In the Fall of 2017, the Koops moved into their 3,300-square-foot-home, comprised of a one-level house and garage enclosing a courtyard designed by Laura Kamin Lyndgaard of Coen + Partners in Minneapolis. The open-plan home has 16-foot-high vaulted ceilings. Two nearly 40-foot spans of energy-efficient Marvin floor-to-ceiling windows are on the exterior walls.

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."

An Indoor-Outdoor Relationship

The team created a symbiotic relationship between the indoors and the outdoors. Colin sited the home, so the entire interior is flooded with natural light throughout the day, while window coverings provide light and temperature control when needed. Within the open-plan interior, a free-standing wall between the morning room and dining room, and another between the living room and kitchen, delineate those spaces.

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.

Sustainable Furnishings

The home has rift, and quarter-sawn oak flooring finished with a water-based stain and topped with a combination of natural oils and wax. Porcelain tile in the entry/powder room, master bathroom, and laundry room provide skid-free durable flooring in wet locations. The couple chose natural wool carpet for the office, guest hallway, and bedrooms.

The home has LED dimmable lighting throughout. Sherwin Williams's zero-VOC paint covers the walls. Energy Star appliances, an induction cooktop, and steam ovens are extremely energy efficient. The plumbing fixtures include dual flush toilets and WaterSense faucets.

Kitchen and Bathroom Cabinetry

The Koops selected European-style Puustelli MIINUS cabinetry for the kitchen and bathrooms. Puustelli frames are made of a bio-composite material that contains zero formaldehyde. The cabinets are MDF and chipboard free, incorporate formaldehyde-free glues, and are not made from endangered wood species. They are also recyclable. In manufacturing the cabinets, the company uses 50 percent fewer materials.

Sustainable Furniture

Ninety percent of the furnishings that Vincent specified came from manufacturers vetted by and are members of the Sustainable Furnishings Council. Several sofas and chairs, and the fabric with which they were upholstered, come from Lee Industries, a company committed to manufacturing earth-friendly products in the U.S. using sustainable processes.

Other swivel and lounge chairs, dining chairs, barstools, soy cushions, fabric, and outdoor furniture came from Room and Board, committed to environmental responsibility. The office chairs are from American Leather, a U.S. company that constructs each frame from wood harvested from sustainable forests. These leathers use water-based pigments.

Colin designed the walnut dining table and buffet, hand-crafted by a Minnesota based business, Eastvold Furniture, that uses sustainable materials. The project used local materials, contractors, and subcontractors throughout the construction process.

Sharing a Sustainable Philosophy

Situated between an old-growth forest and a restored prairie, the home was "a dream to work on," Vincent says. "To design at this level, with sustainability at the forefront, was possible because Debbie and Steve shared the same sustainable design philosophy."

 Simultaneously, the team worked with the basic design principles of harmony, scale, balance, proportion, and color to create open and intimate spaces. As a result, the home serves the couple, their extended family, and their extensive social network. Says Debbie, "We're all pretty happy and proud with how the house turned out."