Rehkamp Larson Architects
rehkamplarson.com

Jean Rehkamp Larson, AIA; Anders Matney, AIA

White Bear Lake Cottage

Project Type: New Build

Sponsors: Hagstrom Builder (builder)

Starting a new life together, this couple created a house that fits their gregarious and passionate natures. One step in the door and their personalities are expressed with a custom laser-cut poem screen to the right and a wall of art niches ahead to the left.

They prioritized ease of hosting friends and family parties as they blended their lives together. The house allows for graceful movement from inside to out. Guests can pass straight through the entry hall to the porch and lake beyond or turn to arrive in the heart of the home. The living, dining, and kitchen flow together and open fully to the porch through a 12-foot automated sliding door. Reflecting the owner’s background as a restaurateur, the kitchen includes a catering pantry, complete with rolling racks and an “expo” counter with a heat lamp. Beyond the kitchen sink, a generous window opens as a pass-through to the exterior pull-up bar, making serving guests a snap.

A balcony overlooking the dining room connects the two levels. One bridge walkway leads to a guest suite and a second leads to the exercise room. Between them, the two-story wall with art niches extends up from the entry. A shared loft office space has French doors leading to a second level balcony overlooking the lake.

Set on the west side of the house and entered from a small vestibule off the entry hall, the private owner’s suite has direct access to the lake and even a window in the shower with a water view to start the day right.

AIA Framework for Design Excellence: Design for Water

The location of the home and the client’s desire to be good stewards for the land drove us to be conscientious about water on this White Bear Lake site. Knowing that the owners were transitioning the lot from tennis courts to a new home, capturing and controlling water runoff was part of the conversation with the design team early in the project. Large portions of the precipitation that falls on the home is collected and re-directed into two rain gardens, which serve to filter and slow the water’s path to the lake and reduce its watershed impact.

What is the AIA Framework for Design Excellence? Learn more »