Seeking a more comfortable, livable home isn’t always about square footage. Sometimes, it’s about pace and quality of life. For Wes and Tara Crouch, that realization took shape after living in Seattle for years. With the arrival of their third son, suburban Minneapolis—where Tara had grown up—began to feel like the right place to build a more grounded life close to family. “We had these lives to steward,” Wes says. “The desire to be intentional about our home and the space we live in became important.”

Before: Exterior

That philosophy resonated deeply with Wes, who lived in Japan for three years early in his career as an operations manager for an apparel manufacturer. While there, he developed an appreciation for Japanese design and its emphasis on intentionality and restraint. “I loved the architecture and simplicity,” he says, fondly recalling a coworker’s 16th-century house in the mountains with no electricity and no running water. “It’s where we would go hang out on the weekends.”

After: Exterior

But the search for a home close to Tara’s family proved unexpectedly difficult. “Everything was a split-level or 5,000 or 7,000 square feet,” Wes says with a laugh. “We didn’t need a sport court.”

What they wanted wasn’t necessarily a larger house, but one that aligned more closely with how they hoped to live. “It was about quality over quantity—and something we could make our own that didn’t necessarily need to be perfect,” Wes says.

The couple found what they were looking for in a quiet neighborhood in the Twin Cities suburb of Shoreview, where homes back up to a nature preserve and lake, and neighbors tend to stay for decades. At roughly 2,800 square feet including the basement, the mid-1960s ranch was relatively modest, but they were sold on its dramatic Douglas fir ceiling and strong connections to the landscape.

Although the home required renovation, Wes and Tara wanted to respect its history and setting. “When we bought the place, people kept asking, ‘Are you tearing it down? Are you tearing it down?’” Wes says.

Before: Living Area

A heavy-handed approach was the last thing the couple wanted. They found like-minded collaborators in Austin and Kotono Watanabe, the husband-and-wife, architect-and-designer team behind the firm Keep, whose philosophy centers on preserving and reworking as much of an original house as possible.

After: Living Area

Most design decisions were guided by the Japanese concept of ma, which roughly translates to the space between things and the idea of intentional emptiness, but which Austin and Kotono also describe as a gate framing the sun—an idea reflected throughout the house in carefully curated views of the landscape beyond.

After: Mudroom

Rather than radically expanding the house, Austin and Kotono proposed the opposite, focusing on openness, stronger connections to the outdoors, and moments of pause within the existing footprint. “We embraced that idea of intentional emptiness, or intentional space,” Kotono says. “Even if it’s an open floor plan, we’re designing all the way down to the square inch—having a space for this, having a space for that.”

That thinking shaped three major architectural moves. The first transformed a breezeway between the garage and house into a mudroom in the style of a Japanese genkan, or entry sequence, with built-in storage designed to support daily routines. Having experienced Japanese homes firsthand, Wes appreciates what he describes as the “purposeful entry spaces” that create transitions between exterior and interior life.

Before: Kitchen

The second intervention removed a cramped laundry room to reconnect the kitchen, dining, and living spaces. New glass doors open to a narrow porch inspired by Japanese engawas, so the boys playing out back are always within view. Removing the old water heater, range hood vents, track lighting, and other electrical systems left holes in the ceiling, which the firm carefully patched to match the existing timber, reinforcing the value of the original craftsmanship and materials. “It’s tongue-and-groove Douglas fir, and it’s a structural roof deck,” builder Dan Ahrendt says. “It would be very expensive, maybe prohibitively expensive, to build a roof like this.”

After: Kitchen

The final move excavated the lower level to transform what had been a dark, claustrophobic basement into a family room, guest quarters, and light-filled office overlooking the lake. By lowering the floor level and introducing larger windows, the renovation brought natural light and views deep into the space, which previously felt disconnected from the site.

Before: Basement

After: Basement

Wild turkeys, foxes, and bald eagles are now a regular part of Wes’s workday. “Every day the squirrel comes by and says hi,” he says with a laugh.

Before: Primary Bedroom

After: Primary Bedroom

Throughout the project, the couple and the design team kept craftsmanship and timelessness top of mind. “We looked at what’s trending right now and we said, ‘Let’s not do any of that,’” Wes explains. “The goal was to look at things from 500, 700, 800 years ago that are still useful. Natural, beautiful wood will always be in style. Good, intentional design will always be in style. Simple, purposeful spaces will always be in style.”

Before: Bathroom

After: Bathrooms

More Before & After stories:

She Grew Up in an Eichler, Bought One Down the Street, and Renovated 35 Years Later

The Kitchen Is the Star of This €211K Barcelona Penthouse Revamp

How a Couple Revived a Quirky Hamptons Home With Ties to the Bauhaus

Project Credits:

Architect: Keep LLC / @keep.archi

Builder/General Contractor: Morning Shadow Builders / @morningshadow_mn

Structural Engineer: Hezog Engineering

Lighting Design: Keep LLC

Interior Design: Kotono Watanabe, Keep LLC

Cabinetry Design/Installation: Modern Design Cabinetry

Hardwood Flooring: Alpine Flooring

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Before & After: How a Couple Reimagined Their Minnesota Ranch House With Japanese Design Principles