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Alicia Freska paid to redo the space with fresh cabinetry, appliances, and flooring, while her landlord shored up the structure.

Alicia and David decided to replace the outdated heating elements with underfloor heating for added comfort.

$TK

“I believe in simplicity and natural materials,” says Steph. “In our home, what really pops is our things: our furniture, art, and books. And in my [Tiny Grocer] store in the same way what really pops is our products.

"The forest outside our windows brings us joy from the moment we wake up in the morning," says Jonah, "while we watch the hawks and birds and drink our coffee to the period of dusk when the deer pass through on their evening foraging and the fox come out of hiding."

“From anywhere in the house, you have a sense of the outdoors,” says Melonie, “and yet it’s very private.” Ikegami agrees. “The building was really about the landscape—it can dissolve into the background,” he says. In the master bedroom, Japanese Tansu chests from the couple’s previous home flank a Duxiana bed. The full-height windows and swing door are from Western Window Systems.

The home is built into its grassy-dune landscape (icluding a day-lit lower level) yet still appears to float over its terrain.

The showpiece in the new bathroom is the floating vanity with an integrated sink carved from a block of Nero Marquina marble.

The elegant prefab construction features glulam beams that support a steel scupper off of which water plumes during a rainfall—yet another nod to the landscape and natural elements.

From street view, the remodeled home—now sporting a sleek black exterior—appears to only be one level.

The wood-fired store is from local company Homestead Stove.

“The floor is brought closer to the ground level. This makes the line of sight closer to that of the outside, creating a conscious connection with the outdoors,” said Sudo. This also helps create a higher ceiling level and reduce cost.

"The wood-burning stove is also a winter delight. I like to spend time with my wife drinking a glass of wine while watching the fire swaying in the wind. It gives me an extraordinary feeling!" says the owner.

With a home for his family along the Mississippi River waterfront, architect Barry Yoakum aimed to achieve the highest standards of energy performance and carbon mitigation without compromising on design. A modern anomaly among its historically styled neighbors, “the house is a fresh, authentic approach to climate change but also a piece of architecture,” he says. Its Pac-Clad aluminum panels with Bone White Energy Star coating reflect light differently from minute to minute while reducing solar heat gain. “The house will age well over time,” says Barry, who expects the cladding to have a long life span.

Warm wood detailing ensures that the concrete flooring has a natural contrast.