Designing a companion home to the Frank Lloyd Wright cottage next door
When Imprint Architecture and Design landed a dream job, designing a new lake home to complement an existing Wright cottage on the same property, they found a way to pay homage without losing their own perspective. AIA partner Andersen Windows & Doors provides a tour.
Two lifelong friends decided to share a parcel on the shores of a tranquil Minnesota lake. On that lot was an existing cottage that bears all the hallmarks of Frank Lloyd Wright’s signature style — striking geometry, a strong connection to the natural environment, and a slight Japanese inflection. Sara Imhoff, AIA, and Jeremy Imhoff, AIA, owners of Imprint Architecture and Design, took that original building as an input for the design details of the new house on the property while also balancing it against the reality of the site and the needs of the homeowners.
A layout built on Wright's work
The new home has a Y-shaped layout that’s a direct nod to one of the most distinctive features of the existing cottage—its pyramidal shape. “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,” Sara said. This gives the home a well-organized layout with three wings—one for the primary suite, one for the public rooms, and one for the garage—preserving privacy while providing lots of opportunities for lakeside views. Using Wright’s geometry to inform the layout was also an elegant way to build on his work.
A meaningful connection with the lake
The site is on a steep slope overlooking the lake, so the home’s single-story layout was created through extensive grading. This means that the driveway snakes down from above. As you approach the house, you’re treated to views that run all the way through it, showcasing the lake on the other side.
Once inside, the thoughtful approach to fenestration is even more apparent. The Y-shaped layout creates interesting view corridors throughout the home and seamless connection to the patios. “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.
Andersen E-Series windows and doors are used throughout the home, but the architects specified Andersen E-Series Gliding Patio Doors, with triple-pane glass to improve energy efficiency.
A home designed to perform
The windows and doors work together with the other energy-efficient features in the home, including a heat pump, solar access, a high-performance building envelope, and radiant floor heating, plus sustainable materials such as thermally modified pine siding and a metal roof.
The metal roof was another way the architects complemented Wright’s work next door. To create something similarly striking, yet unique, they designed it with 6- to 7-foot-deep overhangs and a sharp-as-a-knife’s-edge angle. This makes it appear almost paper-thin and gives the illusion that it’s floating, which is entirely on purpose since it was inspired by origami.
“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 Frank Lloyd Wright home.”
Love this project? Take a video tour of the kYodai cottage led by Imprint Architecture & Design LLC. If you’re ready to explore windows and doors for your next project, find out more about the E-Series product line featured here.
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