Set on a six-acre wooded lakeshore site in eastern Minnesota, the Cloud Forest House draws its name from the eponymous woodlands of Ecuador — a beloved travel destination of the homeowners. Attracted to the property’s immersive natural surroundings, the couple enjoyed the existing home for 10 years before they decided to explore improvements to meet the needs of their active family of five. Their priorities included expansive window views, a more spacious floor plan and an updated contemporary style. The homeowners tapped husband-and-wife team Jeremy and Sara Imhoff of Imprint Architecture and Design to bring their dream home to life. Here, the Imprint duo take us inside the process of reimagining the indoor-outdoor connection, creating a modern appearance and the impact of Kolbe Windows & Doors’ sleek solutions.
Bigger, Brighter, Better
The Imprint team created three design options for the Cloud Forest renovation, ranging from less-invasive yet impactful changes to a completely reimagined floor plan. The clients decided to preserve the overall footprint, retaining four bedrooms, one office and three bathrooms. A new bedroom suite addition enlarged the existing home, providing privacy between the parents and their growing children.
One of the project’s focuses was improving living functionality, starting with the garage. The previous garage had been a prominent feature of the front elevation, which obscured the entry and blocked the home’s views and light to the west. Imprint sought to open up the house on all sides, extending views and natural light throughout the interior.
Kolbe Windows & Doors’ VistaLuxe AL LINE was selected to bring the homeowners’ chosen design to life. Like Imprint, Kolbe is recognized for its personalized approach. The company began in 1946 as a two-brother team based in Wisconsin. Today, it is one of the nation’s leading window and door manufacturers known for superior quality, custom craftsmanship, attention to detail, as well as its innovative and unique designs.
Transparent Transitions
The glass panels on the large windows and massive lift-and-slide doors connect and transcend the home’s defined indoor and outdoor spaces. “With Cloud Forest House, we have a lot of expansive glass in a very private wooded setting,” says Jeremy. “What I really appreciate about the windows is that the frames allow us to maximize their viewing area, blurring those lines between the inside and outside.”
Sara also highlights the dual sightlines offered by corner windows. Along with northeast views from the primary bedroom suite and southeast vistas from the dining room, there is an inward perspective. She elaborates, “If you’re in one room or another, you’re looking outside and then looking back into the other room. The windows face directions and angles that capture the light in different ways.”
The great room gives the impression of walls of glass by combining multiple large windows into a single configuration topped with clerestory windows. Operable windows were placed strategically throughout the house for natural ventilation. “In most spaces, you’re looking outside. I love pretty much every angle,” says Sara. “The views created are of the property, trees and nature. It’s really neat to see the outdoor environment change when you’re inside this house.”
Resilient Materials, Modern Style
“Kolbe Windows & Doors was a huge part of leaning into the open concept and envisioning the new design with the right materials,” shares Sara. Merging modern indoor comfort with rugged outdoor texture, Imprint worked with the homeowners to select natural, high-performance materials with a contemporary aesthetic. Wood siding, floors, ceilings and cabinetry; concrete and metal wall panels; stone counters and accents; and exposed steel supports and railings unify the exterior façade and interior decor.
Sara notes, “The fact that Kolbe had the VistaLuxe AL LINE with the aluminum interior and exterior was a big driver.” The finished aluminum requires very little maintenance. The frames’ insulated thermal barrier and dual-glazed Low-E glass enhance condensation resistance and energy performance during hot summers and cold winters.
Complementing the natural materials and color palette, the all-aluminum frames of the Kolbe windows and doors were finished in onyx to resemble aged steel. The dark color on the exterior pairs well with the wood siding and achieves the desired contrast with the predominantly white interior walls. The narrow window frames accentuate the interior’s clean, crisp, modern design with elegant simplicity.
Building, Together
The strong, consistent communication and weekly meetings between Imprint, Hagstrom Builder and the clients kept the project’s vision in focus and construction on schedule, even as the pandemic and supply-chain constraints posed challenges. Hagstrom Builder President Peter Hagstrom credits Kolbe Windows & Doors and other leading window manufacturers for helping expand the imaginative possibilities and performance of custom homes. “They’ve become so much more energy efficient and it’s allowing the architect to put in a wall of windows, which is just so stunning.”
Hagstrom’s jobsite supervisor Dave Johnson, estimates there were up to 150 different tradespeople on the Cloud Forest House project from start to finish. To avoid potential delays, many materials were ordered in advance and stored on location. When it was time for Kolbe’s doors and windows to arrive at the jobsite, they encountered road restrictions.
“These are some of the largest units Kolbe has produced,” Johnson recalls. He emphasizes his appreciation for Kolbe Gallery Twin Cities managing the delivery and installation process. He adds, “They were looking ahead, making sure things were right. They knew exactly what to do. It was all around a good experience. I haven’t had that with any other window supplier. It seemed like Kolbe truly cared. Kolbe had great solutions. The partnership was great. The whole team came together.”