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In a few days I will be struggling to find the right words to explain the style of a home that I designed for an artful couple who have generously allowed us to participate in the Homes by Architects Tour this coming Saturday and Sunday. This tour is an excellent way to share what we have designed together with a good many interested folks. And I know that I will be asked to explain the style of the home.
So much is written about architecture that makes it seem as if the designer had a single guiding principle or idea that, when constructed, can be easily classified in one of any number of styles. But in my experience, things are not as tidy as that. In this case, Tom and Yoka Omdahl fell in love with the small historic town of Marine on the St. Croix. The village of Marine required that the owners reproduce the look of an original cottage on their property that had to be taken down. But the Omdahls were modernists at heart and wondered if they could build a home that would respectfully sit within its historical matrix while making a modern statement. So the house was born from a tension between opposites- historic and modern.
As we moved deeper in the design process, there were times when I felt more like a referee than designer, negotiating between two quarreling styles. But in the end and because the Omdahls were so open-minded and enthusiastic, we found a way to pull it off. So now I need a name for what it has become. I will have slips of paper for those of you who come to visit this weekend and want to share your ideas for a style name. Keep in mind that Moditional has already been considered and rejected!
Come name an architectural project this weekend at Homes By Architects Tour House #19: Katherine Hillbrand's project at 575 Judd Street, Marine on St. Croix, MN 55047. For further info on this project you can visit the Homes By Architects project page. For more projects by Katherine Hillbrand, you can visit her profile page here. If you'd like to pin your route on Pinterest visit the SALA Architects 2013 Homes by Architects board here!