A Modern Tudor made for taking in the view

The challenge was to design a home uniting two distinct visions while also “amplifying” the reasons the homeowners built on a rolling stretch of prairie in Minnesota outside of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Christopher Strom Architects designed a home that presents as a Tudor from the exterior with white stucco and black accents, including striking E-Series windows and doors, 400 Series windows, and a Folding Outswing Door. On the interior, however, it has a modern aesthetic emphasized by expansive openings whose black frames are made for seeing through, rather than being seen. At the center of it all is a 9 1/2’ tall by 20’ wide Folding Outswing Door that resists rain and snow, proving indoor/outdoor living is possible in every climate. 

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A living room with a wall of glass created by an Andersen® Folding Outswing Door with a bank of picture windows above.
An exterior shot of a modern Tudor home with white stucco, black accents, and cedar shake roof.

The home’s exterior is rooted in Tudor style with a high-contrast color scheme of black accents against white stucco.  

The back of the home has lots of large openings, an outdoor kitchen, and swimming pool.

Large expanses of glass make the most of the unobstructed views available on the north side of the home while protecting against the elements. This door can perform as needed through a Minnesota winter.  

“We live in Minnesota. [The Folding Outswing Door] is on the north side. It's going to be -20°F. This door really needs to perform. It has to keep the weather out and be warm on the other side. We said, ‘We need the data to back this up, and it was all there.’ It works beautifully.” 

— Eric Johnson, AIA, Principal and Partner at Christopher Strom Architects

A two-story open concept living room with an open Folding Outswing Door connecting to a patio outside.

The home’s more modern aesthetic is on full display in this open-concept space, which gets abundant natural light through large openings on both the northern and southern sides. 

“One thing we liked about the E-Series and the 400 Series is that they really do play nicely with each other. They have similar amounts of glass and similar jamb details. People can’t tell the difference.”  

— Eric Johnson, AIA, Principal and Partner at Christopher Strom Architects

A stair flooded with natural light through the two-story window unit.

A two-story joined E-Series window unit acts like a lantern brightening up the western gable of the home and shedding lots of natural light into the stair. 

A bathroom with marble floors and Andersen 400 Series windows offering a floor-to-ceiling view.

400 Series windows were chosen for the upstairs of the home because they offered cost savings while their contemporary profile matches the sight lines of the E-Series windows downstairs. 

400 Series windows were chosen for the upstairs of the home because they offered cost savings while their contemporary profile matches the sight lines of the E-Series windows downstairs. 

A home with a row of four dormer windows peeks over a sunlit hill.

Supporting a more traditional Tudor aesthetic are the dormer windows visible over the brow of the hill. These windows are 400 Series Casement Windows with a contemporary profile.

A prairie in bloom with a modern Tudor home rising up behind a hill.

To add interest to all sides of the home, the architects varied materials and included lots of windows. 

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A roof punctuated by four dormer windows peeks over the brow of a hill covered in prairie grass at golden hour.

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Our E-Series windows & patio doors, as part of the Architectural Collection, are made to your exact specifications for unmatched flexibility and design freedom.


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