On a wooded lot in Minnetonka, Minnesota, Strand Design designed an urban retreat for a growing family as three simple rectangular volumes. Standing-seam steel, iridescent brick, poured concrete and natural cedar carry from outside to in, framing 360-degree views of the surrounding oaks.

The family's private wing sits apart from the main living spaces and is joined to them by outdoor living and utility areas, so the household can gather or retreat as the day requires. An entry court sits beneath the steel volume, and folding glass opens the dining room to the outdoors.

Inside, cedar ceilings and large windows run from the screened porch through the living and dining rooms to the kitchen, keeping the trees in view from almost every room. A walnut wall, an oak stair and a bedroom with a slatted oak wall add warmth and texture to an otherwise calm, light palette, and the screened porch extends the family's time outdoors among the oaks.