A little home that’s not a little brother to the Frank Lloyd Wright next door

When Imprint Architecture and Design landed a dreamy job, designing a new lake home to complement an existing Wright home on the same property, they partnered with Hagstrom Builder to bring the vision to life. Together, they found a way to pay homage without losing their own perspective.

Want more of the design details? Keep reading to learn the whys and hows behind this project.

Why the Y-shape?

One of the most distinctive features of the existing cottage is its pyramidal shape. One corner of the sharply jutting roof points to the new home and that became a jumping off point for the new design. “We took that shape and actually pulled it inside out creating three prongs where the roof meets on the inside of the house and on the outside of the house, it creates that similar triangular shape,” Sara said. What that means for the floor plan is that it is organized into three prongs — one for the primary suite, one for the public rooms, and one for the garage.

A living room with corner windows that stretch floor to ceiling and a stonework fireplace.

A living room with corner windows that stretch floor to ceiling and a stonework fireplace.

The Y-shaped layout creates interesting view corridors throughout the home. Fireplaces anchor the two wings of the home containing living space. These features were custom designed to emulate Wright’s distinctive treatment of brick, which is characterized by strong horizontal lines.

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How they let in the lake

The Y-shaped layout provides ample opportunity to take in views of the lake and gardens surrounding the home through the floor-to-ceiling glass. “It's not a large space, 1,881-square-feet, but with the 9-foot ceilings and all the 8-foot windows and doors you feel like you're still outside,” Sara said. E-Series windows and doors are used throughout the home, but the architects specified E-Series Gliding Patio Doors instead of windows wherever possible. This was done to optimize the views and airflow. It also allowed them to specify non-operable E-Series Picture Windows, with triple-pane glass, in order to improve energy efficiency.

The builder of this home, Hagstrom Builder brought the elegant design to life resulting in a “masterpiece of modern architecture” as Marketing Director Erik Hagstrom put it. But tackling the complex details that make the design sing was only part of it, they also executed in a way that ensures the sustainability built into the plans works as intended including, of course, flawless installation of windows and doors and the high-performance building envelope. Other sustainable features of the home include a heat pump, solar access, radiant floor heating, and sustainable materials — thermally modified pine siding and a metal roof.

A bedroom lit up with light from Andersen® E-Series Picture windows.

A bedroom lit up with light from Andersen® E-Series Picture windows.

The poured concrete floors also suit the homeowner’s need for single-story living conducive to aging in place. The concrete floors spill over into the outdoors to create patios and into the curbless shower, so its seamless to transition between all the spaces with no thresholds to negotiate.

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"Hagstrom translated the architectural drawings into reality, tackling complex design details along the way.”

— Erik Hagstrom, Marketing Director Hagstrom Builder

How they optimized the site

The single-story layout of the home was created through extensive grading since the site is on a steep slope overlooking the lake. This means that the home is approached from a driveway that snakes down from above. As you approach the home, you’re treated to view corridors that run all the way through the home showcasing the lake on the other side. You also get the full effect of the prominent roof —another way the architects complemented Wright’s work next door.

To create something similarly striking, yet unique, they designed a roof with overhangs that are 6- to 7-feet deep. They also designed the metal to bend at a sharp-as-a-knife’s-edge angle. That angle makes it appear as though the roof is almost paper-thin giving the illusion that it’s floating, which is entirely on purpose since it was inspired by origami.

An exterior view of a single-story home with cedar siding, deep eaves, and lots of floor-to-ceiling glass.

An exterior view of a single-story home with cedar siding, deep eaves, and lots of floor-to-ceiling glass.

To complement the simplified material palette of concrete, glass, metal, and various wood tones, the architects selected dark bronze for the E-Series windows and doors. “It reads dark but complements the warm, neutral colors of the home,” Sara said of the color choice.

“The name of the home is ‘kYodai,’ brother in Japanese,” Sara said. “It stemmed from wanting it to be similar yet different, like a brother to the Wright home. It also reflects the nature of the clients’ lifelong friendship, and that of their two dogs, Bear and Yoshi, who happen to be brothers.”

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