Johnsen Schmaling Architects
On a quarter-acre site on the shores of Lac La Belle, just over 30 miles west of Milwaukee, is a colorful new house that brings all the attributes of urban infill to this bucolic landscape. Designed by Milwaukee-based Johnsen Schmaling Architects, the 2,430-square-foot-house was designed for a fiber artist and her family. The architects organized the program around a series of voids cut into the three-story building mass, which accommodate a covered second-floor deck, an entry court, and, inside, a double-height living room. “This is a known volumetric and formal strategy but the level of execution at all parts is extremely high,” juror Cary Bernstein said. The architects took cues from the client’s art by detailing a brick wall by the entry with progressively wider perforations, and by accenting the horizontal cedar siding with vertical boards painted in colors inspired by the client’s yarn collection. Views out to the lakeside environs are carefully curated, with floor-to-ceiling glazing interrupted by opaque walls to edit out undesirable sight lines. The final result is reminiscent of a censored CIA file, hence “Redaction House.” The jury appreciated how the compact design and footprint felt at home within its neighborhood setting despite its own density. Juror Joel Sanders noted that it feels “extraordinarily comfortable in that context. It fits in so perfectly.”
Click here to see all of the winners of the 2014 Residential Architect Design Awards.
Drawings
Project Credits
Project Redaction House, Oconomowoc, Wis.
Architect Johnsen Schmaling Architects, Milwaukee—Brian Johnsen, AIA; Sebastian Schmaling, AIA
General Contractor Burg Construction
Interior Designer Johnsen Schmaling Architects
Photography John J. Macaulay
Project Size 2,430 square feet
Construction Cost $242 per square foot
Materials and Sources
Bathroom Cabinets Custom
Bathroom Fittings Kohler kohler.com
Bathroom Fixtures Lacava lacava.com
Cooktop Miele mieleusa.com
Countertops Caesarstone caesarstoneus.com
Dishwasher Miele mieleusa.com
Doors Northwerks
Exterior Siding Cedar
Flooring Bamboo; Interstyle Ceramic & Glass interstyle.ca
Garage Doors Clopay clopaydoor.com
Garbage Disposal Custom
Hardware Amerock amerock.com; Schlage schlage.com
HVAC Trane trane.com
Insulation Biofoam biofoamusa.com
Kitchen Cabinets Custom
Kitchen Fittings Dornbracht dornbracht.com
Kitchen Fixtures Elkay elkay.com
Lighting Fixtures Bega-US bega-us.com; Juno Lighting Group junolightinggroup.com; Lux & Luce luxluce.ro
Oven Miele mieleusa.com
Paints and Finishes Benjamin Moore & Co. benjaminmoore.com
Refrigerator Miele mieleusa.com
Roofing Johns Manville jm.com
Windows Custom; Marvin Windows and Doors marvin.com
