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Collection by Zach Edelson

Modern Homes Across the American Midwest

From Michigan to Iowa, these dwellings are at home among the prairies and forests of America's heartland.

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A couple in Evanston, Illinois, asked John Issa of Perimeter Architects to add on a two-story, 650-square-foot addition to their traditional farmhouse. The new volume is clad in composite slate siding by Inspire Roofing Products; the windows are Pella.
A couple in Evanston, Illinois, asked John Issa of Perimeter Architects to add on a two-story, 650-square-foot addition to their traditional farmhouse. The new volume is clad in composite slate siding by Inspire Roofing Products; the windows are Pella.
The exterior of the Field House, designed by Wendell Burnette Architects in Ellington, Wisconsin.
The exterior of the Field House, designed by Wendell Burnette Architects in Ellington, Wisconsin.
You may think that an existing or historic home—known for its drafty windows, old-fashioned mechanical systems, and obsolete construction materials and techniques—would be one of the least sustainable, green-friendly buildings around, but you'd be oh-so-very wrong!
You may think that an existing or historic home—known for its drafty windows, old-fashioned mechanical systems, and obsolete construction materials and techniques—would be one of the least sustainable, green-friendly buildings around, but you'd be oh-so-very wrong!
Crowned with a glass observatory, this scenic Wisconsin home commands panoramic views of the surrounding grasslands.
Crowned with a glass observatory, this scenic Wisconsin home commands panoramic views of the surrounding grasslands.
“When you’re doing a second home, a lot of the character of the design is defined by what it isn’t,” says architect Greg Howe, as a way of explaining the minimalistic approach that was taken on this Michigan weekend home. “If you think of it as cold, you have to remember, the setting, and accessing nature, is the point.”
“When you’re doing a second home, a lot of the character of the design is defined by what it isn’t,” says architect Greg Howe, as a way of explaining the minimalistic approach that was taken on this Michigan weekend home. “If you think of it as cold, you have to remember, the setting, and accessing nature, is the point.”
Finding a home in the Cincinnati suburb of Wyoming was easy for this well-traveled family. The tricky part was reimagining and renovating the space to match their desired aesthetic. But, after four years, the house was transformed into the family’s modern oasis.
Finding a home in the Cincinnati suburb of Wyoming was easy for this well-traveled family. The tricky part was reimagining and renovating the space to match their desired aesthetic. But, after four years, the house was transformed into the family’s modern oasis.