Set on more than eight acres bordering a wetland, this newly built modern home joins Gordon James’ private five-site residential development in Orono. As the third residence built in this exclusive neighborhood, it encompasses approximately 6,540-square-feet with five bedrooms, six bathrooms, an indoor sport court and dedicated wellness spaces, plus a chef-quality kitchen and dramatic pool area for entertaining. Fondly dubbed Orchard Creek Hillside, the project was completed on an accelerated 10-month timeframe for the 2024 Summer Artisan Home Tour.
Photography by Mike McCaw and Michael Green / Spacecrafting
Modern, Museum-Quality Views
Custom designed for a family of five by Everson Architect principal Tommy Everson, the new home was inspired by another one of the architect’s completed projects in the development. “The clients saw the first house we designed in partnership with Gordon James, the Orchard Creek Overlook,” remembers Everson. “That house has more of a mountain modern architectural style and was designed to blend into the natural setting. The clients liked the setting and layout, but said they wanted an even more modern design.”
“In this home, it was more about the expansive use of space and views,” notes Everson. “We used Kolbe Windows & Doors. The large glass openings with narrow framing give it a museum quality, where the windows become the artwork and draw you into the dynamic views.” Jeremy Thompson, senior project manager at Gordon James, agrees. “The windows were a huge part of this house,” Thompson shares. “It’s no surprise that many people on the Artisan Home Tour commented on how great the windows looked and asked what brand they were.”
Approachable, Personalized Entry
While the Orchard Creek Hillside home is a picturesque portrait of modern design from every angle, the front façade of the house is intentionally understated. Distinctive, approachable and welcoming, the personalized nine-foot entry door was custom-crafted by Kolbe Windows & Doors. Composed of horizontal planes of walnut wood, the door’s boards align with the adjacent dark gray exterior siding. An expansive nine-foot window flanking the entry door provides a glimpse into the home and vast landscape beyond.
This statement window, like the rest of the Kolbe VistaLuxe WD LINE products in the residence, prioritizes the glass and views with minimal, narrow framing. On the exterior, the extruded aluminum is finished in onyx black. In the interior, the pine trim was also painted to match the modern color palette. Upon entering the home, a 15-foot window wall offers panoramic vistas of the surrounding wetland area and pool below. “The homeowners didn’t want to draw a lot of attention with a grand entry. Instead, they reserved the grandiose gesture for the back of the house,” shares Everson.
Dramatic Design for Indoor-Outdoor Living
The back of Orchard Creek Hillside showcases an ideal blend of indoor/outdoor living, touting a dramatic yet inviting outdoor pool area connected to the home by an open-air pavilion and an expansive all-aluminum framed multi-slide glass door. “We designed the core of the house around this door,” says Everson. “The pool is lined up exactly with the lower level’s windows and the multi-slide door. It’s a three-panel door system from Kolbe VistaLuxe AL LINE. It is a truly unique product, with such narrow framing and such a large opening.”
Before committing to Kolbe VistaLuxe products for their house, the homeowners visited Kolbe Gallery Twin Cities in Edina, which Everson notes was impactful for the homeowners. “The showroom is top notch,” he shares. “The people who work there understand more than just their products; they understand architecture. I don’t feel the need to accompany clients on every visit. I can just send our drawings ahead of time and know that our clients will be taken care of.” The gallery’s high level of service and high quality displays give homeowners the opportunity to see, feel and experience their options firsthand, which makes all the difference.
“Kolbe’s VistaLuxe lines have such a clean aesthetic. You can tell they were designed in collaboration with architects,” Everson says. He considers the Kolbe VistaLuxe AL multi-slide door a critical design element to the Orchard Creek Hillside project. “It’s all about the view and connection to the surrounding landscape,” he continues, reiterating the design priorities. “On the lower level, you look through the glass door, onto the pool and into the landscape beyond. When the door is closed, it looks so convincingly like a window that people on the Artisan tour didn’t realize they could open it.”
Wellness and Natural Light
Everson worked with the homeowners to extend the pool’s loungey vibe and wellness theme inside the home’s lower level. “Inspired by the health clubs they have frequented through the years, we created a spa on the lower level that includes a yoga studio, sauna, steam shower and a daybed area,” he explains. “These spaces are located around the corner from an indoor sport court. The spa area also has direct access to the pool and an adjacent hot tub. We kept all of these on the same level and connected to each other.”
Throughout both stories of the home, most rooms include at least one operable window or exterior door. The floor-to-ceiling windows are proportionally scaled with reference to the lower-level multi-slide door. Several window-sized modules were used to unify the glazing patterns throughout the house, establishing a hierarchy for various architectural elements.
“The front faces north, giving a calming, indirect light through the large openings,” Everson explains. “The back faces south, bringing a lot of direct light into the house. The south-facing interior’s floating glass staircase is anchored by a two-story chimney, connecting both levels. You are surrounded by glass and hardly notice anything other than the views because of the minimal window framing. Kolbe’s windows are a huge part of achieving that experience.”
Everson adds that the clerestory windows were also integral to the design, as the clients had requested vaulted ceilings in the living room. “They run east to west, where the sun angle tends to be lower, but their size and positioning helps control the amount and quality of light they let in,” he says. “Conceptually, they help articulate the white stucco banding that wraps the home’s exterior.”
Color, Comfort and Long Views
The undulating white stucco band provides a strong visual element for the home’s exterior, complimented by the window glazing and dark siding. Everson and the homeowners worked with Minnesota-born, California-based interior designer Nada Bibi to articulate the desired appearance of the interiors — a combination of a modern black-and-white palette with grayscale tones, natural wood and stone.
Indoor-outdoor comfort is extended from the main floor in the form of a covered outdoor deck accessible from the great room and the parents’ bedroom. “In Minnesota, we have a short pool season, so the deck offers outdoor space for other times of the year,” says Everson. “The floor of the deck provides shelter from the elements for the pavilion area and walkways below.”
“Where the lower level’s views draw you outside to the pool, the main floor is more about the long views,” continues Everson. “The windows and doors subtly frame views of the landscape and beyond into the wilderness. “When the light is just right outside, you can see a reflection of the house mirrored in the pool from the backyard.”
Complex Construction, Savvy Collaborators
As the senior project manager, Thompson is involved in almost every project by Gordon James. Addressing the Orchard Creek Hillside home’s 10-month construction schedule, he acknowledges: “A timeframe that quick is unheard of for a house of this size and complexity.”
While Gordon James works with many window and door manufacturers, Thompson emphasizes his positive experience with Kolbe on the Orchard Creek Hillside home. “Kolbe met the balance of the design that was needed to make the project work,” he says. “The Kolbe staff worked directly and seamlessly with the architect to put all the specifications together.” Accurate information and a smooth construction sequence were essential to the home’s on-time completion.
The pool was installed as soon as the framing was done in the fall of 2023. Windows and doors followed, with the installation completing soon after in November. With regard to the lower-level Kolbe VistaLuxe AL multi-slide door, he echoes the experience typical of Kolbe clients and collaborators: “Their installation was seamless.” What more can you ask for?
