Tucked away in a little neighborhood just below the Flatiron Mountains in Boulder, Colorado lies the Sampson House by Tician Papachristou. Make sure you take the time to actually sound out his name because despite looking unfamiliar it will roll off your tongue with the same comfortable charm that this house inspires. It’s amazing how a home built in 1958 can escape looking dated over 50 years later. In part it is the simple honesty of the wood siding and bare concrete. The shape is intriguing and makes even more sense when seen in context with the dusty red peaks that soar almost 1,000 feet above. I believe the yellow trim is a recent addition but it serves to emphasize the way the roof line parallels the slope. Together these design details ensure the house feels rooted to the landscape but also celebrates the jagged mountains that surely inspired it. It was also likely inspired by the long, low lines of Frank Loyd Wright’s Usonian homes.

Tician collaborated on a few projects with a more famous architect Marcel Breuer. Breuer was brilliant without a doubt and it must have been rewarding to collaborate but unfortunately seems to have overshadowed Tician’s own work which is wonderful in its own right. If you’re ever in Boulder take a moment to walk by.

The Twin Cities Homes By Architects tour is coming up September 19 and 20, 2009. There are a few interesting modern numbers including 4869 Dominica Way (pictured below) by Altus Architecture and Design. There are quite a few – shall we say – “traditional” homes on the tour so you may want to take a look at the full portfolio before you spring for tickets. Fortunately, the site includes a detailed map so you could swing by the ones you like the look of and then get tickets if you are just dying to get a peek inside.

One of my very favorite spots in the Twin Cities is tucked away down a little side street in what must be one of the most beautiful settings I’ve seen. While very close to all the wonderful things the city has to offer (like milkshakes) approaching this spot is like leaving it all behind. Every time I ride my bike by I leave feeling relaxed.

The house itself is unique and handsomely designed but not ostentatious the way well funded homes often feel the need to be. It nestles into the side of the hill like it grew there years ago. What’s growing right next to the house is a big part of what makes it so special. A full lot worth of Japanese style garden plays out in a myriad, tranquil shades of green. Backing up against a park allows the garden to take full advantage of the borrowed landscape.

The garage is a recent edition and makes the entry to the house even more private. A feature that makes the fact that the owners have generously shared unobstructed views of their garden even more of a gift. Larger photographs are available on flickr.

One of my design professors once told me “A designer should never take the same route to work two days in a row.” Going on he explained that the repetition dulls our ability to perceive the details afresh each time. I’ve followed his advice for 17 years now and have traveled for miles going around ‘just one more bend’ at a time.

Just the other day I took a different turn and discovered this fun little house just a single block from a house I’ve been by many times. Interestingly, the day after taking these pictures the home (at 1912 Norfolk Ave. in Saint Paul) went up for sale. There is a corner stone (unusual for a residence) listing the architects Bergstedt and Hirsch which is also unusual since they designed things like Mount Zion Temple on Summit Avenue so it’s possible this is just another one of a number of interesting reclaimed materials. Then again I believe the house is currently owned by an architect so you never know. If you’re not in the market you might still enjoy going to an open house to see some of the interesting solutions on display. And who knows what else you’ll find – just around the bend.

A block off the prestigious Mississippi River Blvd the neighborhood quickly becomes fairly common place. But at the top of a little rise stands this house that seems to have decided it is not content to be a neo-this or revival-that. It doesn’t even proclaim its mid-century modern heritage very loudly actually. It just sits on its hill looking content to be what it is. Although, I when I consider its yellow doors I can’t help but think it wears just a little sly smile.

Regrettably I have been unable to discover the architect responsible.

x marks the spot.

Few houses that sit on a corner lot seem to take advantage of their particular situation. This house by Thorshov & Thorson in the Longfellow neighborhood of Minneapolis on the other hand manages a number of clever feats at once. No matter the time of day one side folds forward to embrace the sun while the other creates a niche of cool shade. Also, instead of just looking across the street like most houses the angle at which it is set on the lot allows the big windows in the front a full view of the trees that line the West River Road’s boulevard strip at the end of the block. There are several nice touches too – like the benches that surround the patio off the side door and the opposing angles of the chimney caps. Another thing that makes this house appealing are the two houses next to it. More on those later.

x marks the spot.

Somewhere between the unobtainably beautiful pages of Dwell Magazine and the undesirable tract housing vomited onto the land by developers; just around the corner from the quaint but increasingly inadequate pattern houses that make up most neighborhoods I find myself stumbling upon a few humble gems. Homes that appear to be comfortably of the space they inhabit even though they are unusual. It can be quite difficult to figure out if this is the result of the skill of a professional architect and landscape architect or simply the intuition of a passionate owner. Either way I thought I’d start sharing some of my finds here to demonstrate that quality space can be achieved wherever you find yourself.

This first one is in Saint Paul’s Highland Park area and thanks to the AIA I discovered that it is actually called the Donald Haarstick House. Mr. Haarstick was one of the first architects to embrace modernism after WWII and this home he designed for himself dates to 1955. It is different almost radical compared to adjacent houses yet (to me) looks much more interesting to live in.