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Collection by Susan Anton

Willow Creek ideas

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The father of architect Greg Dutton wished to build a cabin on the family farm, located within Appalachian Ohio and home to 400 heads of cattle. Dutton, of Pittsburgh and Columbus, Ohio-based Midland Architecture, presented this design as his father’s birthday present in 2012. Finished in 2014, the 900-square-foot cabin operates entirely off-the-grid.
The father of architect Greg Dutton wished to build a cabin on the family farm, located within Appalachian Ohio and home to 400 heads of cattle. Dutton, of Pittsburgh and Columbus, Ohio-based Midland Architecture, presented this design as his father’s birthday present in 2012. Finished in 2014, the 900-square-foot cabin operates entirely off-the-grid.
On an island 20 miles off the coast of Maine, a writer, with the help of his daughter, built not only a room, but an entire green getaway of his own.
On an island 20 miles off the coast of Maine, a writer, with the help of his daughter, built not only a room, but an entire green getaway of his own.
In the summer, the kitchen counter transforms into an indoor/outdoor kitchen island. The outdoor dining room is located between two whitebeam trees.
In the summer, the kitchen counter transforms into an indoor/outdoor kitchen island. The outdoor dining room is located between two whitebeam trees.
Located on the Swedish island of Gotland, the house is designed to look like a large boulder to blend in with the landscape. “It is a stone among other stones,” the designers say.
Located on the Swedish island of Gotland, the house is designed to look like a large boulder to blend in with the landscape. “It is a stone among other stones,” the designers say.
Mela Breen and David Good set out to build a zero-energy property that blended into its surroundings in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Mela Breen and David Good set out to build a zero-energy property that blended into its surroundings in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Built of sustainable cross-laminated timber, a prefab cabin by the architecture firm MAPA offers a tranquil escape for São Paulo–based Maurício Uhle and Ralph Weigand. “We wanted to be in touch with nature, in a house made of wood and glass,” says Maurício. Adds Ralph, “We’d been searching for a solution that was well designed and cost-efficient and had a minimal impact on the environment.”
Built of sustainable cross-laminated timber, a prefab cabin by the architecture firm MAPA offers a tranquil escape for São Paulo–based Maurício Uhle and Ralph Weigand. “We wanted to be in touch with nature, in a house made of wood and glass,” says Maurício. Adds Ralph, “We’d been searching for a solution that was well designed and cost-efficient and had a minimal impact on the environment.”
In 2013, Jennifer Warner and Cara Frey fell in love with a modest but charming 1920s house within walking distance of their bungalow. The dwelling was dramatically sited, with great views of Portland’s southwest hills and downtown. But according to Michael Leckie, the Vancouver–based architect they eventually hired, "It was the dumpiest house on the block." Leckie replaced the house with a simple, modern design, using a basic square wood box that skews into a rhombus form, which he topped with a sloping roof. Their son, William, 6, swings in front of the cedar-clad house.
In 2013, Jennifer Warner and Cara Frey fell in love with a modest but charming 1920s house within walking distance of their bungalow. The dwelling was dramatically sited, with great views of Portland’s southwest hills and downtown. But according to Michael Leckie, the Vancouver–based architect they eventually hired, "It was the dumpiest house on the block." Leckie replaced the house with a simple, modern design, using a basic square wood box that skews into a rhombus form, which he topped with a sloping roof. Their son, William, 6, swings in front of the cedar-clad house.
Architect David Dowell and his wife, Kathy, took a decade to determine what they wanted to do with the historic 12-acre property they bought in eastern Kansas. The couple eventually opted to renovate and expand the modest limestone cottage that was already there. The resulting 1,250-square-foot getaway sits on the rolling plain amid elm, silver maple, and eastern red cedar trees. “You don’t have to choose between old and new,” says David. “It’s a false construct in our brain to even think that way.”
Architect David Dowell and his wife, Kathy, took a decade to determine what they wanted to do with the historic 12-acre property they bought in eastern Kansas. The couple eventually opted to renovate and expand the modest limestone cottage that was already there. The resulting 1,250-square-foot getaway sits on the rolling plain amid elm, silver maple, and eastern red cedar trees. “You don’t have to choose between old and new,” says David. “It’s a false construct in our brain to even think that way.”
Lauren Ewing’s stylish but unassuming shotgun-style house in Vincennes, Indiana, is set into a hill overlooking a field she has known since childhood.
Lauren Ewing’s stylish but unassuming shotgun-style house in Vincennes, Indiana, is set into a hill overlooking a field she has known since childhood.