Orono, MN
2017
Snow Kreilich Architects
Travis Van Liere Studio
Welch Forsman Builders
Paul Crosby Photography

The Bracketts Point Residence is positioned on a broad, flat, shoreline site, providing expansive views across Browns Bay of Lake Minnetonka. The main rooms open as a series of interconnected spaces transitioning from the street to the lake, with the utility and storage functions gathered to the northwest to block sound from a nearby road. Four primary openings— the deep entry porch and broad expanses at the living room, kitchen, and master bedroom—anchor the main rooms’ relationships with the site. Smaller openings create axial views through the house and provide moments of connection to the treed site, gardens, and water.

As avid sailors and long-time residents of Lake Minnetonka, the clients wanted the design of their new home to feel like a lake house. The light and airy color palette and extensive use of wood for the facade and interior finishes give the house a casual lake house atmosphere, fit for both large and intimate gatherings where visitors can admire the lake and surrounding landscaped site from the expansive patios and open living spaces. Expansive windows and white walls serve as backdrops for the client’s art collection while also creating framed views of the lake and lush gardens beyond.