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The roof structure of William F. Cody’s 1963 Shamel Residence protects the interior from direct sun and provides shade over the patio, pocket gardens, and part of the pool. Courtesy Julius Shulman photography archive © J. Paul Getty Trust, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10)

Is it or isn’t it by the modern master? We figured it out after architects Erik Amir and Dora Chi pulled off a reverent revamp.

The clients—a family of five with three children in college—wanted to create an “urban cabin” that embraces the tranquil forested site on the shores of Lake Minnetonka. The solution was to use vast expanses of glass to dissolve the boundaries between inside and out.

"This home is intended as both a place of refuge and of play," says Emily Summers Design Associates.

Photovoltaics panels were installed at the pool house.

At the entry, Kurth created a glassed alcove for an exterior sculpture using Series 600 Window Walls from Western Window Systems.

The dwelling is located on the hill’s brow, so it nestles into the slope just below a prominent cluster of quaking aspens where a resident bull moose lives. “The lot is located in a sea of grass-covered hills,” says architect Hunter Gundersen. “Unlike much of the Rocky Mountains it isn’t a craggy landscape full of cliffs, ravines, and broken rock faces. Instead, it’s soft and rolling, like grassy ocean swells with an occasional rock-outcropping ship or tree-stand island. Like the outcroppings, the structure is low lying, dark, and embedded into the grass and sage—at home on the soft surface, but not apologetic nor blending in.”

The home takes the form of two volumes that slide past each other. The front door leads directly to the center of the home, which connects to the both the entrance courtyard and the rear pool area, dissolving the boundaries between interior and exterior space.

On the rare occasion that the weather is chilly, an expansive concrete fireplace can warm up the living area.

The backyard is perfectly suited for summer entertaining.

The couple became inspired after touring the John Lautner–designed Sheats Goldstein House in L.A., and decided to use a microtopping coat on the floors. "We spent a long time testing samples with our concrete vendor,

A fire pit between two wings of the home encourages outdoor living.

The west-facing outdoor patio is protected by deep roof overhangs lined with southern yellow pine.

The matte-black exterior and floor-to-ceiling glass of Villa Överby sit flush on limestone slabs.

The Stahl House has been featured in numerous movies and photoshoots and was immortalized by photographer Julius Shulman.