This Shaker wood-burning stove takes center stage in this simple and clean Scandinavian new home design. We interviewed a new homeowner about her experience working with Sustainable 9 to design and build her new home in Edina, MN. This is what she had to say about her experience and her method of keeping the process manageable and fun.
We have all heard it before, the process of building a new home can be stressful.
It doesn’t have to be that way!
Follow these 3 simple tips to make building your dream home easier.
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Hire Good People
The best way to know what to expect from anyone you hire is to look at their past work. While driving through an Edina neighborhood, these future new homeowners fell in love with the clean and modern design of the Sustainable 9 project on 57th street.
“Hire good people and let them do their job”‘We began our search in 2017. I was coming from grad school in Madison and my husband was moving from Washington DC. When we saw the house on 57th street we knew we wanted Sustainable 9 to build our new home.’
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Be Clear About Your Taste
'We did a lot of work up front to find images of the modern Scandinavian style that we came to appreciate on our travels. Coming from a traditional home in Washington DC, we were ready for the simple, neutral interiors typical of the Scandinavian aesthetic.'
Joe Buelow took our ideas and presented 5 options. He was the one who found the Shaker stove from All Seasons Fireplace. The Shaker stove was, hands down, the favorite and we designed the whole main floor around the stove. Watch the video here.
We use the stove in the evenings before or after dinner and when friends stop by. We chose the Wittus, Shaker, not only because it looks fantastic but because it operates efficiently and offers the proper amount of heat for our space. Read more about the new EPA 2020 wood-burning standards on this page.
The Shaker takes center stage on the cement hearth which coordinates with the other cement countertops throughout the home. Notice the use of cement countertops in photograph of the kitchen. This type of continuity of material selection connects the rooms and results in the sense of calm that repeatable patterns bring to a space.
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Focus Design Decisions on Structural Elements Only
Of the many decisions that need to be made during new home construction, the more important decisions are those that will not be easily changed in the future. Things like windows, floors, counter tops and walkways. You get the idea. Why worry about paint color and decorative features when these elements can be changed after you move into the home?
April explained that she and her husband decided to leave those small decorative decisions to be made after they have lived in the house for a while. ‘We could have spent a lot of time on things like wallpaper and temporary design decisions but we wanted to focus on things that would matter in the long run.’
While the paint color was not important at this stage in the design, the window treatments, or lack thereof, was a key element of the design.
April decided that window treatments would not be a design element and so the windows stand alone and are the design element themselves. The Hunter Douglas™ window coverings are built into the frame of the windows and disappear when not in use.
And who wouldn’t love all that natural light adorning the space. April and her husband have flexible schedules and outside offices and when they choose to work from home they find the neutral warmth of the modern Scandinavian design a welcome environment. Now that we are spending so much time at home and interest rates are at all an all-time low, it seems this may be the best time to invest in your own dream home.
Are you looking for more design inspiration and you would like to see more options in wood-burning stoves?
Follow this link for more ideas on wood-burning stoves.
Not sure a wood-burning stove is right for you?
This page shows more options in gas burning stoves and fireplace design.