Situated on lakefront property in northwestern Iowa, this 7,800 SF residence was built for a couple to host friends and a growing multi-generational family in a contemporary space where a connection to the lake and the landscape is ever-present. The home was carefully sited amongst a grouping of old growth Bur Oak trees and arranged to preserve open space and capture a rare view of the lake from the street.

The home employs a straightforward organizational strategy consisting of two accoya wood-clad parallel bars framing a glazed communal space. These elements are unified beneath a single sloped roof creating a sequence of large indoor and outdoor rooms; a forecourt, living room, and rear terrace, all focused on the view to Lake Okoboji.

The private master suite, with a framed lake view and access to the terrace, is contained in the one-story bar to the south. The elongated two-story bar to the north contains service spaces on the main level, with the upper level reserved for guest accommodations and entertaining. This north wing is segmented by a paired series of floor to ceiling windows that provide exposure to northern light on one side and views to the open forecourt on the other, connecting each space to the natural context.

Throughout, a reductive material palette of wood, glass and stone is utilized to create warm domestic spaces that, despite their scale, remain intimate and inviting.

Corey Gaffer

awards

Builder's Choice Design Awards, 2022
BUILDER

Excellence in Design - Contemporary Architecture, 2022
2nd Annual dsm Home Design Awards

publications

BUILDER, September 2022
dsm, January/February 2022
IA, 2022
Iowa Architect, Summer 2021
Iowa Architect, Spring 2018