Striking urban lake house boasts sweeping views over Lake of the Isles

By One Kindesign June 9, 2020

4 comments

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SALA Architects in collaboration with Hartman Homes has designed this urban lake house to take advantage of its park-like setting in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The homeowners requested a very unique design strategy, which entailed how to best take advantage of the opportunity for light and view.

Nestled on a wedge-shape property, the project team sited this dwelling to provide sweeping views over the Lake of the Isles. Two long, thin, grey-colored living bars are set splayed apart to open up sightlines. The bars, each one room wide, provide light and air from three sides to the spaces within. Connecting the bars is a white, wood, and glass bridge whose form dynamically cuts through the bars.

This form is expressed on opposing sides with a white box bay window to the west and a white stair bay to the east. The bridge floats above the ground allowing natural water drainage to flow under the backyard to a rain-garden catch-basin at the front sidewalk.

What We Love: This urban lake house provides its inhabitants with a relaxed lakeside lifestyle. Designed to maximize views and natural light, there are plenty of fabulous details throughout. We are especially loving the design of the exterior facade with the bridge that connects two sides of the home while enabling water to flow underneath during rainstorms.

Tell Us: What are your thoughts on the overall design of this home? Please let us know in the Comments below!

Note: Be sure to have a look below for the “Related” tags for more fabulous home tours that we have featured here on One Kindesign from the portfolio of the architects of this project, SALA Architects.

Photos: Troy Thies Photography

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Kayt

3 years ago

The house is beautiful, no question. However, looking out all of those big windows, all you can see is parking a lot, neighbouring houses, pedestrians, and cars parked on the street. I imagine that pedestrians would also be able to see inward. One of the bedrooms has floor-to-ceiling windows that frame and showcase a parking lot, and the other looks directly at the side of a neighbour’s house. There must be other views where the lake is visible, but why the photographer wouldn’t attempt to capture them is questionable. Overall, it seems like a strange choice of design for such… Read more »

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Reply to Kayt

the lake is visible, but it is apparently on the other side of the street. it appears that the house is not actually on the lake, but the lake is within view of the house.

Reply to no comment

I understand the location of the house, and I do see snippets of lake, but not before seeing the parking lot. I think if the view was prevenlant enough to build a heavily-windowed house to appreciate it, surely the photographer would have gotten some better shots to showcase it? Unless better views of the lake do not exist. I guess my point is that for my preference, this design would be better suited for on the lake, rather than the lake be within view of the house, as you said. But, to each their own, of course.