Elegant Residential House Design by Julie Snow

In a South Minneapolis neighborhood of century-old housing stock, Julie Snow designed an elegant residential design to fulfill Andrew Blauvelt and Scott Winter’s desire for a loft on the ground. Andrew Blauvelt, the design director and curator at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, and Julie Snow, principal of Julie Snow Architects, both attended the inauguration of Dan Flavin’s seminal fluorescent light works at the Chinati Foundation. In a “Eureka!” moment Blauvelt knew a concrete home would be in his future. The deeply collaborative design process that ensued felt more like an architect-to-architect dialogue than an architect-to-client discussion. Snow shared sketches with Blauvelt and he drew designs to send back. The flat-roofed concrete, wood, and glass house is essentially two joined 24-foot cubes, a similarly sized 16-foot-long walled courtyard, and a 24-by-24-foot garage.

The house will outlast their ideas. The house’s design is creating a calming private space on a well-trod urban corner. The house is manifested through the crisp grid design and the master stroke of Snow’s plan: the malleable central courtyard, which seamlessly morphs from a serene retreat to a space that easily houses bustling parties. With Snow’s monograph and the Blauvelt-Winter House completed, the designers’ bargain is satisfied and each is thrilled with the results. Please visit Julie Snow’s website for further information.