New Prairie Style Home

Set at the edge of a meadow on a forested mountain plateau, this custom home was built from the ground up to be in tune with the owner’s sensibilities and surrounding landscape. The angled wings of the main house and garage/workshop create a sheltered courtyard facing southeast towards the clearing. A two-story main gable structure contains the living spaces and second floor bedrooms, while the master bedroom and guest suites are attached at both ends of the main house as if accrued there over time. The living spaces are richly detailed with built-ins of various wood species: cherry kitchen cabinets and closets, a walnut and fieldstone hearth/media unit, maple window seats and entry closet, and pecan bathroom vanities. The flow of space throughout is defined by the subtle collision of angled geometries creating informal, individual living spaces oriented to particular views of the landscape.

A loggia connects the foyer to the garage/workshop, separating the parking area from the courtyard. Native fieldstone piers, boulders, and path stones anchor the bluestone loggia, terrace and screened porch to the land. Glass slag, found locally as a byproduct from historic iron forges, is set into the stone piers for its color and reflectivity. The laminated pine beams and spruce ceilings of the loggia & screened porch continue indoors into the foyer, living, and dining areas.

Designed by Chris Vlcek, Little Wolf Architecture
Photos by Chris Kendall (1-7, 9-10) and Noni MacLeay (8, 11-17)