Empty nesters Fadil and Jan wanted an urban house to walk and bike from. To respect their one and one half story Seward neighbors, their two story home is set back, providing space for a formal, paved Terrace/Garden in front. This house benefits from small changes in level, interior and exterior. Inside, from the side Entry with its bike port, three steps take you up to Kitchen/Dining. Three steps back down and you're in the Living Room. Fadil and Jan like to entertain so the Kitchen island is the podium from  which the hosts can interact with guests on both main levels. 

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Lowering costs and expressing modern materials guided much of the design. Floors on grade are unfinished concrete to which the couple added area rugs. Kitchen/Dining and Upper floors are dark engineered wood. We helped the owners with a schematic Kitchen design which they took to IKEA to refine and order. To save money, Fadil and Jan assembled the Kitchen cabinets and our contractor installed them. One special touch is the glass Stair railings which are etched with algorithmic patterns by Fadil (Director of the U of M's Institute for Mathematics and its Applications). Upstairs, a Work/Entertainment space is open to the Stairs with a Guest Room/Sewing Space beyond. We often use pure white cultured marble for window sills. Here, it also provides a handsome cap on the Stair side walls. 

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Both cost and sustainability are helped by the home's simple, regular forms. The home is heated and cooled by a geothermal system. With special attention to installing a tight vapor barrier, our usual blower door test showed extremely low exfiltration. Low maintenance/ultimately recyclable metal siding covers the house upper walls while painted cement board is used below. White louvers provide sun shading while the two story, Southwest Stair/Foyer acts as a passive collection space.