, and allows abundant natural light into the interior.
The exterior of the home is defined by the undulating, white stucco band that artfully frames the floor-to-ceiling glazing on the main floor then wraps down and around the multi-slide doors on the lower level. Clerestory windows in the great room on the main floor run below the top edge of the band, with the dark framing echoing the linear language and elevating the architectural signature.
From the rear, the home dramatically reveals its true scale. Two levels are set into the hillside site, and the rear facade is almost entirely glass divided by an undulating band of white stucco.
Similarly, the signature interior features are predominantly defined by the large swathes of glass throughout. Take, for example, the south-facing floating glass staircase. The glazing here—which runs over two levels and offers sweeping views over the wetlands and pool area—is contrasted with a charcoal two-story chimney, giving the stair a sense of weightlessness.
The south-facing floating glass staircase is anchored by a two-story chimney, connecting both levels.
"You are surrounded by glass and hardly notice anything other than the views because of the minimal window framing," says Everson. "Kolbe’s windows are a huge part of achieving that experience."
Project Credits:
Architect: Everson Architect
Interior Designer: Nada Bibi Interior Design
Developer & Builder: Gordon James Construction & Development
Windows & Doors Showroom: Kolbe Gallery Twin Cities
Windows & Doors Manufacturer: Kolbe Windows & Doors
Photographer: Spacecrafting
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