Homes by Architects Tour Preview
Two recommended itineraries for this year’s circuit on Saturday, September 28, and Sunday, September 29, from 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. each day
By Laurie Junker | September 19, 2024
Home #7: Crescendo in St. Louis Park, by CityDeskStudio. Photo by CityDeskStudio.
FEATURE
Anyone considering a new home, addition, or remodel, or just curious about what talented local architects are up to, should mark the weekend of September 28 and 29 for the AIA Minnesota Homes by Architects Tour.
A dozen homes will be open for in-person tours and two for a virtual spin. This year’s projects showcase the latest in environmentally focused design and the artistry and attention to detail that demonstrate why architects make all the difference in home design. New this year is the Small Projects Showcase, which features architect-designed residential projects under 600 square feet.
With homes scattered throughout the Twin Cities metro area, the tour lends itself to two routes: one on the western side and one on the east. Grab a friend, buy a ticket, and set out for a fun day to gather design ideas, check out new neighborhoods, and be inspired.
West Side
Home #3: TWO.FOLD in Minnetrista, by Imprint Architecture and Design. Photo by Imprint Architecture and Design.
Start your day in the small town of St. Bonifacius with a nitro brew, pancakes, or a power bowl at St. Boni Bistro before heading to House #3, TWO.FOLD, a crisp geometric design by Imprint Architecture Architecture and Design in the Upland Farms development (the former country home of a Pillsbury family member). This modern family home follows the topography of the sloped, wooded setting and features a sophisticated, low-maintenance, shou sugi ban (charred wood) exterior with cheerful splashes of color throughout. Don’t forget to look for the home’s “secret” room.
Home #4: Excelsior Bay Residence in Excelsior, by PKA Architecture. Photo by Spacecrafting.
Fifteen minutes away is the charming village of Excelsior, where you can tour a newly constructed cottage on Excelsior Bay—Home #4. PKA Architecture designed the modestly scaled brick home to blend with the neighborhood and frame relaxing water views. Rooftop solar panels and a green roof that minimizes runoff into Lake Minnetonka make it a good environmental steward.
Home #5: Pondside in Eden Prairie, by Christopher Strom Architecture. Photo by Scott Amundson.
Home #5 is Pondside, a 1980s walkout rambler in Eden Prairie completely reimagined by Christopher Strom Architecture to ensure the longtime owners could age in place in the home and community they love. The key to this transformation was a modest 14-foot addition to accommodate a bright kitchen that’s open to the main floor and connected to the tranquil backyard pond.
Home #6: Sherwood Forest in Minnetonka, by Eric J. Hansen, AIA. Photo by Eric J. Hansen.
Nestled in the Minnetonka woods is Home #6, called Sherwood Forest, a small, midcentury-modern rambler built on a poured-concrete floating slab foundation. Architect Eric J. Hansen, AIA, renovated the house down to the studs, reusing the butternut wall paneling and mahogany trim and adding a small addition for a mudroom. Notable energy-efficient features are Warmboard® hot water heating under the floors and high-velocity HVAC, which will ensure the comfort of the home for decades to come.
Home #7: Crescendo in St. Louis Park, by CityDeskStudio. Photo by CityDeskStudio.
If refreshments are in order, swing by the revitalized Texa-Tonka Shopping Center for southern fare from Revival or a sweet from Angel Food Bakery before you pop into Home #7 in St. Louis Park. This striking home by CityDeskStudio is named Crescendo for its three dramatic rooflines, which create a feeling of lift and lightness on the interior. This house also features a home office, a creative studio, and an apartment with a separate entrance for a family member.
Home #8: Hip Joint in Minneapolis, by SALA Architects. Photo by Troy Thies.
Home #8, one of the homes on the Small Projects Showcase, is a quaint bungalow in the Bryn Mawr neighborhood of Minneapolis. This renovation began with a structurally unsound roof in the living room and ended with an elegant, hipped ceiling topped with an elongated skylight. The owner, an architect with SALA Architects, also enlarged the home’s sole bathroom and created a multipurpose guest room and office in one of the two bedrooms.
Home #9: Harriet House in Minneapolis, by Craft Design Build. Photo by Craft Design Build.
Improving energy efficiency was the motivation for another project on the Showcase, Home #9 in South Minneapolis. Here, the homeowner—an architecture principal at Craft Design Build—retrofitted the house to be as green as possible by replacing the asphalt roof with Tesla solar shingles, updating mechanical systems, and adding new windows and a double layer of mineral wool insulation under fiber-cement siding. Harriet House also includes a new rear mudroom and a friendly front porch that helps it better relate to the neighborhood.
East Side
Home #10: Tiny Tudor in St. Paul, by Kell Architects. Photo by Round Three Photography.
Start your day in St. Paul with Home #10, another project on the tour’s Small Projects Showcase. A small bump-out on this modest story-and-a-half Tudor home in the Highland Park neighborhood allowed the owners to create the kitchen of their dreams. Kell Architects took cues from the 1939 home’s architectural details, including timber lintels and car siding (wood paneling with a V-shaped groove), to create a sunny, Cotswold-inspired kitchen with banquette seating and plenty of storage.
Before heading to the Stillwater area for the rest of the tour, stop by the family-run La Boulangerie Marguerite on Randolph Avenue for a coffee and sticky bun to enjoy during the drive.
Home #14: kYodai in Marine on St. Croix, by Imprint Architecture and Design. Photo by Round Three Photography.
Home #14 by Imprint Architecture and Design began with a daunting request to design a home that complements and dialogues with a Frank Lloyd Wright house next door. The home is dubbed “kYodai,” which means brother in Japanese; the thoughtful moniker references the relationship between the two houses, the importance of Japanese art in Wright’s work, and (with the uppercase ‘Y’) the shape of the house. Located on Square Lake, it’s worth the drive.
Home #12: Elysian Fields in Grant, by Christopher Strom Architects. Photo by Spacecrafting.
The next two tour homes are in White Oaks Savanna, a community of architect-designed homes on 200 acres of restored prairie outside of Stillwater. Home #12 is Elysian Fields, an H-shaped house by Christopher Strom Architects that features swooping “catslide” dormers, cedar shingles, and copper drainpipes on the exterior. Inside, it has three levels bursting with natural light and color that reflect the owners’ personalities.
Home #13: Prärie Hus in Grant, by PKA Architecture. Photo by Spacecrafting.
Just down the road is House #13 by PKA Architecture, a quiet design marked by a quartet of gabled roofs inspired by traditional Scandinavian farmhouses. Prärie Hus, as it’s known, is oriented to shield the home from neighbors and maximize solar gain. Additional green features include rooftop solar panels, geothermal heating, an insulated concrete form (ICF) foundation, and structurally insulated panels.
A unique and seasonally appropriate dining option nearby is the Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter, an authentic German restaurant with seating every half hour and live accordion music in the evening (reservations recommended). And you’d be remiss not to swing by one of the area’s apple orchards, such as the family-run Sunnybrook Apple Orchard, for a taste of the autumn harvest.
Home #11: Duck Duck in White Bear Lake, by SALA Architects. Photo by SALA Architects.
Duck Duck on White Bear Lake, Home #11, celebrates structure with exposed beams, joists, and rafters and a visible concrete foundation. Built on a narrow lot, the two-story home by SALA Architects maximizes efficiency with a main floor devoted to cooking and living and 22-foot-wide sliding doors that let in lake breezes. A spacious primary suite, an office, and guest accommodations are located on the second level.
Virtual Tour
Don’t miss the virtual component of the Homes by Architects Tour, which is exclusive to ticket holders and available to view from September 28 through October 13.
Home #2: Ski Hill Cabins and Saunas in Lutsen, by Grayspace Architecture. Photo by Spacecrafting.
Ski Hill Cabins and Saunas (Home #2): Environmental values and the need to create a compelling hospitality experience drove the design of these four modern cabins by Grayspace Architecture, each with a private sauna outbuilding. Tucked along the North Shore, minutes from Lutsen Mountains, the cabins are clustered to reduce their footprint, with just enough spacing and careful window placement to make them feel private. A highlight is floor-to-ceiling views of the boreal forest.
Home #1: Minnetonka Residence in Minnetonka, by PAF Architecture. Photo by Jeff Cords Photography.
Minnetonka Residence (Home #1): The longtime owners of this lakeside rambler—empty nesters who also run a business from home—worked with PAF Architecture to update their home’s light-starved and closed-off main floor. By installing larger windows, removing interior walls, and adding slat display walls that offer a sense of privacy, the owners and their architect created a brighter and more open home with a contemporary feel and a dose of midcentury-modern character.
Visit homesbyarchitects.org for more on tour homes and locations, ticket information, and answers to frequently asked questions.
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