A young family from Chicago built their dream home in rural Wisconsin.
BACK TO NATURE
Chicago urbanites Dave and Jamie Van Dixhorn and their three young children uprooted from the windy city to the small town of Kohler, Wisconsin, looking for a radical change of lifestyle. Proximity to nature was a central priority. But they also wanted to keep some of that urban sensibility they had come to love: open spaces, large windows and functional design.
Dave and Jamie hired Osterhaus-McCarthy and Milwaukee-based Bruns Architecture to design a 6,000-square-foot home to their specifications. As Dave likes to say, “The design blurs the lines between the natural beauty of the outdoors with the comforts of modern living.”
They set about creating large vistas to bring the outside in and feature the surrounding woods. This also maximizes natural light, something that becomes increasingly important as the days shorten. The resulting structure is both cozy and open to the surroundings.
"Life is so full, so busy, so chaotic at times. We wanted our home to be different; a place to rest and rejuvenate, a place to connect with family, friends and nature. With minimal style and an eye on functionality, our home is free of the things we don't need but designed for comfort and gathering together."
Dave and Jamie looked far and wide for a black barn door hardware system that fit the high level of quality throughout the home. They quickly discovered that most black finishes were cheaply done with powder coat paint, and they knew that wouldn't fly. When they discovered Krownlab's Black Stainless—with its fine linear grain—they knew they had the right finish.
A CURATED LIFE
In shedding city life, Dave and Jamie were looking for a space free of clutter and distraction. This meant that materials would be selected carefully and with an eye on functionality. Krownlab was the only option they could find that met their standards of performance, durability and beauty.
"We chose sliding doors instead of traditional hinge doors for their beauty and how they perform in our home. I love how smooth and effortless it is to open and close our doors. Thanks to Krownlab, they roll smoothly and quietly along the track, and the stops on each end provide a soft landing."
The Van Dixhorns plan on living in this house through their late years. Aging in place may not be the most exciting consideration, but it's an important one. This is the dream home they've always wanted to build. Their hardware needed to be of first quality and lasting durability, and it needed to look good too. Krownlab's Oden system was the perfect choice.
