Quickscrews
Quickscrews Cabinet Install Screws
Built for strength and precision, Quickscrews Cabinet Install Screws are the go-to choice for professional cabinet installers. Designed specifically for cabi...
$169
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House Feature
Shou Sugi Ban Modern Home With Dramatic Exterior
"People always ask, 'Why do you want to be out there?'" says Debbie Koop, who, with her husband Steve Koop, built and lives in their sustainably designed soon-to-be retirement home in rural Minnesota. The reasons are simple—and go deep. "I grew up on a farm, so I'm used to rural," she says. "Plus, this place is special to both of us."
Debbie went to the College of Saint Benedict. Her husband attended Saint John's University, known internationally for its architecture by Marcel Breuer. The schools are four miles apart in Saint Joseph/Collegeville area, about 10 minutes from their new home in Avon. Steve's grandparents are from the area, and he has lots of relatives living nearby. Moreover, the colleges provide the couple with an active social life full of arts, culture, and spirituality.
Their son, Colin Koop, is an architect and partner at SOM. "We wanted him to design a house for us," she says. His interest in modernism, in addition to the Breuer buildings nearby, turned them toward contemporary design. The desire for a home that lives lightly on the land came from her father, "a farmer ahead of his time with his sustainable approaches to working the land."
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By Camille LeFevre, Home Feature Editor
Mar 3, 2025 · 5 min read
A sculptural, wood-burning, board-formed concrete fireplace, built by Mike Gohman of W. Gohman Construction, designed to reference Breuer’s Abbey Bell Tower at Saint John's, anchors the living space. Family friend and Saint John's University potter Richard Bresnahan hand-crafted the clay bricks in the firebox.
Interior designer Sheree A. Vincent, Certified Green AP, founder of Fusion Designed in Forest Lake, MN, guided the couple in their interior sustainability selections. "Sustainability is the foundation of my design practice," Vincent says. "As a couple, Debbie and Steve are in tune with the environment and want to protect it any way they can. Colin works within a sustainable practice. It was a great collaboration between all the parties."
Pendants over both the dining room table, kitchen island, and table bring the ceiling height to a more human scale. A custom-sized rug in the living room is the sofas' foundation and the unique reclaimed wood coffee table. A sense of intimacy is achieved with dimmable LED lighting installed in the perimeter beams.
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Camille LeFevre
Camille LeFevre is an architecture and design writer based in the Twin Cities.
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