SCULPTURAL LIVING

From the outside, the precise, rhythmical placement of the windows that stair-step their way up the front of the house is somehow familiar and soothing. The windows’ modest size allows for plenty of daylight and passive solar energy from the west, but lots of privacy, too.

The front yard is creatively cultivated, with different levels of landscaping and evidence of Kristin’s loving green thumb at work. A hammock to the right of the house faces east through a stand of young Aspens. Cedar mulched gardens and spicy evergreens imbue the entrance with a calming fragrance; a corner sandbox filled with kid-size trucks and cement mixers make it obvious that this is no ordinary modern abode. While it may be void of excess ornamentation, it is by no means austere. The VanDeWalle residence is visually arresting, but it also fills the senses with home and hearth, kids and cooking, gardening and outdoor family play.

An outdoor table on castors allows for dining in sun or shade; a transition made easy with a simple push or pull. The stained concrete patio flooring is easy to care for, and, more importantly, stands up to harsh Montana winters.

A mesh-like recycled steel “screen” fences in the front yard, providing a layer of privacy, says Ken. A grove of mature trees obscures the house at first, until you pass through a steel gate and into a courtyard. The threshold hints at Ken’s careful craftsmanship with the custom-made front door. And when the wide door swings open to the VanDeWalle’s entryway, it is full of sculptural detail.

Inside the house, there is a repetition of design elements (corrugated metal, recycled steel, concrete in various forms) but the house is cleverly divided up into utilitarian spaces. The kitchen is at once efficient and warm; there is an alcove for making breakfast, a nook for Kristin’s morning coffee and meal planning and a bar made from a single slab of wood, lit overhead with halogen lights. The kitchen opens up to both family room and dining area, which has built-in seating — not unlike that on a ship — to save space. Circle your way upstairs on the quiet cork steps to see the master bedroom and bathroom. Just down the hall is a kind of homework space where fiddle lessons are practiced and various popsicle stick projects are assembled.

Whenever he is designing, Ken ponders the innate characteristics of whatever materials he is using. He asks himself: How does one use reclaimed, recycled steel, and various forms of concrete so that they are at their finest? What are the possibilities for these materials?”